What We Know About Each School Implicated in the FBI's College Basketball Investigation

[Leroy N. Soetoro]

https://www.si.com/college-basketball/2017/09/29/what-we-know-about-each-
school-fbi-investigation

By Daniel Rapaport November 02, 2017
The college basketball world was turned upside down on Sept. 29 when the
the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York laid out
findings from an F.B.I. investigation that uncovered mass corruption,
bribery and wire fraud involving some of the sport's top programs.

Four assistant coaches were charged with varying violations: Tony Bland of
USC, Emanuel "Book" Richardson of Arizona, Lamont Evans of Oklahoma State
and Chuck Person of Auburn. No universities nor head coaches have been
charged, but the investigation is ongoing, and multiple schools (most
notably, Louisville) have been implicated even if no individual from the
program has been charged...yet.

It’s a massive story. The U.S. House’s Energy and Commerce Committee has
even requested a briefing on the matter.

First, let's outline who the notable non-coaches named in the various
suits are. Each of the following men are facing federal charges relating
to bribery.

• James "Jim" Gatto — Adidas' global sports marketing director for
basketball.

• Merl Code — a former player for Clemson who is now affiliated with
Adidas.

• Munish Sood — the founder of Princeton Capital, an investment services
firm that, among other ventures, manages professional athletes' money.

• Christian Dawkins — Former agent for ASM Sports

• Jonathan Brad Augustine — Program director for the Orlando-based (and
Adidas-sponsored) 1Family AAU team.

• Rashan Michel — Founder and owner of Thompson Bespoke Clothing, a high-
end manufacturer based in Atlanta. He was reportedly indicted by a federal
grand jury Nov. 7.

Also important to note is the fact that there are three different criminal
complaints.

• United States of America v. Lamont Evans, Emanuel Richardson, Anthony
Bland, Christian Dawkins, and Munish Sood

• United States of America v. Chuck Connors Person and Rashan Michel

• United States of America v. James Gatto, Merl Code, Christian Dawkins,
Jonathan Brad Augustine, and Munish Sood

?The scandal has received an overwhelming amount of coverage, with every
piece focusing on a different aspect of the investigation. The legal
documents outlining the situation are filled with legal jargon. This is an
attempt to compile the most important information pertaining to each
university and present it in a digestible way.

LOUISVILLE

Louisville finds itself engulfed in yet another embarrassing scandal—this
one so salacious that even noted escape artist Rick Pitino couldn't pull
another Houdini—but no coach from the university has been charged yet.

Louisville is referred to in the U.S. vs. James Gatto complaint, though no
individual working at Louisville is named.

What the complaint says

"In or around May of 2017, at the request of at least one coach from
University-6, DAWKINS, James Gatto, a/k/a "Jim," MERL CODE, MUNISH SOOD,
the defendants and other agreed to funnel $100,000 (payable in four
installments) from Company-1 to the family of Player-10. Shortly after the
agreement with the family of Player-10 was reached in late May and early
June, Player-10 publicly committed to University-6."

What it alleges

Gatto, Code and Sood paid $100,000 at the request of Louisville assistant
to Bowen to get him to commit to Louisville, have Sood manage his money
and sign with Adidas upon entering the NBA. Bowen committed to Louisville
and has been suspended indefinitely.

University-6 is Louisville. We know this because it's described in the
suit as a public research university in Kentucky with approximately 22,640
students and 21 varsity sports teams; Louisville's official enrollment is
22,640 and it fields, you guessed it, 21 varsity sports teams. Player-10
appears to be Brian Bowen, as he's the only guy to commit to Louisville in
that late-May, early-June time frame (plus, he's the type of five star who
could cost $100,000). Pitino is accused of calling Gatto after being told
Bowen needed more money. The third of three calls between Pitino and Gatto
came two days before Bowen’s commitment.

Personnel Changes

Pitino was put on administrative leave a day after the complaints were
released, and he was officially fired on Oct. 16. Louisville hired David
Padgett, who coached under Pitino last season, as its new head coach.
Louisville also fired assistant coach Jordan Fair and placed another
assistant, Kenny Johnson, on paid leave.

Louisville athletic director Tom Jurich also lost his job as a result of
the scandal.

Bowen was immediately suspended from basketball activities but remains a
student at Louisville. He has reportedly hired an attorney in hopes of
eventually being reinstated.

Two five-star recruits—Anfernee Simons and Courtney Ramey—have decommitted
from Louisville as a result of the scandal.

ARIZONA

What the complaint says

"(Undercover Agent)-1, working with CHRISTIAN DAWKINS and MUNISH SOOD, the
defendants, paid and/or facilitated the payment of $20,000 in bribes to
Emanuel Richardson, a/k/a 'Book,' the defendant, some of which RICHARDSON
appears to have kept for himself and some of which he appears to have
provided to at least one prospective high school basketball player
('Player-5') in order to recruit Player-5 to play for University-4. In
exchange for the bribe payments, RICHARDSON agreed to use his influence
over the student-athletes he coached to pressure them to retain DAWKINS
and SOOD as a manager and financial advisor, respectively."

