Do you know any, and I mean any, young college age females that bet on sports?
26 UI student-athletes are being investigated for online gambling, incl in Wrestling, Men’s Basketball, Football, Baseball, Men’s track & field
- Thread starter Franisdaman
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I am not speculating on this particular investigation nor the motivation(s) behind it, but spending 32 years in law enforcement taught me that investigations can uncover so much information from so many unintended or initially unknown sources. Sometimes these investigations can take on a life of their own. It is kind of like the criminal investigation version of six degrees of separation. I am sure there are many, many nervous athletes (and others) out there who hope this investigation ends before their activities come to light.
Am I to understand the deep state has infiltrated the Iowa body that Iowans tasked with investigating crimes contrary to Iowa sports book gambling laws?
Exactly what political underpinnings are you talking about and how did the alleged deep state act to achieve its ends?
I think it was just one Mom, and the net cast by the technology to identify her alleged perpetrator happened to identify her son along with other potential suspects. When going through those suspects, additional information was uncovered unrelated to the Mom's original complaint.
Makes perfect sense, Occam's Razor being what it is.
Political underpinnings.
I’m getting nostalgic for the era I didn’t feel a need to protect the status quo.
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I did not write that Barta was let go. Yes, it is intriguing.
The University agreed to pay the State of Iowa’s 2 million in the settlement of the discrimination law suit. On March 6th Iowa State Auditor Rob Sand called for his firing because of this suit and other discrimination lawsuits. More government officials and Iowa lawmakers later followed Sands request.
The gambling probe is announced May, 8. Barta resigns somewhere around May 20th. My belief is that he was forced to retire as another black eye was cast upon the athletic department. Therefore, I am suspicious of how the timeline of the gambling accusations coincided with Iowa government officials asking for him to be fired.
I understand some would think this is a conspiracy theory, however, I’d like to know on what date the gambling probe actually started.
You realize barta has/had health issues and retirement had been discussed for the past couple of years?
that does seem like the most popular rumor on what sparked the whole investigation
didn't this whole thing start at a Wet Market in the Wuhan area of China ?? Didn't Some Iowa Wrestler bet his buddies he could eat a raw bat ?? Sorry if i am confused on my in-depth investigations , I always get the biggies confused
Nope. They cannot join a fantasy football league that has a buy-in either.
This is from the Iowa State Auditor. Putting your politics aside, we can all agree on the 2nd paragraph of this tweet.
Update on those named so far:
I count 18 former & current Iowa student athletes being named so far in the gambling scandal. But I think there's MORE than 8 yet be be named because the UI's May 8 announcement stated the list of 111 individuals included 26 CURRENT student-athletes. The list of 18 student athletes (and one coach and one student manager) that follows contains at least THREE FORMER student athletes (so there might be more 8 student-athletes yet to be named).
The 3 former student-athletes:
* On March 22, 2023 BB player Ahron Ulis announced that he was entering the transfer portal. He ended up at Nebraska
* FB players Reggie Bracy & Arland Bruce transferred in the offseason.
Of the Iowa student athletes (former & current) tied to gambling, here's the breakdown BY SPORT of who's been named publicly so far:
Baseball:
Keaton Anthony
Jacob Henderson
Ben Tallman
Gehrig Christensen--criminally charged
Football:
DL Noah Shannon--bet on an Iowa sport; ONE YEAR SUSPENSION
Jermari Harris--suspended 2 games
Chris Reames--suspended 2 games
WR Jack Johnson--criminally charged
Kicker/Punter Aaron Blom--criminally charged
DB Reggie Bracy (now at Troy)--criminally charged
WR Arland Bruce (now at OK State)--criminally charged
Basketball:
Ahron Ulis (now at Nebraska)--criminally charged
Wrestling:
Tony Cassioppi--suspended for season?
Nelson Brands--suspended for season?
Abe Assad--suspended for season?
Cobe Siebrecht--suspended for season?
Cullan Schriever--multiple meet suspension?
Patrick Kennedy--multiple meet suspension?
