Sports betting-related criminal charges against four current or former Iowa State athletes are being dismissed.
Benjamin Matchan, Story County assistant attorney, filed a motion Friday asking for charges against Eyioma Uwazurike, Jirehl Brock, Isaiah Lee, and Paniro Johnson to be dismissed. Uwazurike, Brock, and Lee are former Iowa State football players, while Johnson is still listed as a member of the wrestling program.
Motion to dismiss
In the summer of 2023, it was reported that those four were among a group of athletes in Iowa being investigated for sports betting violations and crimes, including tampering with records. Earlier this week, attorneys representing the athletes alleged that the original investigation into their betting violations was conducted unlawfully and agents conducting the investigation incorrectly used geofencing tools (Kibana, specifically) provided to them by GeoComply.
The lawyers alleged that even GeoComply was concerned that the Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation may have overstepped its bounds with its use of Kibana in the case. GeoComply revoked the DCI's access to the tool in January.