- The FBI and the Department of Justice have been investigating the illegal influence of bribes on NCAA coaches and players since 2015
- ASM Sports founder Andy Miller’s computer was seized by the FBI
- A former ASM agent, Christian Dawkins, was among 10 men arrested by the FBI
- Dawkins is accused of bribery, conspiracy, and money laundering
- Dawkins was reportedly fired by ASM after it was allegedly discovered he made $42,000 in Uber charges on an NBA player’s credit card
- Acting Manhattan US attorney Joon H. Kim said the investigation covered two conspiracies: one in which players were bribed and another where coaches were
- The investigation is ongoing, according to a Justice Department spokesman
The FBI raided the office of one of the NBA’s top player agencies, ASM Sports, and confiscated founder Andy Miller’s computer in connection with the agency’s investigation into fraud and bribery in college basketball.
Legal and sports agent blogger Darren Heitner first reported the raid on Twitter. An ASM spokesman has not returned requests for comment.
On Tuesday acting Manhattan US Attorney Joon Kim and New York FBI Assistant Director in Charge William Sweeney announced the ongoing investigation that has already led to the arrests of 10 men, including four assistant college basketball coaches, two Adidas employees, a financial adviser, and Christian Dawkins, who previously worked as an agent at ASM sports.
Agent Andy Miller (left) seen here with Toronto Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry (center) and team president Masai Ujiri (right). Miller’s computer was confiscated by the FBI on Tuesday
Dawkins – who was reportedly fired by ASM for allegedly accumulating $42,000 in Uber charges on an NBA player’s credit card – is accused of bribing assistant college basketball coaches in exchange for their efforts to persuade collegiate players to sign with Dawkins when they turned professional.
The documents also allege that Dawkins’s bribes were laundered through the Adidas-sponsored program ‘1 Family AAU,’ which was run by Jonathan Brad Augustine.
Miller’s agency represents some of the NBA’s biggest names, including Knicks star Kristaps Porzingis and Toronto Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry.
Former ASM agent Christian Dawkins exiting Federal Court in Manhattan on Tuesday
It’s unclear at this time if the raid at ASM is connected directly with Dawkins.
According to Kim, the investigation was launched in 2015 and focuses on ‘the criminal influence of money on coaches and student-athletes who participate in intercollegiate basketball governed by the N.C.A.A.’
No schools have been charged with any wrongdoing, but the University of Louisville announced it ‘received notice that it is included in a federal investigation involving criminal activity related to men’s basketball recruiting.’
Specifically, two schemes were investigated: one in which recruits and their families were paid to go to particular universities and another in which player advisors were paid to persuade those players to sign with certain managers, agents, and financial advisors.
Knicks power forward Kristaps Porzingis is one of Andy Miller’s many NBA clients