Men's Track & Field:
no one yet named
Student Managers:
Evan Schuster, Iowa Men's Basketball--criminally charged (accused of betting on Iowa games over the last 2 seasons)
Coaches:
FB Grad assistant Owen O'Brien--criminally charged
I count 18 former & current Iowa student athletes being named so far in the gambling scandal. But I think there's MORE than 8 yet be be named because the UI's May 8 announcement stated the list of 111 individuals included 26 CURRENT student-athletes. The list of 18 student athletes (and one coach and one student manager) that follows contains at least THREE FORMER student athletes (so there might be more 8 student-athletes yet to be named).
The 3 former student-athletes:
* On March 22, 2023 BB player Ahron Ulis announced that he was entering the transfer portal. He ended up at Nebraska
* FB players Reggie Bracy & Arland Bruce transferred in the offseason.
Of the Iowa student athletes (former & current) tied to gambling, here's the breakdown BY SPORT of who's been named publicly so far:
Baseball:
Keaton Anthony
Jacob Henderson
Ben Tallman
Gehrig Christensen--criminally charged
Football:
DL Noah Shannon--bet on an Iowa sport; ONE YEAR SUSPENSION
Jermari Harris--suspended 2 games
Chris Reames--suspended 2 games
WR Jack Johnson--criminally charged
Kicker/Punter Aaron Blom--criminally charged
DB Reggie Bracy (now at Troy)--criminally charged
WR Arland Bruce (now at OK State)--criminally charged
Basketball:
Ahron Ulis (now at Nebraska)--criminally charged
Wrestling:
Tony Cassioppi--suspended for season?
Nelson Brands--suspended for season?
Abe Assad--suspended for season?
Cobe Siebrecht--suspended for season?
Cullan Schriever--multiple meet suspension?
Patrick Kennedy--multiple meet suspension?
Men's Track & Field:
no one yet named
Student Managers:
Evan Schuster, Iowa Men's Basketball--criminally charged (accused of betting on Iowa games over the last 2 seasons)
Coaches:
FB Grad assistant Owen O'Brien--criminally charged
We may never hear the names of the graduated athletes who bet and didn't break the law.
I count eight (8) student-athletes criminally charged. Assume the remaining suspensions are NCAA sanctions (sanctions not uniquely University of Iowa).
Did the investigation(s) begin as queries into NCAA infractions, and then metastasize into criminal investigations/charges. Or visa versa? Did DCI investigate all those punished? Exactly how does DCI and NCAA articulate on these relatively recent series of behaviors?
Complete agreement with original poster; it defies linear logic that only University of Iowa student-athletes gamble. The NCAA requires much greater transparency on this issue; as does the University of Iowa.
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Here's the story from today from the Press Citizen/Des Moines Register:
Iowa City Press-Citizen
Sep 6, 2023
Five athletes from the University of Iowa and Iowa State University have pleaded guilty to underage gambling, a simple misdemeanor, as part of a sprawling sports-betting investigation that has resulted in charges against more than a dozen student-athletes at the two schools.
Iowa State quarterback Hunter Dekkers and linemen Dodge Sauser and Jacob Remsburg, along with former University of Iowa kicker Aaron Blom and baseball player Gehrig Christensen, all entered guilty pleas to underage gambling Wednesday.
All five were initially charged with tampering with records as part of a gambling scheme, an aggravated misdemeanor that could have carried a two-year prison sentence if found guilty. Instead, the tampering charges were dismissed and each of the five will pay a scheduled fine for underage gambling, which is $645 in Iowa.
There will be no additional criminal punishments for any of the five charged, according to the terms of their guilty pleas.
In all, the ongoing investigation into the sports-betting scandal has implicated more than three dozen current and former Iowa State University and University of Iowa athletes who face suspension from their teams or criminal charges or both.
Mark Weinhardt, a lawyer for the three members of the Iowa State football team who pleaded guilty, released a statement Wednesday.
"The original records tampering charge against these young men never fit this case, either legally or factually. Hunter, Jake and Dodge are not and never were guilty of that charge. The charge has nothing to do with gambling," Weinhardt wrote. "Other than the fact that Hunter, Jake and Dodge placed some bets before they turned 21, nothing about those bets is a crime under Iowa law."
