Kerr Kriisa, a former guard for the University of West Virginia, has been indicted on five counts of wire fraud, part of a $2.2 million fraudulent scheme. The indictment was made public on Monday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia.
Contrary to earlier reports that suggested Kriisa faced bribery charges related to sports, the indictment did not include any allegations of point shaving. Kriisa played 19 games for the University of Cincinnati during the 2025-26 season, marking the final chapter of his six years in NCAA Division I basketball.
Originally from Estonia, Kriisa signed with Tartu Ülikool of the Estonian-Latvian Basketball League following his departure from Cincinnati. He spent three seasons at the University of Arizona from 2020 to 2023 before playing for West Virginia and Kentucky for one season each.
Kriisa is the child of Valmo Kriisa, a former member of the Estonian national team. According to the indictment, he is alleged to have impersonated his mother, Kersti Kull, to solicit funds from an unsuspecting victim under the pretense of needing money for false cancer treatments.
"Financial fraud schemes erode trust and cause real harm to victims who believed they were helping someone in need," remarked U.S. Attorney Matthew Harvey in a statement. He emphasized the office's commitment to pursuing those who exploit others through such deception and holding them accountable.
As the nation celebrated its 250th birthday on July 4, Kriisa was apprehended by the FBI in relation to the fraudulent scheme, as reported by Kentucky Sports Radio. After playing nine games for the Kentucky Wildcats during the 2024-25 season, Kriisa is now awaiting extradition to West Virginia.
The indictment reveals that Kriisa began plotting the fraud in 2022, aiming to deceive and extract money in the Northern District of West Virginia. The scheme continued until June 2023, as prosecutors reported.
The indictment details Kriisa's attempts to defraud multiple victims through false representations and misleading communications. Notably, he allegedly represented himself as an individual named “Irene” to secure financial aid from a person referred to as “Victim 2.” In another instance, Kriisa communicated with “Victim 1” over three years, attempting to convince them he needed financing to save his family’s farm, claiming at one point that he would sell his organs to repay the victim.
The indictment cites an array of emails and texts used in the fraudulent operation, including five wire transactions linked to the charges. While Kriisa is facing serious wire fraud allegations, he is not among those charged with bribery in the ongoing Brooklyn sports betting case. A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of West Virginia declined to comment outside of the indictment.
In the realm of college basketball, an ongoing point-shaving scandal has embroiled over a dozen players across at least 17 teams. Jalen Smith, the lead defendant, faced a sentencing hearing in Philadelphia last month, although his lawyers have requested a postponement until October.
Additionally, four other defendants, three of whom are players, are scheduled for change of plea hearings on July 29. Among them is Dyquavion Short, a former guard for the University of New Orleans, accused of fixing three games during the 2024-25 season. He is due in front of a judge in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania on the same morning as another former player, Shawn Fulcher, who is alleged to have deliberately underperformed in several games throughout the 2023-24 season and is accused of recruiting other players into the match-fixing scheme.
In another development, a former DraftKings trader is facing criminal charges linked to a scheme involving a former Fresno State basketball player, Mykell Robinson. The NCAA permanently banned several players last September for betting on their games, including Robinson, who purportedly conspired with ex-roommate Steven Vasquez to manipulate wagers before a significant game result.
Vasquez reportedly placed a series of bets based on Robinson’s performance statistics, with the trio betting over $1,000 on unders for various statistical categories. Samuel Silverman, the former DraftKings trader implicated, allegedly took a share of the profits from these bets and has pleaded not guilty to multiple felony charges.
The Nevada Gaming Control Board noted that it is actively pursuing additional charges, as the investigation continues with several suspects still outstanding.
