Defendants Vindicated in Harvard Fencing Team Bribery Case

Congratulations to Jie “Jack” Zhao and his lawyers at Quinn Emanuel—William D. Weinreb, Michael T. Packard, Jessica Reese, and Elizabeth Kelly—for their victory in defense of allegations against Zhao of bribery related to Harvard fencing team admissions, reminiscent of the “Varsity Blues” cases.

Following a trial before U.S. District Judge George A. O’Toole in District Court for the District of Massachusetts, the federal jury found business chief executive Zhao and his co-defendant, Peter A. Brand, a former fencing coach at Harvard, not guilty of conspiring in an alleged fraud and bribery scheme to recruit and admit Zhao’s sons to the prestigious Ivy League institution for two of the school’s coveted fencing admissions slots.

DOAR’s consulting team—Scott Allen, Raymond McLeod, Ellen Brickman, Ph.D., and April Mihalovich—was proud to provide jury research, graphics consulting, and trial presentation consulting.

Read more about the verdict on Law360.com.