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Eight more charges have been filed against current or former members of the Iowa State University and University of Iowa athletic programs in regard to the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation's ongoing probe into sports gambling.
Criminal complaints filed Thursday in district courts for Story County show charges against Iowa State football players Jirehl Brock, Isaiah Lee, DeShawn Hanika and Jacob Remsburg. Complaints filed in Johnson County show that current Iowa football player Jack Johnson, student assistant Owen O'Brien and former Hawkeyes Arland Bruce IV and Reggie Bracy were also charged. Bruce (Oklahoma State) and Bracy (Troy) both transferred this offseason.
All are charged with records tampering, an aggravated misdemeanor. The complaints accuse each individual of falsifying electronic sports wagering records in an effort to conceal their identities.
All but two are accused of placing bets involving their own team.
The eight join the seven current and former athletes at Iowa and Iowa State who were similarly charged last week.
What Iowa State athletes are accused of
The criminal complaint filed against Lee, which has been obtained by Newsweek, shows that the defensive tackle is accused of placing 21 wagers on 12 Iowa State games he participated in.
Most notably, that includes a bet on Texas to beat Iowa State in 2021. Lee played in that game, which his Cyclones won, 30-7. Lee is accused of placing 115 overall wagers for over $855, documents show. In the complaint, Lee acknowledges that he had a FanDuel account using his fiancee's name.
Brock, Iowa State's leading rusher last season, is accused of placing 1,327 wagers for more than $12,050, court documents show. This allegedly included 13 wagers placed on Iowa State basketball events and four bets on Iowa State football games, including two he participated in. The complaint claims Brock "engaged in a scheme" with another individual to make it appear as if Brock was not placing the bets.
Remsburg, an offensive lineman, is accused of making 273 bets for more than $1,108, documents show. The complaint against Remsburg accuses him of making six alleged wagers on NCAA basketball and football games, although none were alleged to have included Iowa State. Remsburg acknowledged to authorities that he used his mother's name on his DraftKings account to avoid potential NCAA scrutiny.
Hankia, a tight end, is accused of making 70 wagers on Cyclone basketball games, court documents show. The complaint accuses Hanika of placing 288 wagers for $1,262 while using his mother's name on a DraftKings account.
"Since becoming aware of potential NCAA eligibility issues related to sports wagering by several of our student-athletes back in May, Iowa State University has been actively working to address these issues with the involved student-athletes, and that process remains ongoing," Iowa State said in a statement first shared with ESPN.
"We will continue to support our student-athletes as our compliance staff works with the NCAA to sort out questions surrounding their future eligibility for athletics competition."
What Iowa athletes are accused of
The criminal complaint filed against Bruce shows he allegedly used a DraftKings account under the name of Vincent Bruce. On this account, documents show, he completed 132 mobile/online sports wagers totaling over $4,342. The complaint says he placed 19 bets on Iowa football games during the 2021 and 2022 seasons. Bruce played in 11 games that he allegedly bet on.
The former four-star recruit caught 44 passes for 396 yards and two touchdowns across two seasons with the Hawkeyes from 2021-22.
Bruce is accused of placing two "under" bets on Iowa games, the complaint shows.
The bets are shown to have occurred in Iowa's victory over Northwestern on October 29, 2022, and in Iowa's victory over Kentucky in the Music City Bowl on December 31, 2022.
Bruce played in the Northwestern game but was already in the NCAA transfer portal by the time of the Kentucky game. Iowa beat Northwestern, 33-13, after the over/under closed at 37.5. Bruce scored a touchdown in that game that pushed the point total to 39. The Hawkeyes beat Kentucky, 21-0. The total for that game closed at 31.5.
Any other specific bets Bruce is accused of making were not listed on Thursday's complaint, which showed that Bruce allegedly shared his betting account with Bracy.
Bracy, a defensive back, is accused of placing eight bets on Hawkeye sporting events, including two Iowa football games in which he participated. The criminal complaint shows Bracy allegedly placed 66 total wagers totaling more than $715.
Johnson, a walk-on wide receiver, is accused of using his mother's name to disguise his identity and placing more than 480 wagers. This includes allegedly placing four wagers on Iowa football games and at least 11 on Iowa basketball games.
O'Brien is accused of placing three wagers on Iowa football games last season while a member of the staff, the complaint shows. O'Brien is accused of placing more than 350 total bets for $3,047 while using his mother's name.
An Iowa spokesperson told Newsweek last week that "The University of Iowa continues to fully cooperate with the investigation."
Possible consequences for the athletes
Per NCAA rules, athletes who place bets on their teams or any other athletic events at their university face permanent ineligibility.
"Student-athletes who engage in activities to influence the outcomes of their own games or knowingly provide information to individuals involved in sports betting activities will potentially face permanent loss of collegiate eligibility in all sports," the NCAA website says. "This would also apply to student-athletes who wager on their own games or on other sports at their own schools."
Tampering with records, meanwhile, is an aggravated misdemeanor that carries a maximum prison sentence of two years and a potential fine ranging from $855 to $8,540, per Iowa law.
The Des Moines Register reported last week that the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission "does not currently have any information that would call into question the integrity of any sports wagering contest or event involving the University of Iowa or Iowa State University."
About the writer
Robert Read is a Life & Trends Reporter at Newsweek based in Florida. His background is primarily in sports journalism ... Read more