Kerr Kriisa, former NCAA basketball star, arrested for alleged fraud scheme
DOJ announces charges in major healthcare fraud operation
The Justice Department on Tuesday announced charges against more than 450 people across 45 states for alleged healthcare fraud totaling over $6.5 billion.
CLARKSBURG, W.Va. - Former college basketball player Kerr Krisa was arrested on Saturday, after he allegedly lied and posed as other people as part of a scheme through which he fraudulently obtained nearly $2.2 million from two victims, according to a federal indictment.
Kerr Kriisa arrested in alleged fraud scheme
Big picture view:
The case was unsealed on Monday following his arrest by federal agents over the weekend in Kentucky.
From 2022 through June 2 of this year, Kriisa allegedly posed as other people, including his own mother, and falsely claimed that he and his family urgently needed money to deal with an emergency, the indictment says.
The indictment also alleges that, in August 2022, the 25-year-old falsely told one victim that he had gotten a loan to repay her and then after a few months falsely told her he planned to sell his organs to get money to repay her.
Kerr Kriisa #11 of the Cincinnati Bearcats warms up before the game against the Arizona Wildcats at McKale Center on January 21, 2026 in Tucson, Arizona. (Credit: Chris Coduto/Getty Images)
Between 2022 and 2024, he contacted the same victim, posing as his own mother, and asked for money to pay for cancer treatments for his mother and to save the family's farm, the indictment says.
In April 2025, he allegedly signed a written agreement falsely promising to repay that victim $100,000 by February 2026.
From November 2025 through early February of this year, Kriisa repeatedly asked a second victim for money, sometimes posing as a made-up person named "Irene," according to the indictment.
What they're saying:
"Financial fraud schemes erode trust and cause real harm to victims who believed they were helping someone in need," U.S. Attorney Matthew Harvey said in a news release.
What's next:
Kriisa is expected to appear in federal court in West Virginia this week on five counts of wire fraud, Harvey said.
Kerr Kriisa began college career at Arizona
The backstory:
A federal grand jury in West Virginia indicted Kriisa last month.
The 6-foot-3 guard from Estonia began his college career in 2020 at the University of Arizona, where he led the Pac-12 in assists during his two full seasons.
He then transferred to West Virginia, where he was suspended for the first nine games of his lone season there after admitting he received impermissible benefits while at Arizona.
RELATED: 455 charged in health care fraud crackdown; schemes totaled over $6.5 billion
Kriisa transferred to Kentucky in 2024, but was also limited to nine games due to a foot injury.
He transferred to Cincinnati for his final year of eligibility and started 12 games before suffering a separated shoulder in February.
The Source: This story was reported from Los Angeles. The Associated Press contributed.