Former Kentucky basketball player Kerr Kriisa has been indicted after an alleged $2.2 million fraud scheme, per the Department of Justice.
The 6-foot-3 guard “allegedly carried out a scheme to obtain nearly $2.2 million from multiple victims using false representations, fabricated identities, and deceptive communications,” per the DOJ’s news release.
Among his alleged fabrications in the indictment is a claim that he told one of his victims that he would sell his organs to repay her in November 2022.
Kriisa, who was arrested in Lexington, Ky. on Friday, is a well-known college basketball journeyman who spent time with Kentucky, Arizona, West Virginia and Cincinnati.
Last season, Kriisa played for Cincinatti and averaged 5.8 points and 3.0 assists per game before missing much of the season with a separated shoulder.
The Department of Justice said Kriisa’s scheme began in 2022 when he lied to two victims, pretending his mother needed cancer treatment and his family farm had to be saved.
According to the indictment, Kriisa pretended to be a woman named Irene, signing a fraudulent promise to repay one of the victims $100,000 by February.
At times, Kriisa had the victims send money to each other under false pretenses.
“Financial fraud schemes erode trust and cause real harm to victims who believed they were helping someone in need,” U.S. Attorney Matthew L. Harvey said in the release. “Our office will continue to pursue individuals who exploit others through deception. We are committed to holding them accountable for their actions.”
Following the indictment, the government is looking for “forfeiture of any proceeds traceable to the alleged offenses, including a money judgment of approximately $2.2 million.”
The arrest comes just before Kriisa was expected to play for La Familia, Kentucky’s alumni basketball team, in The Basketball Tournament beginning July 18.
He has since been released from the team.
