All three defendants in the college hoops corruption trial, Adidas executive James Gatto, former Adidas consultant Merl Code and former sports agent Christian Dawkins, were found guilty Wednesday by a federal jury.
The three were charged of conspiring to pay the families of players to attend schools sponsored by Adidas, including North Carolina State University, the University of Louisville, the University of Kansas and the University of Miami.
They were found guilty on all seven counts of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud: three for Gatto, two for Dawkins and two for Code. Their attorneys say anything they did was intended to help the schools they steered players to rather than harm the programs
Sentencing is scheduled for March 5. Gatto’s defense attorney indicated he will appeal the verdict.
Others charged as a part of the federal NCAA probe include Chuck Person, a former NBA star who became associate head coach at Auburn University; Anthony “Tony” Bland, from the University of Southern California; Lamont Evans, from Oklahoma State University and formerly the University of South Carolina and Emanuel “Book” Richardson, from the University of Arizona. They have pleaded not guilty.