What it alleges

A government agent, in conjunction with Dawkins and Sood, paid Arizona
assistant Book Richardson $20,000 so he'd use his clout with Arizona
players to sway them toward Dawkins' and Soot's respective businesses.
Richardson kept some of the money and gave some to a recruit, believed to
be 2018 point guard Jahvon Quinerly.

It's also important to note the Adidas officials—Gatto and Code—aren't
implicated in this part of the scheme, as Arizona is a Nike school.

But that's not the only nefarious action Arizona is accused of
participating in. There's something really nasty hidden in a part of a
complaint that addresses allegations about Miami (we'll get to them
later).

What the complaint says

"CODE discussed with GATTO... the involvement of CHRISTIAN DAWKINS and
JONATHAN BRAD AUGUSTINE, the defendants, in the scheme to facilitate
payments to Player-12 in order to secure Player12's commitment to attend
University-7. CODE explained that another Division I university
('University-4') was offering Player-12 $150,000 'and we're trying to keep
him from going to one of their schools.'"

What it alleges

Code is trying to get Gatto to agree to pay "Player-12" $150,000 to commit
to Miami instead of Arizona.

We know "University-4" is Arizona because it's described in a separate
complaint as the school that employs Book Richardson. We also know that
Miami is University-7 because the school has confirmed it is being
investigated and University-7 is the only school named in the case that
fits Miami's description.

Player-12 is believed to be five-star recruit Nassir Little, who plays for
Augustine's AAU team—Augustine is accused of funneling Player-12 the
money— and was being targeted by Arizona and Miami.

Little's family denies asking for or being offered any money for his
commitment.

Personnel changes

Little ended up committing to North Carolina.

Arizona fired Richardson. He has been charged with conspiracy to commit
bribery, solicitation of bribes by an agent of a federally funded
organization, conspiracy to commit honest services fraud, wire fraud
conspiracy and travel act conspiracy. He's currently out on $50,000 bail.

Sean Miller remains the head coach of an Arizona team that is ranked third
in the preseason AP Poll and favored to win the Pac-12.

After Richardson's arrest, Miller released a statement saying he was
"devastated" to learn of the allegations and that he will comply with any
investigations into the matter. The statement did not acknowledge any
wrongdoing on his part, and he insisted that he has done all he can to
"promote and reinforce a culture of compliance."

MIAMI

Like Louisville, no individual at Miami has been charged, but the school
is referenced in the complaint against Gatto, Code, Dawkins and Augustine.

What the complaint says

"JAMES GATTO, a/k/a "Jim," MERL CODE, CHRISTIAN DAWKINS, and JONATHAN BRAD
AUGUSTINE, the defendants, and other known and unknown, conspired to
illicitly funnel approximately $150,000 from Company-1 to Player-12,
another top high school basketball player expected to graduate in 2018, to
assist one or more coaches at University-7 in securing Player-12's
commitment to play at University-7, and to further ensure that Player-12
ultimately signed with DAWKINS and with Company-1 upon entering a
professional league."

"CHRISTIAN DAWKINS and MERL CODE, the defendants, discussed—on a telephone
call intercepted over the Dawkins Wiretap—paying Player-12 and/or his
family at the request of at least one coach at University-7 ("Coach-3").
During the call, DAWKINS and CODE discussed the involvement of Coach-3 in
ensuring that Company-1 would funnel payments to Player-12 in order to
secure Player-12's committment to play at Univeristy-7. In particular, on
the call, DAWKINS told CODE that, according to JONATHAN BRAD AUGUSTINE,
the defendant, "[Coach-3] knows everything," and that they could "start
the process" to funnel the payments to Player-12 in order to ensure that
Player-12 would commit to attend University-7 upon his graduation in
2018."

What it alleges

Gatto, Code, Dawkins and Augustine funneled $150,000 to a player, likely
Nassir Little, to get him to commit to Miami, then sign with Adidas and
Dawkins' agency once turning pro. This is the scheme described above
involving Miami and Arizona.

What's interesting here is the mention of Coach-3, whom the complaint
alleges knew about the bribes. Miami head coach Jim Larranaga told
reporters that he is indeed Coach-3, but also said he's done nothing wrong
and neither have any of his assistants. That would seem to suggest that
Larranaga believes either Dawkins or Augustine was lying when they told
Code that Coach-3 knew about the scheme.

We know University-7 is Miami because it's described as a private D-I
university in Florida with 16,000 students, and Miami is the only school
that fits that description.

Personnel changes

Nassir Little eventually committed to North Carolina.

Larranaga remains the head coach at Miami and has been steadfast regarding
his absolute innocence. “I cannot state more emphatically that I
absolutely have no knowledge of any wrongdoing by any member of our staff
and I certainly have never engaged in the conduct that some have
speculated about,” Larranga said. He turned over phone calls and documents
to government officials.

