A Canadian businessman has pleaded not guilty to paying $200,000 to have someone take a college entrance exam in place of his two sons, and his attorneys said he looks forward to contesting the charges in court.

David Sidoo appeared in federal court in Boston on Friday and was released on a $1.5 million secured bond after entering the plea to charges of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud. The judge restricted his travel to the U.S. and Canada..

Sidoo, who also played in the Canadian Football League, is one of 50 people charged in a sweeping college admissions cheating scam announced by Boston authorities this week.

At least nine athletic coaches at elite universities and 33 parents, many of them prominent in law, finance, fashion, the food and beverage industry and other fields, have been charged, including Hollywood stars Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin.

Advantage Lithium Corp's David Sidoo (right) pleaded not guilty in Boston court on Friday, accused of paying $200,000 to get his sons Dylan (center right) and Jordan (center left) into US universities. Sidoo's wife Manjy appears left

He posed with Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau in 2016 during the UBC Thunderbirds' meet-and-greet following the football team's 2015 Vanier Cup championship win

Authorities say the parents paid an admissions consultant to rig standardized test scores and bribe college coaches and other insiders to get their children into selective schools.

The consultant, William 'Rick' Singer, pleaded guilty to fraud and conspiracy charges in federal court Tuesday in Boston. Singer's attorney told reporters that he plans to cooperate fully with prosecutors.

He was temporarily replaced as CEO by company's board of directors Thursday

The former sailing coach at Stanford University also pleaded guilty this week to accepting bribes to help get students into school by pretending they were athletic recruits.

Prosecutors say Sidoo paid someone to pose as his sons to get them higher scores on the SATs. He's also accused of hiring someone to take a Canadian high school graduation exam in place of his older son.

Sidoo's lawyers said in a statement: 'He will be returning to his home in Canada and asks people not rush to judgment.'

Advantage Lithium, a lithium exploration and development company, said this week that Sidoo has taken a temporary leave of absence from his role as president.

East West Petroleum Corp. also said Sidoo is no longer president and CEO of the company, but remains a director.

Also CEO of East West Petroleum, Sidoo, 59, the company announced his leave of absence Thursday.

'Mr. Sidoo has decided it would be in the best interests of the Company to take a leave,' the oil and gas investment firm, where Sidoo is also acting president, said in a statement. 'The subject matter of the legal proceedings is unrelated to Company activities or business and Mr. Sidoo remains as a director of the company.'

It's claimed 'mastermind' Rick Singer got people to take admissions tests for Sidoo's two sons who went on to attend University of California-Berkeley (Jordan center right) and Chapman University (Dylan right)

Sidoo was arrested in San Jose, California Friday.

The University of British Columbia alumnus faces a conspiracy to commit fraud charge.

During his college years he held a four-year football scholarship with the UBC Thunderbirds. He graduated in 1982 and was drafted to play professional football with the Canadian Football League but retired in 1988 and went into investment banking.

He currently sits on the Board of Governors for the University of British Columbia and is one of the select few of UBC football players to be inducted into both the UBC and BC Football Hall of Fame. He posed with prime minister Justin Trudeau in 2016 during the UBC Thunderbirds' meet-and-greet following the football team's 2015 Vanier Cup championship win.

In 2016, Sidoo was also appointed to the Order of British Columbia, the Province's highest form of recognition.

Thanks to his work with The Sidoo Family Giving Foundation, headed by his two sons and for which his wife Manjy nurtures, he has been honored by the Government of Canada with the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal and got the NRI Award at the House of Lords in London, England.

Las Vegas law offices of Chesnoff & Schonfeld said on behalf of the family: 'David Sidoo's children have not been accused of any impropriety and have achieved great accomplishments in their own right. Any attack on the Sidoo children is unwarranted.'

Son Dylan Sidoo attended Chapman University's Dodge College of Film and Media Arts. It was allegedly after David paid $100,000 and provided false ID for someone to take his son's SATs in 2011 before he was admitted in 2012.

Dylan is said to have scored 1460 out of 2400 and the person allegedly taking the test for him increased after being told by another person involved not to 'not to obtain too high a score' due to the previous low score, according to the indictment.

Chapman's president told The Panther the college is proud of its 'open and fair' admission process, takes the matter 'very seriously' and is cooperating with the Department of Justice investigation.

Daniele Struppa added: 'We are not aware nor have we been advised that we have been involved in any wrongdoing.'

