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Kerr Kriisa, a former college basketball player, has been indicted by a federal grand jury for allegedly orchestrating a massive fraud scheme. The 25-year-old Estonian native was arrested on Friday (July 3) in Lexington, Kentucky, and is awaiting extradition to West Virginia for a court hearing scheduled for this week. According to the New York Post, Kriisa is accused of defrauding multiple individuals out of more than $2 million over four years by falsely claiming hardships such as a relative's cancer treatment and the potential loss of his family's farm in Estonia.
Kriisa played six seasons of college basketball at the University of Kentucky, University of Arizona, West Virginia University, and University of Cincinnati. During his time at Arizona, he played in all 35 games in the 2022-23 season, averaging 9.9 points and 2.4 rebounds per game. He transferred to West Virginia for his senior year but moved to Kentucky after the resignation of coach Bob Huggins. He ended his college career at Cincinnati, where he scored 1,115 points in 127 games.
The alleged fraud began during Kriisa's time at West Virginia in the 2023-24 season. He was set to participate in "The Basketball Tournament" with the University of Kentucky alumni team, La Familia, but the team has since announced that Kriisa will not be competing due to his arrest. Front Office Sports reports that Kriisa had also signed with the Estonian basketball team Tartu Ülikool Maks & Moorits for the upcoming season.
As the investigation continues, Kriisa's legal proceedings will unfold in the coming weeks. The case highlights ongoing scrutiny in the sports world, as other athletes have recently faced federal investigations.