David Gerger, a white-collar defense attorney in Houston with a history of defending clients in high-profile cases, is representing Martin Fox, the president of a private tennis academy and camp in Houston who has been indicted in the college admissions scam.

Fox pleaded not guilty to a charge of racketeering conspiracy Monday when he appeared before a magistrate judge in Boston. He has been released on bond.

Gerger, of Houston firm Gerger Khalil & Hennessy, declined to discuss the allegations against Fox, except to issue this statement: “Don't rush to judgment. Martin has helped thousands of kids get involved in sports in the last 30 years. He does not belong in this indictment.”

Gerger has represented a number of high-profile clients in Houston, including Andrew Fastow, the former Enron Corp. chief financial officer, and Jamie Olis, a former Dynegy Inc. accountant. Earlier this month, Gerger and others from his firm secured the release of a federal prisoner under the “compassionate release” program that took effect with the First Step Act late last year.

The indictment in United States v. Ernst claims that 12 defendants, including Fox, engaged in an “enterprise” to pave the way for children of wealthy individuals to be admitted to elite private and public colleges and universities, either by unlawfully helping them get higher scores on college entrance exams or by securing admission for them as recruited athletes.

The indictment alleges that Fox participated in the alleged conspiracy by introducing a student to a tennis coach at the University of Texas “for the purpose of securing the admission of a student to the university, through bribery, as a purported athletic recruit,” and also arranging similar bribes on two occasions with a sports coach at the University of San Diego. The indictment alleges that William Rick Singer, the owner of a college counseling company implicated in the scheme, paid Fox a total of $210,000.

The University of Texas has fired the coach, Michael Center. Center's attorney, Jack Kunha, a partner in Kunha & Holcomb in Boston, declined to comment Tuesday.

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