FBI arrests Assistant Basketball Coaches in Corruption Scheme

[leftytg]

No. Still not accepting that there was nothing the NCAA could have done. They've actively turned a blind eye for decades.

Also, I'm Bruce Wayne. AKA Batman. AKA the world's greatest detective. So I know a thing or two about investigations, thank you very little.

I loved you in the Lego Batman Movie. I hope you get an Oscar nomination.

 

[RealMcNeil]

Jay Wright told a guy I know toward the end of Lonnie Walker's commitment that Wright was going to Arizona. Then he wound up at Miami. Maybe the U gave Walker a bigger bag.

Optics aren't great right now...

 

[texascpa]

gotcha, thanks for clarifying. I don't know the answer to that.

BTW, I totally agree with your tax evasion assumptions. Get ready for the IRS to jump into this case.

 

[Frozen]

Look at the maximum penalties for some of these charges. Yowza.


Chuck Connors Person
Bribery conspiracy, Solicitation of bribes, Honest services fraud conspiracy, Honest services fraud, Wire fraud conspiracy; Travel Act conspiracy (80 years)

Rashan Michel
Bribery conspiracy, Solicitation of bribes, Honest services fraud conspiracy, Honest services fraud,
Wire fraud conspiracy; Travel Act conspiracy (80 years)

Lamont Evans
Bribery conspiracy, Solicitation of bribes, Honest services fraud conspiracy, Honest services fraud,
Conspiracy to commit wire fraud; Travel Act conspiracy (80 years)

Emanuel Richardson, a/k/a “Book”
Bribery conspiracy, Solicitation of bribes, Honest services fraud conspiracy, Honest services fraud,
Conspiracy to commit wire fraud; Travel Act conspiracy (80 years)

Anthony Bland, a/k/a “Tony”
Bribery conspiracy, Solicitation of bribes, Honest services fraud conspiracy, Honest services fraud,
Conspiracy to commit wire fraud; Travel Act conspiracy (80 years)

Christian Dawkins
Bribery conspiracy, Payments of bribes, Honest services fraud conspiracy, Honest services fraud (3 counts), Wire fraud conspiracy (2 counts), Wire fraud (2 counts), Travel Act conspiracy, Money laundering conspiracy (200 years)

Munish Sood
Bribery conspiracy, Payments of bribes, Honest services fraud conspiracy, Honest services fraud (3 counts), Wire fraud conspiracy (2 counts), Wire fraud (2 counts), Travel Act conspiracy, Money laundering conspiracy (200 years)

James Gatto, a/k/a “Jim”
Wire fraud conspiracy, Wire fraud (2 counts), Money laundering conspiracy (80 years)

Merl Code
Wire fraud conspiracy, Wire fraud (2 counts), Money laundering conspiracy (80 years)

Jonathan Brad Augustine
Wire fraud conspiracy, Wire fraud (2 counts), Money laundering conspiracy (80 years)

 

[MiniCuse]

I get what you are saying, but no. The FBI isn't a referral service to throw the weight of the government and criminal investigations behind private regulatory organizations. The FBI had to decide on their own this was worth pursuing - which they clearly did. It is interesting to me that they kept the NCAA completely in the dark until this morning.

For those of you who enjoy indulging in day dreaming about the demise of the NCAA, if I were you I'd focus on the possibility (and this is just my own idle speculative fantasy) that some of these schools have bought off individuals with the NCAA enforcement department. Things like getting tips, or know where/when the NCAA was looking at something. I saw something recently (Last Chance U maybe?) where supposedly one of the SEC schools paid for one of their grads to go to law school and work for the NCAA, essentially as an enbedded mole. Sounds far fetched but juuuuuust vaguely plausible. Maybe the FBI didn't trust the NCAA.

That's Leo Dicaprio "The Departed" type stuff.

 

[triplethrea]

I get what you are saying, but no. The FBI isn't a referral service to throw the weight of the government and criminal investigations behind private regulatory organizations. The FBI had to decide on their own this was worth pursuing - which they clearly did. It is interesting to me that they kept the NCAA completely in the dark until this morning.

For those of you who enjoy indulging in day dreaming about the demise of the NCAA, if I were you I'd focus on the possibility (and this is just my own idle speculative fantasy) that some of these schools have bought off individuals with the NCAA enforcement department. Things like getting tips, or know where/when the NCAA was looking at something. I saw something recently (Last Chance U maybe?) where supposedly one of the SEC schools paid for one of their grads to go to law school and work for the NCAA, essentially as an enbedded mole. Sounds far fetched but juuuuuust vaguely plausible. Maybe the FBI didn't trust the NCAA.