Story County Attorney Timothy Meals responded that he could not comment on an ongoing investigation.
He was accused of placing 26 bets on the Cyclones in the complaint filed in Story County last month, including the 2021 football game against Oklahoma State when he was a sophomore backup quarterback but didn't play.
Under NCAA rules, athletes are permanently ineligible if found guilty of placing wagers on sporting events that involve their school.
The complaint alleges the DraftKings account controlled by Dekkers completed approximately 366 mobile/online sports wagers totaling “over $2,799.”
Dekkers did not participate in Iowa State's fall preseason camp practices so he could "focus on his studies and on the defense of this criminal charge," according to a statement released by his attorneys in August.
Dekkers, Nov 26, 2022, vs TCU
The DraftKings account controlled by Sauser is alleged to have placed 12 wagers on Iowa State football games, including contests last year against Ohio, West Virginia, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech. In total, Sauser wagered $3,075 on DraftKings, according to the complaint.
Sauser is not noted as appearing in any Iowa State game during his career in the school’s official biography of him on its athletic department website. He redshirted in 2021 and did not appear in 2022, according to the Iowa State athletics page.
Sauser was ISU's first 2021 football recruit
Newly introduced NCAA gambling rules stipulate a loss of 50% of eligibility for a single season for betting on another school in the same sport that a student-athlete plays in.
Remsburg has been suspended six games by the NCAA, a source with direct knowledge of the situation told the Des Moines Register on Sept. 1.
Remsburg during Media Day on Aug 2, 2022
Blom was also accused of placing wagers on an estimated eight University of Iowa events, including the 2021 Cy-Hawk game, in which he did not participate.
Blom turned 21, Iowa's legal gambling age, in September 2022. He was the second-string kicker last year as a nonscholarship athlete.
Blom was accused of making 170 mobile wagers through a DraftKings account "controlled by Aaron Blom" from Jan. 28, 2021, to Feb. 22, 2022, in Johnson County, totaling more than $4,400.
Blom saw limited action in 2022, missing a game-tying field goal as time expired in the matchup with Iowa State, giving ISU the 10-7 victory in Iowa City.
Bloom kicks the PAT during the Sep 10, 2022 game vs ISU at Kinnick Stadium.
His lawyers had previously argued Christensen placed bets as early as Aug. 7, 2022, saying the charges filed by the Department of Criminal Investigation were beyond the one-year statute of limitations for simple misdemeanors. Christensen agreed to drop that defense to reach a plea deal.
Christensen, a Des Moines-area native, was accused of operating a “scheme” with his mother, hiding his identity by placing wagers in his mother’s name and making it seem as if she was placing the bets. The DraftKings account under Christensen’s mother’s name placed more than 550 bets totaling more than $2,400, documents filed in Johnson County court alleged.
Court documents allege Christensen made wagers with his mother’s consent, and she allegedly helped set up the account. She said it was “a silly mistake” to register the account for her son’s use, according to court documents. Christensen's mother was not charged with a crime.
Christensen announced his retirement from baseball on June 8 on Instagram. He is not listed on the current Iowa baseball roster but still maintains an Iowa City address and attends the UI, according to court filings.
Christensen during a baseball game vs Loras on Feb 28, 2023 in Iowa City
Brandon Hurley, Randy Peterson and Travis Hines contributed reporting.
Ryan Hansen covers local government and crime for the Press-Citizen. He can be reached atrhansen@press-citizen.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @ryanhansen01.
5 athletes at University of Iowa, Iowa State plead guilty to underage gambling in state probe
Ryan HansenIowa City Press-Citizen
Sep 6, 2023
Five athletes from the University of Iowa and Iowa State University have pleaded guilty to underage gambling, a simple misdemeanor, as part of a sprawling sports-betting investigation that has resulted in charges against more than a dozen student-athletes at the two schools.
Iowa State quarterback Hunter Dekkers and linemen Dodge Sauser and Jacob Remsburg, along with former University of Iowa kicker Aaron Blom and baseball player Gehrig Christensen, all entered guilty pleas to underage gambling Wednesday.
