A former Yale women’s soccer coach pleaded guilty Thursday in federal court in Boston to taking hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes to help students gain admission to the Ivy League school.

Rudolph “Rudy” Meredith, a pivotal defendant in the nationwide college admissions scandal, admitted to one count of wire fraud and honest services wire fraud, and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and honest services wire fraud

In exchange for his cooperation with prosecutors, Meredith, who resigned from Yale in November, could avoid the maximum of 20 years in prison and $250,000 fine each of the charges carry at his June 20 sentencing by U.S. District Court Judge Mark L. Wolf. But he will have to forfeit $850,000 he gained from the scheme.

Meredith first came to the FBI’s attention when an executive who agents were investigating for securities fraud told them the coach had offered to recruit the executive’s daughter in exchange for cash, authorities said.

Agents arranged a sting last year at a Boston hotel room, where Meredith offered to help get a student into Yale by presenting her as a soccer recruit in exchange for $450,000, according to prosecutors.

The coach eventually led them to William “Rick” Singer, a Newport Beach, Calif., consultant whom wealthy parents paid to help get their children into top universities, authorities said.

Beginning in April 2015, Meredith had agreed with Singer to take bribes in exchange for facilitating applicants’ admission to Yale by designating them as women’s soccer recruits.

In November 2017, Singer received an email indicating that someone wanted to make a “donation” to a top school his daughter was applying to.

Singer sent the daughter’s resume and personal statement to Meredith and said he would “revise” the materials. Singer then sent Meredith a profile that falsely described the girl as co-captain of a prominent southern California soccer club. Meredith then designated her as a recruit for the Yale women’s soccer team, despite the fact that she didn’t play competitive soccer.

On Jan. 1, 2018, after the girl was admitted to Yale, Singer mailed Meredith a check for $400,000 from the account of his purported charitable organization, Key Worldwide Foundation. Last summer, the girl’s relatives paid Singer $1.2 million in multiple installments.

On April 12, 2018, Meredith met with the father of another prospective Yale applicant in a Boston hotel room. During the recorded meeting, Meredith stated that he would designate the girl as a soccer recruit in exchange for $450,000. At the meeting, Meredith accepted $2,000 in cash as a partial payment and provided bank account information for future payments.

Singer, 58, pleaded guilty March 22 to racketeering conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, conspiracy to defraud the United States and obstruction of justice. He is scheduled to be sentenced June 19.

In all, the federal probe has led to the arrests of 50 people, including actresses Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin.

The first of the parents accused of paying bribes are due in court Friday.