Iowa Gambling Sting Lawsuit Expands with 11 New Names
A federal judge has approved a motion allowing 11 additional individuals to join an ongoing civil lawsuit related to a state-led gambling raid in Iowa.
With the latest additions, the lawsuit now has 37 plaintiffs.
Filed in April by Des Moines-based attorneys Van Plumb and Matthew Boles, the lawsuit represents a group of 26 athletes from the University of Iowa and Iowa State University seeking unspecified financial compensation for alleged rights violations and reputational harm.
The new plaintiffs are ISU football players Terry Roberts and Jeremiah "Trey" Mathis III; ISU wrestlers Samuel Schuyler, Carter Schmidt, Nathan Schon, Drew Woodley and Johnson; Iowa wrestlers Brennan Swafford and Corey Cabanban; ISU track athlete Cameron "Cam" Jones; and Iowa basketball equipment manager Evan Schuster. They are represented by Texas-based attorneys Grant Gerleman and James Roberts.
The 11 are represented by Texas-based attorneys Grant Gerleman and James Roberts and Iowa-based Chris Sandy. With the latest additions, the lawsuit now has 37 plaintiffs.
Plea Deals and Dismissals
As part of a plea deal, many of the athletes implicated in the 2023 investigation pleaded guilty to charges of underage gambling and agreed to pay a fine in exchange for the dismissal of identity theft charges.
However, four athletes, including Iowa State football players Isaiah Lee, Jirehl Brock, Enyi Uwazurike, and wrestler Paniro Johnson, declined plea deals. Instead, they saw all charges against them dropped in March.
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This decision came after it was discovered that the Division of Criminal Investigation had misused tracking software, which detected open mobile betting apps on cellphones in ISU athletic facilities, and led to the charges.
The lawsuit alleges that the state neglected to provide the investigators with sufficient training, specifically regarding the appropriate use of Kibana tracking software, a technology developed by Canada-based GeoComply.
Additionally, the plaintiffs claim that the investigators' improper conduct resulted in violations of their fourth and 14th Amendments, causing them to endure pain, suffering, humiliation and reputational damage.
Under NCAA rules, sports betting is strictly prohibited for athletes and individuals associated with NCAA member schools, including coaches, trainees, trainers and other officials.
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