Federal prosecutors file additional charges against Jim Gatto
By admin - 2018-04-12 03:09:25

The United States Attorney’s office announced Tuesday that the FBI has brought down more official charges against former Adidas representative Jim Gatto amidst a collegiate basketball fraud scandal. The scandal, involving payments to the families of former players at Louisville, Miami, Kansas, and NC State, alleges that Gatto and others engaged in a conspiracy to ensure that athletes expressed greater promotional loyalty to Adidas.

According to Yahoo sports, six former players are named in these new charges, including Dennis Smith Jr. of NC State and Josh Jackson Jr. of Kansas. Both are currently in the NBA.

FBI reports, released by Yahoo Sports columnist Dan Wetzel on Twitter today, allege that “on or about October 31, 2016… [a] $50,000 payment from Company-1 in [was made] in cash, and, thereafter, personally delivered approximately $30,00 to [the parent] at a hotel room in New York, New York.

Tuesday’s charges also allege that Gatto funneled $90,000 to the family of a former KU player for his commitment to the Jayhawks, $100,000 to the family of a Louisville player, and $40,000 to the family of a former NC State player.

In addition to Gatto, other Adidas affiliates were fired for complicity; Rick Pitino and Tom Jurich were sacked as coach and GM of Louisville, and Miami coach Jim Larranaga — coach for Miami — has been subpoenaed by the FBI.

The lucrative funneling scandal has been additionally cited by Wetzel as “Right out of the movies.”