All five were initially charged with tampering with records as part of a gambling scheme, an aggravated misdemeanor that could have carried a two-year prison sentence if found guilty. Instead, the tampering charges were dismissed and each of the five will pay a scheduled fine for underage gambling, which is $645 in Iowa.
There will be no additional criminal punishments for any of the five charged, according to the terms of their guilty pleas.
In all, the ongoing investigation into the sports-betting scandal has implicated more than three dozen current and former Iowa State University and University of Iowa athletes who face suspension from their teams or criminal charges or both.
Mark Weinhardt, a lawyer for the three members of the Iowa State football team who pleaded guilty, released a statement Wednesday.
"The original records tampering charge against these young men never fit this case, either legally or factually. Hunter, Jake and Dodge are not and never were guilty of that charge. The charge has nothing to do with gambling," Weinhardt wrote. "Other than the fact that Hunter, Jake and Dodge placed some bets before they turned 21, nothing about those bets is a crime under Iowa law."
Story County Attorney Timothy Meals responded that he could not comment on an ongoing investigation.
The allegations in the Hunter Dekkers gambling case
In Dekkers' guilty plea, the quarterback admitted to using his mother's name to wager more than $2,700 on more than 250 bets, including a wager on the Iowa State football team while he was on the team. It was unclear whether the terms of the plea meant Dekkers admitted to placing a singular bet on Iowa State.He was accused of placing 26 bets on the Cyclones in the complaint filed in Story County last month, including the 2021 football game against Oklahoma State when he was a sophomore backup quarterback but didn't play.
Under NCAA rules, athletes are permanently ineligible if found guilty of placing wagers on sporting events that involve their school.
The complaint alleges the DraftKings account controlled by Dekkers completed approximately 366 mobile/online sports wagers totaling “over $2,799.”
Dekkers did not participate in Iowa State's fall preseason camp practices so he could "focus on his studies and on the defense of this criminal charge," according to a statement released by his attorneys in August.
Dekkers, Nov 26, 2022, vs TCU
The allegations in the Dodge Sauser gambling case
Sauser's plea included an admission that he wagered approximately $3,075, including a bet on an Iowa State football game in which he did not participate. Sauser has left the team.The DraftKings account controlled by Sauser is alleged to have placed 12 wagers on Iowa State football games, including contests last year against Ohio, West Virginia, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech. In total, Sauser wagered $3,075 on DraftKings, according to the complaint.
Sauser is not noted as appearing in any Iowa State game during his career in the school’s official biography of him on its athletic department website. He redshirted in 2021 and did not appear in 2022, according to the Iowa State athletics page.
Sauser was ISU's first 2021 football recruit
The allegations in the Jacob Remsburg gambling case
Remsburg admitted to wagering at least $1,108, including placing bets on other NCAA events, but not Iowa State football. No specifics were given about the nature of the other "NCAA-sanctioned events" Remsburg bet on.Newly introduced NCAA gambling rules stipulate a loss of 50% of eligibility for a single season for betting on another school in the same sport that a student-athlete plays in.
Remsburg has been suspended six games by the NCAA, a source with direct knowledge of the situation told the Des Moines Register on Sept. 1.
Remsburg during Media Day on Aug 2, 2022
The allegations in the Aaron Blom gambling case
In Blom’s guilty plea, he admitted placing a $40 wager on a Jan. 28, 2021, men’s college basketball game between Texas Christian University and Kansas while he was under the legal gambling age. Kansas won the game, 59-51.Blom was also accused of placing wagers on an estimated eight University of Iowa events, including the 2021 Cy-Hawk game, in which he did not participate.
Blom turned 21, Iowa's legal gambling age, in September 2022. He was the second-string kicker last year as a nonscholarship athlete.
Blom was accused of making 170 mobile wagers through a DraftKings account "controlled by Aaron Blom" from Jan. 28, 2021, to Feb. 22, 2022, in Johnson County, totaling more than $4,400.
Blom saw limited action in 2022, missing a game-tying field goal as time expired in the matchup with Iowa State, giving ISU the 10-7 victory in Iowa City.
