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Alt text: Iowa athletes betting
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Alt text: Iowa state athletes lawsuit
Caption: Iowa state is accused of misusing tracking software which caught several athletes in a betting sting in 2023.
Ten join civil suit
An additional ten Iowa and Iowa state athletes, as well as a basketball equipment manager, have joined a civil lawsuit seeking damages from the state after being named in a 2023 gambling sting operation.
The plaintiffs, which now total 37 individuals, are filing the lawsuit against the state and its public safety and criminal investigation agencies over violation of constitutional rights and smearing their reputations.
The old saying holds true — there is strength in numbers.”
Des Moines attorneys Van Plumb and Matthew Boles filed the lawsuit in April. Plumb welcomed news of the additional support, saying: “Matt Boles and I are extremely excited to join forces with them as the old saying holds true — there is strength in numbers.”
Athletes’ charges dropped
The case relates to an operation in 2023, with most of the athletes who were caught up agreeing to plead guilty to underage gambling and pay a fine, in return for having a charge of identity theft dropped.
However, football players Jirehl Brock, Isaiah Lee, and Enyi Uwazurike, as well as wrestler Paniro Johnson refused the plea bargain. Eventually, all charges against them were dropped in March 2024 after the Division of Criminal Investigation was found to have misused tracking software designed to detect mobile sports betting apps.
The suit accuses investigators of not being properly trained in the use of the software, named Kibana, which is produced by GeoComply.
The lawsuit also states that the athletes had their fourth and 14th amendment rights violated, which protect against unreasonable searches and seizures, and ensure equal protection under the law respectively. The suit also alleges the athletes were caused pain, suffering, mental anguish, humiliation and reputational damage.
Identity theft
Athletes are banned from placing wagers on any sport sponsered by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Most of the individuals caught were operating their accounts under a false name, leading to the additional charge of identity theft.
When filing the case, Plumb and Boles stated: “The lives of these young men have been disrupted and altered in way still yet to be fully seen.”
It is our hope that through the civil action we can help these young men put their lives back on track”
“Many of them have had their athletic careers ended, due to the State of Iowa’s unconstitutional use of GeoComply’s Kibana software. It is our hope that through the civil action we can help these young men put their lives back on track and gain a measure of justice for the violation of their rights.”