FBI keeping the NCAA in the dark tells us a lot.

I should mention, just because the NCAA didn't catch us for bribery during the 10 year investigation, doesn't mean we don't do it. If the NCAA turns a blind eye to the big stuff, they wouldn't rat Syracuse in and blow the lid open. Get us for the little stuff, give us sanctions, and keep the status quo. The worms are coming to the surface. I love it.

 

[texascpa]

I wonder if this gives impetus to the Power 5 to leave the NCAA and start a new organization. I just can't see how the NCAA gets through this unscathed.

 

[Hoo's That]

I totally agree with you. The real problem with the NCAA is that they represent small schools who actually want amateur athletics as well as big schools who make tens of millions off this business. It is impossible to do what is best for both, they are too fundamentally different, so it is literally impossible for the NCAA to succeed at what they are trying to do.

We need a new version of the NCAA exists just to police the big schools who want to make a big business out of this. That's what I want to see happen, and more importantly, I want rules that make sense for those schools. Sure some schools will break them, but then we will all know those schools are wrong and they should be punished. It would be very different than it is now where you have to break the rules in order to compete.

Also policing 60-70 big schools who are all playing by the same rules is a more easily accomplished job than policing many hundreds of schools all at different levels with different rules.

The P5's walking from the NCAA seems more and more like a matter of "when" not "if". The major problem I have with that is there is no way to tell what kind of restrictions on underhanded stuff, if any are put on it at all, will be written by the $EC and B1G, who will be running the show. The Texas schools also live by the $EC's byword, "If you ain't cheatin', you ain't tryin'," as well. While I fully understand and accept why you folks are angry with the NCAA, to me it's purely a case of "better the devil you know".

 

[triplethrea]

That's Leo Dicaprio "The Departed" type stuff.

That's the normal way of things on that level.

 

[Whitey23]

 

[cuseinseattle]

Have they said anything about the final school and when it will be announced?

 

[oli44]

The P5's walking from the NCAA seems more and more like a matter of "when" not "if". The major problem I have with that is there is no way to tell what kind of restrictions on underhanded stuff, if any are put on it at all, will be written by the $EC and B1G, who will be running the show. The Texas schools also live by the $EC's byword, "If you ain't cheatin', you ain't tryin'," as well. While I fully understand and accept why you folks are angry with the NCAA, to me it's purely a case of "better the devil you know".

Ha, P5 leaves the NCAA and NBA players start going back to school.

 

[Fly Rodder]

That's Leo Dicaprio "The Departed" type stuff.

Or they just hire 'em.

Rachel Newman Baker, the NCAA managing director of enforcement for development and investigations, has left her position to become the senior associate athletic director for compliance at the University of Kentucky, the school announced Tuesday.

Newman Baker, a Kentucky native, had spent the past 12 years at the NCAA.
In the past six months, the enforcement division has been the subject of serious scrutiny after publicly admitting it erred in major investigations of both the University of Miami (Fla.) and UCLA.

Those mistakes cost two investigators, Ameen Najjar and Abigail Grantstein, their jobs and forced the ouster of Julie Roe Lach, the vice president of enforcement. Since Roe Lach's resignation, three other investigators have left -- Marcus Wilson, to take a job in compliance at Maryland; Dave Didion, to work in a similar capacity at Auburn; and Chance Miller, who is now at South Carolina.

 

[Hoo's That]

Look at the maximum penalties for some of these charges. Yowza.


Chuck Connors Person
Bribery conspiracy, Solicitation of bribes, Honest services fraud conspiracy, Honest services fraud, Wire fraud conspiracy; Travel Act conspiracy (80 years)

Rashan Michel
Bribery conspiracy, Solicitation of bribes, Honest services fraud conspiracy, Honest services fraud,
Wire fraud conspiracy; Travel Act conspiracy (80 years)

Lamont Evans
Bribery conspiracy, Solicitation of bribes, Honest services fraud conspiracy, Honest services fraud,
Conspiracy to commit wire fraud; Travel Act conspiracy (80 years)

Emanuel Richardson, a/k/a “Book”
Bribery conspiracy, Solicitation of bribes, Honest services fraud conspiracy, Honest services fraud,
Conspiracy to commit wire fraud; Travel Act conspiracy (80 years)

