Felony counts most serious yet in Iowa, Iowa State sports betting probe

Two athletes being investigated for illegal sports betting now face felony identity theft charges, the most serious counts filed to date in the monthslong state investigation of gambling on Iowa campuses.

Eyioma Uwazurike, a former Iowa State University football player and current member of the National Football League’s Denver Broncos, and Paniro Johnson, a current Iowa State wrestler, have each been charged with Class D felony identity theft, according to court documents filed in Story County.

In Iowa, a Class D felony carries punishments of up to five years in jail and a fine of between $750 and $7,500. Uwazurike and Johnson also still face an earlier charge of tampering with records, an aggravated misdemeanor punishable by up to two years.

Both men have pleaded not guilty to both charges, and both are scheduled for separate jury trials at 9 a.m. Oct. 24 in Story County District Court.

A total of 16 current and former Iowa and Iowa State student-athletes and other individuals have been charged with placing illegal bets and tempering with records to conceal their involvement. At least five placed illegal bets on games in which they participated, including Uwazurike, according to charges filed this year by prosecutors.

More student-athletes beyond those facing charges also may face penalties from the NCAA, the body that governs college athletics, for violating its rules against betting on college sports.

The felony identity theft charges brought against Uwazurike and Johnson are the most serious yet out of the investigation by the Iowa Division of Criminal Justice. All previous charges have been for tampering with records.

Uwazurike, a native of Lathrup Village, Michigan, was a defensive lineman for Iowa State from 2016 to 2021, and in 2022 was drafted by the Broncos. He is charged with placing more than 800 bets totaling more than $21,000 between February of 2021 and July of 2022, including on two Iowa State games in 2021, according to court documents.

Johnson allegedly placed nearly 1,300 bets totaling more than $45,000, according to court documents. Johnson is a native of Erie, Pennsylvania., and is in his second season on the Iowa State wrestling team’s active roster.

The new identity theft charges, filed last week, allege Uwazurike and Johnson fraudulently used another person’s identifying information for their benefit in an amount exceeding $1,500. Court records in both men’s cases describe how they allegedly engaged with another individual to create accounts with sports betting companies and then placed bets from those accounts.

Uwazurike has asked the court to dismiss the charges against him, according to court documents. His attorneys in a court filing call the charges “a smear campaign to justify a suspect investigation.”

Uwazurike’s attorney, in the filing, ponders why only Uwazurike and Johnson have been charged with identity theft, while none of the other individuals being investigated have been similarly charged; and why only males associated with football, basketball, wrestling and baseball have been charged with crimes “even though many more people were implicated.”

Uwazurike has been suspended by the NFL for allegedly violating its rules on gambling, according to national reports. He is on the Broncos’ reserved list with a suspension, according to the team’s roster.