A Chinese millionaire paid close top double the asking price for a home owned by Harvard's fencing coach just months before his son was recruited by the man and offered a spot at the Ivy League University.

The Boston Globe reports that entrepreneur Jie 'Jack' Zhao purchased the Massachusetts home of Harvard's fencing coach Peter Brand in 2016 for $989,500, despite the fact that he had never seen the property and its assessed value was $549,300.

A short time later his son Edward, 19, was recruited by Brand for the fencing squad and then accepted into Harvard.

Zhao also made a donation of $1 million to the National Fencing Foundation of Washington DC in 2013, who in turn gave a $100,000 grant to Brand's charitable fund the following year.

That was the year Zhao's older son Eric started at Harvard, but he told The Crimson he had been granted early acceptance in late 2013, with both brothers claiming to have no knowledge of their father's dealings with Brand.

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Wheeling and dealing: Jie 'Jack' Zhao (left) enriched Harvard fencing coach Peter Brand (right) and his charity to the tune of $500,000 in the years before his son was admitted to the school

Voulez vous allez avec moi? Sabre: Zhao's younger son Edward (above) got a perfect score on his SATs and received just a single 'B' during his four years at the prestigious Saint Albans School

Piste off: Edward's page on the Harvard athletics site (above) had been taken down by Friday morning

Money pit: Zhao purchased Brand's home (above) in 2016 for $989,500, despite the fact that he had never seen the property and its assessed value was $549,300

That initial $1 million donation to the NFF was made however in February 2013, well before the older son even applied to Harvard.

The money then went to Beard just three months after the IRS finally granted his foundation tax-exempt status.

Zhao made his money in a number of ventures, most notably as the co-founder of iTalk Global Communications, Inc.

He sold the company for $120 million in 2012, at which point he began dispersing money to NFF and Brand.

Zhao is still the CEO of the company, and has been a US citizen since 1995.

He is also the president of the National China Garden Foundation, whose website contains a brief biography that reveals Zhao 'became a member of the Society of Actuaries and an enrolled actuary with the Internal Revenue Service, where he was qualified to sign corporation’s tax return to deduct retirement funding.'

The purchase of the house and charitable donation may be the least problematic actions however as Harvard opens an investigation into Beard's dealings with Zhao, as the Chinese national told the Globe during a face-to-face meeting that he 'bought airline tickets for seven or eight fencers with frequent flyer miles to go to China with his sons early in each of their Harvard career.'

That move could be a very clear violation of NCAA regulations depending on the purpose of the trip and the relationship Zhao's sons had with the other students who accompanied them to Asia.

Happy sale-ing: A listing of the condo sale

Harvard has already taken down the youngest son's athlete page from their website, but his older brother and Brand are still featured online.

Zhao dismissed any sort of plot was behind his decision, stating that he bought the house to help Beard because he hated his lengthy commute to work each day.

He also claimed that he never even met Beard until his older son was a member of the fencing team.

'We have a freshman weekend or whatever that we went to the fencing room, sit down, talk with him,' said Zhao.

'The more we talk, I really like this guy.'

Parents weekend took place November 6 -7 back in 2014, which was after that $100,000 donation was made to The Peter Brand Foundation.

The same IRS form that confirms this donation also lists Zhao as the group's vice president.

What's more, the money that went to Brand had to come from Zhao's $1 million donation since the NFF never reported gifts of more than $25,000 in IRS forms for the four years prior.

Condo: Brand made an aggressive offer of $1.3 million for the property, which was $300,000 over asking price

En garde: Eric Zhao (above) started at Harvard in 2014 and would graduate in 2018 as the captain on the university's fencing team

Money: He also donated $1 million to the National Fencing Foundation, who in turn gave a $100,000 grant to Brand's charitable foundation (IRS fling above)

Baller, shot caller: Zhao is seen with NBA star Jeremy Lin at an event for iTalk

That is the lone outside donation the foundation has ever received, with the other $29,000 coming from Brand and his wife.

Then there is the curious issue of the homes.

In addition to paying well beyond the asking price for Brand's home, Zhao also never moved into the property, and 14 months later it was put on the market for $699,000, meaning that Zhou stood to lose almost $300,000 on the home.

He also received the home in a Quit Claim Deed, which is traditionally used to transfer property to other family members or in instances of divorce.

The home would eventually sell for $665,000 three months later, and a few months after that Zhao's younger son was granted admission to Harvard.

Zho explained the loss as if it were meaningless, and said he sold the home to pursue another investment opportunity.

Brand meanwhile made an offer on a condo that was assessed at almost the exact same value as the purchase price he was given for his home.

He then made an aggressive offer of $1.3 million for the property, which was $300,000 over asking price.

The most bizarre fact of all however may be that the student in question had a perfect score on his SATs and received just a single 'B' during his four years at the prestigious Saint Albans School in Washington DC.

His current rank for fencing is 363 in the country.

DailyMail.com reached out to the US Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts about the Globe report, with a spokesperson stating that the office does not confirm or deny investigations.

This is the same office that is prosecuting the 50 parents and coaches who have been indicted in the Operation Varsity Blues scandal.