Sports Betting Charges Against Four Former Iowa State Athletes Dropped

Four former Iowa State athletes embroiled in a sports betting scandal will have the criminal charges against them dropped, according to a "Motion to Dismiss With Prejudice" filed by Benjamin Matchan, Story County assistant attorney Friday. Sports betting scandals are something state governments, college and professional leagues, and our best sports betting sites take very seriously.

The original charges were against sophomore wrestler Paniro Johnson and former Iowa State football players Jirehl Brock, Eyioma Uwazurike, and Isaiah Lee, who were accused of felony identity theft and placing prohibited wagers against Iowa State sporting programs.

While the original charges were dropped, Friday's announcement may not signal the end of litigation. The fact that the motion was filed with "Prejudice" leaves open the possibility of future charges against the four. 

There may also be lawsuits forthcoming by the athletes whose names were smeared. In the case of Denver Broncos player Eyioma Uwazurike, his career was put on hold thanks to an indefinite suspension levied by the NFL.

The issue

The four ex-or suspended Iowa State athletes were accused in 2023 of being a part of a group being looked into by an Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation surrounding betting violations and crimes with regard to the Iowa State athletics programs.

Isaiah Lee, Jirehi Brock, Enyi Uwazurike, and Paniro Johnson were part of the group of 20 Iowa State athletes that investigators accused of identity theft and records tampering in relation to sports betting and placing underage wagers in the Iowa sports betting scene.

There is evidence that the athletes in this case registered for sports betting accounts in Iowa with different names, sometimes relatives, to gain access to Iowa sports betting apps.

Many have already pled guilty to lesser charges, including their actions using fraudulent names during the registration process.

What changed?

Claims from attorneys representing the four players, namely Isaiah Lee, stated that the evidence gained by investigators came through unlawful means. It is alleged that the DCI officials obtained GeoComply tracking data, which is used to track wagering activity in the American market, without the proper warrants. According to the new filing, criminal charges were brought on the heels of a "warrantless search."

As Eric Olson of the Associated Press put it, "In the motion to suppress, the defense alleges a special agent for the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation (Brian Sanger) violated the agency's limited-use agreement with a geofencing tracking firm when he used its software to locate places inside ISU athletic facilities where athletes were making wagers on mobile betting platforms. The agent later obtained account information from the platforms to identify the athletes and third parties whose credit cards were used.

"The motion contends use of the tracking software was unconstitutional because no warrant had been issued, and it noted that the software firm, GeoComply, cut off DCI's access to the tool last month because the user agreement was violated."

As mentioned by Olson, GeoComply has since ended its relationship with the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation because of what they feel was overreach, an illegal use of tracking data by the investigative body and Brian Sanger himself.

Moving forward

This isn't likely the last we hear of the Iowa State gambling scandal. As mentioned before, the brief being filed "with prejudice" leaves open the possibility of charges for the athletes in the future.

On the other hand, civil lawsuits could be filed by the athletes charged over rights violations due to an unlawful investigation. Enyi Uwazurike, Denver Broncos lineman was projected to be a starter for the team, if not for the gambling related suspension he received by the NFL. These charges severely hampered his career.

The others named in this case were also suspended despite being important cogs for their teams.

Depending on how you look at it, this case either opened or closed a giant can of worms. A spotlight was shone on the dangers and prevalence of student gambling in the bustling American sports betting market. But it also warned authorities about the limits of their investigative powers.