Anthony Bland, a/k/a “Tony”
Bribery conspiracy, Solicitation of bribes, Honest services fraud conspiracy, Honest services fraud,
Conspiracy to commit wire fraud; Travel Act conspiracy (80 years)

Christian Dawkins
Bribery conspiracy, Payments of bribes, Honest services fraud conspiracy, Honest services fraud (3 counts), Wire fraud conspiracy (2 counts), Wire fraud (2 counts), Travel Act conspiracy, Money laundering conspiracy (200 years)

Munish Sood
Bribery conspiracy, Payments of bribes, Honest services fraud conspiracy, Honest services fraud (3 counts), Wire fraud conspiracy (2 counts), Wire fraud (2 counts), Travel Act conspiracy, Money laundering conspiracy (200 years)

James Gatto, a/k/a “Jim”
Wire fraud conspiracy, Wire fraud (2 counts), Money laundering conspiracy (80 years)

Merl Code
Wire fraud conspiracy, Wire fraud (2 counts), Money laundering conspiracy (80 years)

Jonathan Brad Augustine
Wire fraud conspiracy, Wire fraud (2 counts), Money laundering conspiracy (80 years)

The Feds love charging "conspiracy". It doesn't matter whether you actually did it or not, you agreed to do it, so you're guilty of conspiracy.

 

[texascpa]

Or they just hire 'em.

Auburn hired an NCAA investigator to run their compliance department. Oh, the irony.

 

[TinyManInside]

I think it is very telling that the NCAA was not informed of the investigation until today.

 

[MiniCuse]

Or they just hire 'em.

Maybe the FBI turned her and she's the mole that will take down Calipari and Kentucky. That would be cool.

 

[Symphony Steve]

What's the likelihood that none of the head coaches of these schools had any idea that this was going on? I'd say zero. Bigger fish about to plop into the skillet.

 

[pfister1]

When an organization like the NCAA is 'hamstrung' to fully investigate complaints, allegations because of systemic limitations shouldn't it have been a duty to call the FBI? Otherwise wouldn't they be considered complicit since they made money off their own silence? Thanks, just wondering, not being a legal beagle.

It's not the recruiting violations that were illegal necessarily, more likely the particular manner in which they were undertaken. So in answer to your question; while it is hard to believe that the NCAA didn't know its rules were being violated, there is a decent chance they wouldn't have expected those violations to rise to the level of criminal activity that the federal government would be interested in.

 

[JazzNC]

I've seen a list of 7 schools. No Kentucky? I read a few posts about Kansas, but don't know if that was just speculation. What are the other 3?

 

[Whitey23]

 

[OrangeXtreme]

 

[Sherman20]

This from Syracuse.com story... references a 2018 Miami recruiting target and a "rival school affiliated with a shoe company offering $150,000." Is that Jalen Carey? If so, is Syracuse or UConn the rival school? What other major targets is Miami trying to get for 2018?

"Along with Louisville, the men are alleged to have conspired to pay $150,000 to a player's family in order to get him to commit to the University of Miami in the Class of 2018.

The charges allege that the request came with the knowledge of a coach within the University of Miami program.

Code reportedly said that the coach, "knows something gotta happen for it to get done."

In the charges, Code is reported as saying that a school affiliated with a rival shoe company was offering $150,000 for a commitment.

In another conversation allegedly recorded on a wiretap, Code worries that the asking price might rise to $200,000 and says that, if it does, Adidas won't pay.

The charges do not specifically name the player or say whether he is currently at the University of Miami."

 

[texascpa]

Suspended? LOL

 

[RealMcNeil]

This from Syracuse.com story... references a 2018 Miami recruiting target and a "rival school affiliated with a shoe company offering $150,000." Is that Jalen Carey? If so, is Syracuse or UConn the rival school? What other major targets is Miami trying to get for 2018?

"Along with Louisville, the men are alleged to have conspired to pay $150,000 to a player's family in order to get him to commit to the University of Miami in the Class of 2018.

The charges allege that the request came with the knowledge of a coach within the University of Miami program.

Code reportedly said that the coach, "knows something gotta happen for it to get done."

In the charges, Code is reported as saying that a school affiliated with a rival shoe company was offering $150,000 for a commitment.

In another conversation allegedly recorded on a wiretap, Code worries that the asking price might rise to $200,000 and says that, if it does, Adidas won't pay.

The charges do not specifically name the player or say whether he is currently at the University of Miami."

Dotson, Little, Bey to name a few.