Seven current or former athletes at Iowa State University and the University of Iowa were each charged on Tuesday with one count of tampering with records related to the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation's ongoing probe into sports gambling.
Three current Iowa State athletes—Hunter Dekkers, Paniro Johnson, and Dodge Sauser—were charged, along with former Iowa State defensive lineman Enyi Uwazurike. The Iowa football team's backup kicker, Aaron Blom, former Iowa baseball player Gherig Christensen and former men's basketball Ahron Ulis, were also charged on Tuesday.
These athletes are accused of manipulating gambling transactions to make it appear as if their bets were placed by other people. The Iowa Department of Public Safety detailed the charges in a statement released on Wednesday.
“The investigation is ongoing and may result in the filing of additional charges,” the statement said. “No further information can be released at this time.”
Chris Unger/Getty
Both Iowa and Iowa State announced in May that they were aware of sports betting allegations within their athletic departments. Iowa State reported allegations involving approximately 15 active student-athletes, while Iowa said it was aware of an investigation by Iowa gaming authorities involving 26 current student-athletes and one full-time employee in the athletic department.
Here's what we know about the charges.
Allegations made against Iowa State athletes
Dekkers, Iowa State's starting quarterback last season, is accused of making 26 wagers on Cyclone sporting events, according to a complaint filed in Iowa District Court for Story County and first obtained by the Des Moines Register. That includes a 2021 football game against Oklahoma State when he was the backup. The complaint alleges Dekkers controlled a DraftKings account and completed approximately 366 online sports wagers totaling over $2,799. Dekkers is accused in the complaint of “scheming” with his parents to make it appear as if his bets were being placed by his mother.
Johnson is a sophomore wrestler at Iowa State and the reigning Big 12 Champion at 149 pounds. Per the complaint, Johnson is accused of wagering $45,640 across 1,283 separate bets, including roughly 25 on Iowa State athletic events, while using a different identity.
Sauser is a sophomore offensive lineman for the Cyclones. According to the complaint, Sauser is alleged to have placed 12 bets on Iowa State football games while using a disguised identity. That includes games last year against Ohio, West Virginia, Oklahoma State, and Texas Tech. The complaint alleges that Sauser's account wagered $3,075 on DraftKings.
Uwazurike, now a member of the NFL's Denver Broncos, is alleged to have placed bets on two Iowa State games in 2021 while disguising his identity. According to the complaint, he placed 801 bets on a FanDuel account, which totaled $21,361. Uwazurike, a fourth-round draft pick by the Broncos in 2022, was suspended indefinitely by the NFL in July for betting on NFL games.
“Since becoming aware of potential NCAA eligibility issues related to sports wagering by several of our student-athletes in May, Iowa State University has been actively working to address these issues with the involved student-athletes,” Iowa State athletic director Jamie Pollard said in a statement shared with Newsweek. “This process is ongoing and will take time before being completely resolved. Iowa State cannot comment on any student-athletes' circumstance or eligibility status. We will, however, continue to support our student-athletes as our compliance staff works with the NCAA to sort out questions surrounding their future eligibility for intercollegiate athletics competition.”
Dekkers fighting back against allegations
Via his attorney, Mark Weinhardt, Dekkers denies the criminal charge and will plead not guilty.
In a statement shared with Newsweek, Weinhardt said Dekkers has informed Iowa State's coaching staff that he cannot participate in fall football camp so he can focus on his studies and the defense of this criminal charge.
“This charge attempts to criminalize a daily fact of American life,” Weinhardt said in a statement to Newsweek. “This prosecution interferes with and politicizes what is the business of Iowa State University and the NCAA. The investigation at the Iowa universities is the tip of the iceberg. Thousands and thousands of college athletes place bets, usually small ones, with shared accounts. That is for the schools and the NCAA to police.”
Allegations against Iowa athletes
Blom is accused of making approximately 170 sports wagers totaling more than $4,400, according to criminal complaints filed in Johnson County and first obtained by the Cedar Rapids Gazette. That includes a bet that court documents allege Blom made on the 2021 Iowa-Iowa State football game, which Blom did not appear in. Blom is accused of allegedly betting the “under total points” on the game. According to the complaint, Blom's mother told law enforcement that he made bets under her name with “her consent and knowledge.”
Christensen, who announced his retirement from baseball in June, is accused of placing approximately 559 sports bets totaling more than $2,400. Twenty-three of those included bets on Iowa sporting events. The bets were placed under Christensen's mother's name with her “consent and knowledge,” the complaint shows.
Ulis transferred to the University of Nebraska earlier this year. He is accused of making approximately 1,850 wagers, totaling more than $34,800 while using his brother's information.
“The University of Nebraska Athletic Department administration was made aware this summer about a potential issue regarding the eligibility of men's basketball student-athlete Ahron Ulis,” Nebraska's athletics department said in a statement. “Since that time, we have been in communication with the NCAA regarding this matter and Ahron is not participating with the team on its trip to Spain.”
The Iowa athletic department did not respond to Newsweek's request for comment by the time of publication.
What is going to happen to these players?
Per NCAA rules, athletes who place bets on their teams or any other athletic events at their university face permanent ineligibility.
“Student-athletes who engage in activities to influence the outcomes of their own games or knowingly provide information to individuals involved in sports betting activities will potentially face permanent loss of collegiate eligibility in all sports,” the NCAA website said. “This would also apply to student-athletes who wager on their own games or on other sports at their own schools.”
Tampering with records, meanwhile, is an aggravated misdemeanor. That carries a maximum prison sentence of two years and a potential fine ranging from $855 to $8,540, per Iowa law.
