U.S. Department
of Justice
Press Release
U.S. Attorney’s Office Announces Additional Charges Against Athletic Apparel Company Executive And Others For Allegedly Defrauding Four NCAA Division I Universities
For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of New York
Robert S. Khuzami, the Attorney for the United States, Acting Under Authority Conferred by 28 U.S.C. § 515, announced the filing of a Superseding Indictment against defendants JAMES GATTO, a/k/a “Jim,” MERL CODE, and CHRISTIAN DAWKINS in United States v. Gatto, 17 Cr. 686 (LAK). The Superseding Indictment (“the Indictment”) expands the scope of the charged wire fraud conspiracy to include alleged payments to the families of six student-athletes in connection with those players’ decisions to attend four different NCAA Division I Universities – the University of Louisville, the University of Miami, the University of Kansas, and North Carolina State University – all of which were sponsored by the same major athletic apparel company (“Company-1”).[1]
The investigation remains ongoing. The FBI strongly encourages anyone with information they believe to be relevant to contact the FBI by calling a special hot line established to receive tips in connection with this investigation: 212-384-2135.
The case is being handled by the Office’s Public Corruption Unit. Assistant United States Attorneys Edward B. Diskant, Noah Solowiejczyk, Eli J. Mark, Robert L. Boone, and Aline Flodr are in charge of the prosecution.
[1] As the paragraph above indicates, the entirety of the text of the Superseding Indictment constitute only allegations, and every fact described therein should be treated as an allegation.
Updated May 31, 2018
Topic
Financial Fraud
Component