USC

What the complaint says

"CHRISTIAN DAWKINS, and MUNISH SOOD, the defendants, working with
(Undercover Agent)-1, paid and/or facilitated the payment of at least
$13,000 in bribes to ANTHONY BLAND, a/k/a "Tony," the defendant, in
exchange for BLAND's agreement to exert his official influence over
certain student-athletes that BLAND coached to retain DAWKINS and SOOD's
business management and/or financial advisory services once those players
entered the NBA. In addition, and as part of the scheme, DAWKINS and SOOD
paid and/or facilitated the payment of an additional $9,000 directly to
the families of two student-athletes at University-5 at BLAND's direction.

What it alleges

Dawkins and Sood paid Bland $13,000 to get him to nudge USC players to
their respective businesses. The $9,000 went to two families—one incoming
freshman and one rising junior—for similar reasons. We know "University-5"
is USC because it's described as a private D-I university with over 40,000
students, and it's the school Bland is recruiting for.

Personnel changes

Bland was arrested and subsequently released on $100,000 bail. He is no
longer with the program.

Head coach Andy Enfield avoided getting into Bland’s arrest in his initial
meeting with reporters. “The situation this week with Coach Bland has been
difficult and very challenging and emotional for all of us,” Enfield said,
according to the LA Times. “Due to the situation, I’m not allowed to
comment, I’ve been instructed not to comment.” When asked about Bland's
antics at Pac-12 media day, Enfield said he found out when everybody else
did but wouldn't comment further.

Four-star recruit J'Raan Brooks decommitted from USC due to "unforeseen
circumstances from the recent news that has come to light in regards to
the Trojan basketball program."

While the report does refer to two players currently on the USC basketball
team, the players have not been identified and every player on the roster
has been participating in preseason activities.

OKLAHOMA STATE

What the complaint says

"MUNISH SOOD, the defendant, and (Cooperating Witness)-1 — having learned
from CHRISTIAN DAWKINS, the defendant, that DAWKINS prevoiusly had paid
bribes to LAMONT EVANS, the defendant, in order to obtain access to
student-athletes coached by EVANS — paid at least $22,000 in bribes to
EVANS in exchange for EVANS' agreement to exert his official influence
over certain student athletes, first at University-2 and then at
University-3, to retain SOOD and (Cooperating Witness)-1's business
advisory and/or investment management services once those players entered
the NBA."

What it alleges

Before coming to Oklahoma State, Evans was an assistant to Frank Martin at
South Carolina for four seasons. He received a total of at least $22,000
in bribes from Sood and the cooperating witness. He was paid roughly
$2,000 per month. The bribes started while he was at South Carolina and
continued after he joined Brad Underwood's staff at Oklahoma State before
the 2016 season.

One Oklahoma State player is identified, "Player-4," who Evans described
as "the motherf----- that's scoring 22 points a game."

We know "University-3" is Oklahoma State because its description as a
public research university with 25,000 students matches Oklahoma State,
and it's where Evans was employed.

Personnel changes

Evans, who was arrested and released on $50,000 bond, was fired on Sept.
28.

Underwood has since left Oklahoma State for the Illinois job. He released
the following statement via the Illinois Athletic Department: “Like many
in our industry, I was surprised by yesterday’s events. From our first
conversation in March, athletic director Josh Whitman and I have shared a
mutual commitment to Illinois men’s basketball upholding the highest
standards of integrity. I appreciate his ongoing encouragement and
support. I stand ready to assist as needed to protect the game of
basketball, and those who play it, on our campus and elsewhere.”

Four-star recruit Antwann Jones, who was ranked No. 45 in the class of
2018 by ESPN, decommitted from Oklahoma State. He tweeted: "Due to the
recent events that have taken place, my family and I have decided it's in
my best interest to de-commit from Oklahoma State University."

Mike Boynton is now the head coach at Oklahoma State.

SOUTH CAROLINA

No individual from South Carolina has been charged, and the university is
mentioned only in connection with Evans.

South Carolina head coach Frank Martin said his university is not being
investigated.

AUBURN

What the complaint says

"(RASHAN) MICHEL told (Cooperating Witness-1) that CHUCK CONNORS PERSON,
the defendant, needed money, and exchange for such money, PERSON would
agree to steer student-athletes on University-1's Division I men's
basketball team to retain (Cooperating Witness)-1 's financial advisory
and business management services, as well as MICHEL's services as a suit
maker."

What it alleges

Person received bribes from Michel, the owner of the clothing label. In
exchange, Person would tell his players to use the Cooperating Witness as
a financial advisor and buy suits from Michel. The document features
multiple anecdotes in which Person negotiates for more money; he brags
about the quality of players coming to Auburn and about his level of
influence over them. In total, Person was paid $91,500 over a 10-month
period.

We know "University-1" is Auburn because of its description as a public
research university located in Alabama. It is also referred to as Person's
alma mater, and Person went to Auburn.

Player suspensions/personnel changes

Person was arrested on six federal charges of fraud and conspiracy. He has
been suspended indefinitely without pay by Auburn. He was reportedly
indicted by a federal grand jury Nov. 7.

Two Auburn players, sophomores Austin Wiley and Danjel Purifoy, have been
suspended indefinitely.

Five-star recruit E.J. Montgomery decommitted from Auburn shortly after
Person's arrest went public.

Bruce Pearl remains the head coach at Auburn.


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