On February 2, prosecutors in Story County charged Iowa State quarterback Hunter Dekkers with tampering electronic records to hide his gambling activities.
Hunter Dekkers, according to the criminal complaint, made over 2,799 mobile bets over a period of several years.
The document cites a DraftKings account that was subpoenaed and claimed to be controlled the quarterback. It alleges 297 bets were placed by him while he was under 21 years old, with 26 of them being on Iowa State University games.
Hunter Dekkers, a backup quarterback for Iowa State in the 2021 football game against Oklahoma State was also mentioned by the prosecution. Dekkers did not participate.
Seven current or former Iowan athletes were charged with tampering records in the NCAA investigation by prosecutors from Story County and Iowa City.
These include former Iowa baseball player Gehrig C. Christensen, Dodge Sauser of the Iowa State Cyclones and current Denver Broncos defensive lineman Eyioma Umazurike.
Prosecutors claim Dekkers implicated parents in scheme
Story County prosecutors claim he did this through a scheme that involved his parents, Jami Dekkers & Scott Dekkers. He allegedly used them to hide his bets. It involved placing bets on a mother-owned account.
Prosecutors said that bets were placed on Hunter Dekkers’ iPhone at his residence, both in Story County Iowa and at his University, as proof.
The Weinhardt Law Firm issued a statement on behalf of Hunter Dekkers, in which the quarterback denied any criminal charges.
This charge is an attempt to criminalize something that Americans do every day. The statement said that millions of people shared online accounts every day.
This prosecution politicizes and interferes with the business of Iowa State University, and the NCAA. The Iowa investigation is just the tip of the iceberg. College athletes make bets, usually small ones, using shared accounts. It is up to the NCAA and schools to monitor this.
This investigation has been ongoing since May when DCI agents served a search warrant on Hunter’s Ames apartment and at the home of his family in northwest Iowa. Hunter has had to give up his ability to be an excellent student and teammate because of the investigation.
