More athletes tied to Iowa gambling sting join a civil suit, bringing number of plaintiffs to 37

By The Associated Press

Iowa players arrive at Kinnick Stadium before an NCAA college football game against Illinois State, Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024, in Iowa City, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)[ASSOCIATED PRESS/Charlie Neibergall]

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Ten more Iowa and Iowa State athletes and an Iowa basketball equipment manager ensnared in a 2023 state gambling sting joined a civil lawsuit Tuesday seeking unspecified monetary damages from the state and its public safety and criminal investigation agencies for violating the athletes’ rights and smearing their reputations.

A federal judge granted a motion allowing the 11 new plaintiffs to intervene in the lawsuit, which was filed in April by Des Moines attorneys Van Plumb and Matthew Boles on behalf of 26 former or current Iowa and ISU athletes.

Texas-based attorneys Grant Gerleman and James Roberts and Iowa-based Chris Sandy represent the 11 who joined the lawsuit, bringing the number of plaintiffs to 37.

“Matt Boles and I are extremely excited to join forces with them as the old saying holds true — there is strength in numbers,” Plumb said.

Most of the athletes who faced criminal charges connected to the 2023 investigation agreed to plead guilty to underage gambling and pay a fine and in return had a count of identity theft dismissed.

But Iowa State football players Isaiah Lee, Jirehl Brock and Enyi Uwazurike and wrestler Paniro Johnson did not accept plea deals and in March had all charges against them dropped because the Division of Criminal Investigation was found to have misused tracking software that detected open mobile betting apps on cellphones in ISU athletic facilities.

The civil suit alleges improper conduct by investigators violated the athletes’ fourth and 14th amendment rights and caused them pain, suffering, mental anguish, humiliation and damage to their personal reputations.

The lawsuit said the investigators, specifically, violated their constitutional rights to be free from a warrantless search and unreasonable seizure and that the investigators were not properly trained by the state, particularly in the appropriate use of Kibana tracking software produced by Canada-based GeoComply.

It is against the rules for athletes to wager on any sport sponsored by the NCAA. Most of the athletes involved were found to have registered their mobile wagering accounts under a different name to avoid detection, usually that of a relative.

The investigation resulted in lost NCAA eligibility as well as criminal charges.

The new plaintiffs are ISU wrestlers Samuel Schuyler, Carter Schmidt, Nathan Schon, Drew Woodley and Johnson; ISU football players Terry Roberts and Jeremiah “Trey” Mathis III; ISU track athlete Cameron “Cam” Jones; Iowa wrestlers Brennan Swafford and Corey Cabanban; and Iowa basketball equipment manager Evan Schuster.

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