Celtics assistant gets probation in college bribery case

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 12:53 p.m. ET

MIAMI (AP) — A Boston Celtics assistant coach has been sentenced to probation and ordered to pay a fine for accepting $300,000 in bribes to get a wealthy Florida businessman's son into the University of Pennsylvania.

Court records show a federal judge imposed the sentence Monday on Jerome Allen, the former head basketball coach at Penn. In addition to four years' probation, the 47-year-old Allen must pay a $202,000 fine and forfeit another $18,000.

Allen received a lenient sentence after testifying for prosecutors against Philip Esformes in a $1 billion Medicare fraud trial. Esformes was convicted in April of 20 counts including money laundering and obstruction of justice and awaits sentencing.

Allen testified that he accepted Esformes' money to help the businessman's son, Morris, gain acceptance as a "recruited" basketball player at Penn.

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