A jury on Wednesday convicted the three defendants accused of pay-for-play schemes to influence high-profile basketball recruits to attend Kansas, Louisville and NC State.
Adidas employee James Gatto, former Adidas consultant Merl Code and former runner for NBA agent Andy Miller, Christian Dawkins, were found guilty on felony charges of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud after a three-week criminal trial in federal court in New York.
Breaking: all three defendants in the college basketball corruption trial have been found guilty of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. James Gatto in all three of his counts, Christian Dawkins and Merl Code on both of theirs.
— Matt Norlander (@MattNorlander) October 24, 2018
“Today’s convictions expose an underground culture of illicit payments, deception and corruption in the world of college basketball,” U.S. Attorney Robert S. Khuzami said in a statement. “These defendants now stand convicted of not simply flouting the rules but breaking the law for their own personal gain.
The maximum sentences the 1st set of defendants face in the FBI NCAA basketball corruption case are as follows:
Christian Dawkins: 200-years
James "Jim" Gatto: 80-years
Merl Code: 80-yearsThere are people who have raped and killed and faced lighter sentencing guidelines.
— Alicia Jessop (@RulingSports) October 24, 2018
The jury of eight women and four men deliberated more than 19 hours over three days before reaching a verdict Wednesday afternoon.
Sentencing will happen for all three men on March 5. They will remain out on bond until then.
— Matt Norlander (@MattNorlander) October 24, 2018