Bloom kicks the PAT during the Sep 10, 2022 game vs ISU at Kinnick Stadium.
The allegations in the Gehrig Christensen gambling case
Christensen, 20, pleaded guilty to placing an underage sports wager “on or about” Nov. 7, 2022. He was accused of making wagers through Feb. 23, 2023, as a member of the Iowa baseball team. Most of his wagers, Christensen told investigators, were placed on NBA games.His lawyers had previously argued Christensen placed bets as early as Aug. 7, 2022, saying the charges filed by the Department of Criminal Investigation were beyond the one-year statute of limitations for simple misdemeanors. Christensen agreed to drop that defense to reach a plea deal.
Christensen, a Des Moines-area native, was accused of operating a “scheme” with his mother, hiding his identity by placing wagers in his mother’s name and making it seem as if she was placing the bets. The DraftKings account under Christensen’s mother’s name placed more than 550 bets totaling more than $2,400, documents filed in Johnson County court alleged.
Court documents allege Christensen made wagers with his mother’s consent, and she allegedly helped set up the account. She said it was “a silly mistake” to register the account for her son’s use, according to court documents. Christensen's mother was not charged with a crime.
Christensen announced his retirement from baseball on June 8 on Instagram. He is not listed on the current Iowa baseball roster but still maintains an Iowa City address and attends the UI, according to court filings.
Christensen during a baseball game vs Loras on Feb 28, 2023 in Iowa City
Brandon Hurley, Randy Peterson and Travis Hines contributed reporting.
Ryan Hansen covers local government and crime for the Press-Citizen. He can be reached atrhansen@press-citizen.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @ryanhansen01.
5 athletes at University of Iowa, Iowa State plead guilty to underage gambling in state probe
Iowa State athletes Hunter Dekkers, Jacob Remsburg and Dodge Sauser and Iowa's Aaron Blom and Gehrig Christensen plead guilty to underage gambling
www.desmoinesregister.com
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Guest
Gary "retiring" as a result of another scandal under his reign is by far the best thing to come of this gambling situation. There's a "controversies while at Iowa" on his Wikipedia that is about 10 pages long. It's really hard for me to fathom that there are legitimate Gary Barta supporters out there outside of his family and the Ferentz family.
Report from Keith Murphy of WHO:
Current Cylones Hunter Dekkers and Jake Remsburg, plus former Cyclone Dodge Sauser (now at Iowa Central) agree to a plea deal. They plead guilty to reduced charges of underage gambling, which carries a fine of $645 (e.g. like a speeding ticket). This ends the legal consequences for the three. The state is dropping other charges. This is separate from NCAA consequences, though can’t hurt, and could help.
Statement from Weinhardt Law Firm:
Current Cylones Hunter Dekkers and Jake Remsburg, plus former Cyclone Dodge Sauser (now at Iowa Central) agree to a plea deal. They plead guilty to reduced charges of underage gambling, which carries a fine of $645 (e.g. like a speeding ticket). This ends the legal consequences for the three. The state is dropping other charges. This is separate from NCAA consequences, though can’t hurt, and could help.
Statement from Weinhardt Law Firm:
Why cry no one else busted, just becuase those students had been cuaght now you wanna cry why isnt other universities being investigated. Like other things against ncaa regs that some universities do that even the coaches know about if you dont get cuaght it didnt happen. But once your cuaght you cry the blues.
Taking responsibility for one’s actions is NOT in vogue these daze, apparently.
Ah yes....this is one of those "If you can read this, you have a strong mind" word jumble thingies eh?
Sorry if already posted. What do the four guys that are facing season long suspensions have in terms of eligibility left? I know Covid has messed all this up. Can they use an Olympic year? If they knew this was coming for these guys should they have announced their intentions before the suspensions came down?
So our Hwt redshirted 18-19. Wrestled 19-20. Covid 20-21. Wrestled 21-22 and 22-23. So it’s like Noah Shannon and he couldn’t come back and wrestle absent an Olympic redshirt?
So our Hwt redshirted 18-19. Wrestled 19-20. Covid 20-21. Wrestled 21-22 and 22-23. So it’s like Noah Shannon and he couldn’t come back and wrestle absent an Olympic redshirt?
