More Athletes in Iowa Face Charges over Illegal Betting

Earlier this month, seven current and former athletes in Iowa faced charges after a massive probe in the state by the Iowa Criminal Division. For current athletes, the charges may result in losing eligibility, if they are found guilty of breaching the rules for gambling by the NCAA. Charges against three players were filed in Johnson County, while four other players were charged in Story County.

Now, seven more current and former players, as well as a student assistant, are facing charges over the massive investigation into illegal sports betting in Iowa. Reportedly, four Iowa State football players, together with three former and current Iowa football players and a student assistant were charged this week Thursday, a report released by the Des Moines Register suggests.

It is unclear what penalties the former players and the student assistant may receive. For the current players, they may lose eligibility over breaching NCAA’s rules related to gambling. The former and current players that reportedly are now facing criminal charges include:

• Jirehl Brock
• Isaiah Lee
• DeShawn Hanika
• Jacob Remsburg
• Jack Johnson
• Arland Bruce IV, former player
• Reggie Bracy, former player
• Owen O’Brien, student assistant

Charges against Brock, Lee, Hanika and Remsburg were filed in Story County. Allegations against them include betting under the legal age in Iowa, which is 21 years old. On the other hand, the two former players, along with the current Iowa player, Johnson, and the student assistant, O’Brien, were charged in Johnson County. The allegations against them include betting under a different name, betting under the legal age and betting on events they played in.

Charges Claim Using a Third-Party Account, Underage Wagering

The allegations against Johnson claim he placed 480 bets, surpassing $2,500 via a DraftKings account between September 2021 and January 2021. It is alleged that he used an account under the name of his mother to place 380 bets while underage.

For the case with Bruce, allegations claim he placed $4,342 in wagers with DraftKings via 132 bets. The former player allegedly placed wagers on games he played and used an account with the initials V.B.

Judging by the recent report, Bracy too used a DraftKings account with the initials V.B. The player, who is currently a part of Troy, allegedly placed 66 bets between February and November 2022, amounting to $715, including on two football games he participated in.

O’Brien, the student assistant, allegedly used a FanDuel account between March 2021 and December 2022 to place 350 wagers, surpassing $3,000. The betting account he allegedly used was under his mother’s name.

The leading rusher for the Cyclones’ last season, Brock, is believed to have placed wagers between February 2022 and February 2023. He allegedly placed 1,327 bets that surpassed $12,000 under an account that belonged to a person with the initials L.P. Accusations against him include placing wagers on games he played, as well as ISU basketball games.

Similarly, accusations against Lee claim he placed wagers on ISU games, as well as games he played with. The 115 bets were reportedly placed via FanDuel between September 2021 and January 2023 under the name of a different account holder, Lee’s fiancée.

On the other hand, Hanika was accused of using an account under his mother’s name to place 288 bets. Allegedly, the bets were placed between March 2022 and April 2023 via DraftKings and included wagers on ISU basketball games.

Finally, Remsburg allegedly used two different FanDuel accounts, one under his mother’s name and one under a person with the initials K.R. to place wagers 273 bets surpassing $1,100. Charges against him claim bets were made between May 2022 and February 2023.