Ex-Penn Coach, Celtics Assistant Jerome Allen Testifies He Took Around $300,000 in Bribes
Boston Celtics assistant coach Jerome Allen testified that he took about $300,000 in wire transfer bribes while he was the head coach at Penn to give a scholarship to the son of a Florida businessman, according to Scott Gleeson of USA Today.
In October, Allen pleaded guilty to bribery charges and there is a chance he sees time in prison. Back in July, it was reported that Allen received money from Philip Esformes to get his son Morris Esformes into Penn.
Allen admitted to receiving bags with $10,000 of cash in them prior to the wire transfers starting. He added that former Penn assistant Ira Bowman, who is now at Auburn, was aware of the bribery after Allen left the program in 2015.
Penn released a statement saying it was unaware of Bowman's "knowledge of the matter" and it will readdress the situation. Auburn announced Wednesday that Bowman has been suspended due to an investigation into the matter, according to Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports. The Tigers will play either Missouri or Georgia on Thursday in the second round of the SEC tournament.
This testimony was part of a Medicare and Medicaid fraud investigation focused on Philip Esformes, who was a healthcare executive.
Allen coached at Penn from 2009 through 2015 and went 65-104 during his time there. The Celtics hired him in July of 2015.