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Only way Cass/Brands/Assad see the mat again is if their suspension is reduced on appeal. No idea how likely that is, but I'm not holding my breath. Cobe would have one year left, but will be in a battle with Voinovich/Rathjen at 149 and Ferrari at 157 to make the lineup.
An Olympic redshirt can’t save them…they’re all (other than Cobe) likely done with their collegiate careers absent a very shocking successful appeal.
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Did someone go rogue?
Van Plumb, attorney for former Cyclone Eyioma Uwazurike, filed a second discovery motion.
“The Defendant believes, based upon the forgoing, that either an Agent of the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission or Department of Criminal Investigation used the Gaming Commission’s GeoComply software to target male athletes at Iowa and Iowa State in 4 of the men’s programs for a reason yet to be known. The Agent or Agents did not follow the rules as set out by the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission in reporting their activity nor did they follow the Terms of Use established by GeoComply for use of their software.
“GeoComply was in fact used to obtain personal data that should have required a warrant and such use of GeoComply to obtain personal data was a violation of their rights. The State’s actions, whether intentional or not, have villainized the targeted young men for making young men mistakes.
“These young men have been held to account and have held themselves accountable to the NCAA and NFL for their actions, actions as argued by the Defendant, with the exception of underage gambling, are not violations of Iowa Law.
“Iowa Racing and Gaming as well the Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation are not codified enforcement agencies for the NCAA or the NFL. But, they are State of Iowa Enforcement Agencies governed by their own set of rules and procedures, with such rules and procedures appearing to have been violated from the evidence supplied to the Defendant as of this date. The Defendant is requesting the additional information so that the agents, as grown-trained members of our state agencies, can also be held accountable if they have in fact violated these young men’s rights or broken the rules established for them to ensure equal protection to all Iowans.”
Source:
Van Plumb, attorney for former Cyclone Eyioma Uwazurike, filed a second discovery motion.
“The Defendant believes, based upon the forgoing, that either an Agent of the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission or Department of Criminal Investigation used the Gaming Commission’s GeoComply software to target male athletes at Iowa and Iowa State in 4 of the men’s programs for a reason yet to be known. The Agent or Agents did not follow the rules as set out by the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission in reporting their activity nor did they follow the Terms of Use established by GeoComply for use of their software.
“GeoComply was in fact used to obtain personal data that should have required a warrant and such use of GeoComply to obtain personal data was a violation of their rights. The State’s actions, whether intentional or not, have villainized the targeted young men for making young men mistakes.
“These young men have been held to account and have held themselves accountable to the NCAA and NFL for their actions, actions as argued by the Defendant, with the exception of underage gambling, are not violations of Iowa Law.
“Iowa Racing and Gaming as well the Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation are not codified enforcement agencies for the NCAA or the NFL. But, they are State of Iowa Enforcement Agencies governed by their own set of rules and procedures, with such rules and procedures appearing to have been violated from the evidence supplied to the Defendant as of this date. The Defendant is requesting the additional information so that the agents, as grown-trained members of our state agencies, can also be held accountable if they have in fact violated these young men’s rights or broken the rules established for them to ensure equal protection to all Iowans.”
Source:
This will help legal cases, but likely not impact NCAA at all.
If this is true, will there even be a legal case since their gambling was discovered illegally? Id think not. Id imagine the State will end up fighting a lawsuit with the impacted athletes as well
I think most of the athletes who did something illegal have been charged: basically either being underage or using someone else’s account.
None of the 4 wrestlers alleged to be missing the season have been charged with anything.
Most of the athletes are only in trouble with the NCAA.
I can’t imagine the motivation level to train, workout, cut weight, etc. for a career (college anyway) that is likely over. Strange times.
Im referring to all the athletes who were charged. If they were caught using illegal means by the dci, then I would imagine their cases would get thrown out. Obviously it doesn’t do anything for the ncaa infractions, although it does really suck for them-especially the ones doing nothing illegal, that they were found out in that manner. Which, im definitely no expert, but could potentially see that leading to a lawsuit against the state
