A New York grand jury has returned an indictment for two of the men accused of conspiring to funnel money to the families of two University of Louisville basketball recruits as part of a federal probe into college basketball recruiting.
Adidas executive James Gatto and sports agent Christian Dawkins were among eight people charged in three separate indictments filed in the Southern District of New York on Tuesday, according to court records provided to Courier Journal late Tuesday night.
All eight men are facing charges related to the investigation unveiled by federal investigators in late September, which alleges bribery and corruption in college basketball recruiting that involved coaches, agents, players and their families, and apparel company executives.
In addition to Gatto and Dawkins, four assistant basketball coaches were charged as part of the indictments: Arizona assistant coach Emmanuel "Book" Richardson, Auburn assistant coach Chuck Person, Oklahoma State assistant coach Lamont Evans, and University of Southern California assistant coach Tony Bland.
Rashan Michel, an apparel company owner and former NCAA official, and Adidas consultant Merl Code were also indicted on Tuesday.
All eight men had previously been arrested as part of the investigation and initially charged with a combination of wire fraud, money laundering and conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering.
Two other men who were initially charged – financial adviser Munish Sood and Florida youth coach Jonathan Brad Augustine – were not charged in any of the three indictments Tuesday, but they were identified by Courier Journal as unnamed co-conspirators in the documents.
Courier Journal reported last week that both men may be close to making a deal with prosecutors regarding the investigation, citing court records and discussions with attorneys. It is unclear whether they are facing any charges.
Bland's lawyer, Jeffrey Lichtman, was the only attorney to respond to Courier Journal late Tuesday night, confirming the indictment and saying his client "committed no crime and we are confident a jury will agree that this case is prosecutorial overreaching at its worst."
"We strongly believe that the conduct charged in the Indictment does not rise to a crime and that Tony Bland, a hardworking and well-regarded assistant coach, is being scapegoated for all the ills of college basketball – all due to an alleged $13,000 payment," Lichtman said. "No multi-millionaire head coach was charged, or any multi-billion dollar sneaker company after years of investigation."
Dawkins, Augustine and Sood were arrested in connection to their alleged roles in a scheme to bribe high school prospects and their families to attend specific colleges and later sign with Adidas and certain advisers, including Dawkins and Sood, when they go pro.
In one complaint, the FBI said it recorded an unnamed Louisville assistant coach – identified as "Coach 1" – conspiring with a sports agent and others about funneling money to a recruit’s family.
Courier Journal has identified former men's basketball coach Rick Pitino as the other Louisville coach — dubbed "Coach 2" — in the federal complaint. That coach is alleged to have spoken with Gatto on the phone about funneling money to a recruit.
Pitino confirmed he had phone calls with Gatto but said they were about former Louisville player Terry Rozier's contract with the apparel company. Rozier now plays for the Boston Celtics.
One such prospect was Brian Bowen, a five-star recruit who ended up signing with Louisville. Bowen, now a freshman at Louisville, was suspended from the team indefinitely following the allegations. Another prospect, labeled Player 11 in the FBI's complaint, was a top-10 player competing on Augustine's AAU team.
In the indictments released Tuesday, investigators name the University of Louisville. The complaints previously listed the school as University 6.
The documents describe an unnamed co-conspirator as a "registered investment advisor and founder of an investment services company in New Jersey." That description fits Sood.
The description of another unnamed co-conspirator and the dates and actions mentioned in the indictment match details linked to Augustine in the original criminal complaint.
An unnamed cooperating witness is described as an individual who ran "a business management firm that primarily serviced professional athletes." That description fits Pittsburgh-area financial adviser Marty Blazer, who has previously been identified as a cooperating witness in the FBI's case.
After the investigation was made public, Louisville fired Pitino, assistant coach Jordan Fair, and athletic director Tom Jurich. Associate head coach Kenny Johnson was suspended and remains on paid leave as of Tuesday. Bowen is seeking reinstatement after his lawyer told Courier Journal federal authorities had given the university permission to proceed with its own investigation.
Charges, according to the indictments:
Jim Gatto
- Conspiracy to commit wire fraud
Lamont Evans
- Conspiracy to commit bribery
- Solicitation of bribes and gratuities by an agent of a federally funded organization
- Conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud
- Honest services wire fraud
- Wire fraud conspiracy
- Travel act conspiracy
Emanuel Richardson
- Conspiracy to commit bribery
- Solicitation of bribes and gratuities by an agent of a federally funded organization
- Conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud
- Wire fraud conspiracy
- Travel act conspiracy
Anthony Bland
- Conspiracy to commit bribery
- Conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud
- Wire fraud conspiracy
- Travel act conspiracy
Christian Dawkins
- Conspiracy to commit wire fraud
- Conspiracy to commit bribery
- Payments of bribes and gratuities to an agent of a federally funded organization
- Conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud
- Wire fraud conspiracy
- Travel act conspiracy
Merl Code
- Conspiracy to commit wire fraud
- Conspiracy to commit bribery
- Payments of bribes and gratuities to an agent of a federally funded organization
- Conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud
- Travel act conspiracy
Chuck Person
- Conspiracy to commit bribery
- Solicitation of bribes and gratuities by an agent of a federally funded organization
- Conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud
- Honest services wire fraud
- Wire fraud conspiracy
- Travel act conspiracy
Rashan Michel
- Conspiracy to commit bribery
- Conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud
- Honest services wire fraud
- Wire fraud conspiracy
- Travel act conspiracy