The indictment accused David agreeing to pay someone to take the Canadian high school graduation exam on behalf of his son in July 2012.

Dylan transferred from Chapman. He had on his LinkedIn page that he graduated from University of Southern California in 2016 but removed the detail this week.

IMDb associates his name with 2016 short film The Streets of Antioch where he acted and produced, and 2013 short The Bluff where he worked in the camera and electrical department.

In July 2014 the family shared on their foundation website that Jordan Sidoo would be going to one of the NCAA's top rowing programs at the University of California-Berkeley.

Yale University and Georgetown University are also named as colleges that received his exam results that the indictment were obtained in a similar way to brother Dylan.

Despite being born with the most severe case of club feet that the hospital had seen, 'he persevered through surgeries, braces and physio' and spent four years on the St George's School rowing team prior to college.

In 2013, Jordan was honored with the Award of Excellence for Exceptional Accomplishment for a person of Indian Origin (Community Builder Category) from the NRI Institute of India in London.

Jordan Sidoo (left) and Dylan Sidoo (right) head up Sidoo Family Giving. They're pictured with Warren Moon (center) at an event in California

Vancouver Sun reports St. George's said in a statement: 'Our review of records from 2012 indicates that there were no school or provincial exams written at St. George's School by the student in question or around the date named in the indictment.'

Berkeley said in a statement to Postmedia: 'Integrity in our admissions process is critically important. Students who do not adhere to that value may have their admissions offer revoked, enrolled students may be dismissed, and diplomas conferred may be revoked.'

Some 50 people including prominent executives, Hollywood actors and college coaches have been charged for roles in the scheme, in which prosecutors say earned Singer some $25million over eight years by bribing coaches and arranging for phony test-takers to secure clients' children spots at elite universities including Yale, Georgetown and Stanford.

Singer on Tuesday pleaded guilty to masterminding the scheme, which highlighted the lengths that wealthy and powerful Americans would go to cheat the high-stakes and high-pressure college admissions system.

One of the schools involved, the University of Southern California, has already rescinded admissions offers to six students involved in the scheme and said it will review what actions to take against students already admitted who took part.

Other executives charged in scheme include Douglas Hodge (right)), former executive of investment firm PIMCO; Manuel Henriquez, who resigned as CEO of Hercules Capital Inc (left)

Gordon Caplan (left) has been placed on leave from his post as co-chairman of the global law firm Willkie Farr & Gallagher and TPG Capital private equity partner William McGlashan Jr (right) was fired by the firm on Thursday

Sidoo is one of a series of prominent executives charged in the scheme. Others include Douglas Hodge, former executive of investment firm PIMCO; Manuel Henriquez, who resigned as CEO of specialty finance company Hercules Capital Inc; Gordon Caplan, who has been placed on leave from his post as co-chairman of the global law firm Willkie Farr & Gallagher; and TPG Capital private equity partner William McGlashan Jr., who was fired by the firm on Thursday.

Advantage Lithium is in the process of developing a potential Argentine lithium mine. Lithium is a key ingredient in batteries for electric cars.

Original tip that led to uncovering the college scandal stemmed from an unrelated securities fraud probe into Morrie Tobin, a Los Angeles resident who prosecutors said engaged in 'pump-and-dump' stock market schemes

Hollywood actress Lori Loughlin was dropped by the company that owns the Hallmark cable channel and LVMH's Sephora beauty chain ended a sponsorship deal with her daughter, Olivia, as a result of the charge. Loughlin's husband, fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli, has also been charged.

Desperate Housewives actor Felicity Huffman was also charged in the scheme.

Both mastermind Singer and the parents alleged to have paid into the scheme could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

The original tip that led to uncovering the college scandal stemmed from an unrelated securities fraud probe into Morrie Tobin, a Los Angeles resident who prosecutors said engaged in 'pump-and-dump' stock market schemes, a person familiar with the matter said on Thursday.

Tobin, who pleaded guilty on February 27 to conspiracy and securities fraud charges, told authorities a Yale University women´s soccer coach had sought a bribe in exchange for helping his daughter get into the Ivy League school, the person said.

That now-former coach was Rudy Meredith, who agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy and wire fraud charges.

Felicity Huffman is pictured here with her daughters Sofia and Georgia and husband William H Macy. The Desperate Housewives actress was also charged in the scheme

Lori Loughlin's husband Mossimo Giannulli was released on $1million bail Tuesday amid the massive college admissions scandal