FORMER COLLEGE BASKETBALL PLAYER KRIISA INDICTED IN $2.2M FRAUD SCHEME

Kerr Kriisa, a former college basketball player, has been arrested and indicted in connection with an alleged fraud scheme totalling approximately $2.2 million, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Northern District of West Virginia. Kriisa faces five counts of wire fraud and is scheduled to appear in federal court this week. Court documents allege that between 2022 and 2026, Kriisa obtained nearly $2.2 million from multiple victims using false representations, fabricated identities and deceptive communications.

According to prosecutors, Kriisa allegedly posed as fictional people and family members, claiming that he and his relatives were in danger and required financial support. In one example cited in the indictment, he allegedly stated his mother needed cancer treatment. The scheme allegedly involved repeated requests for payments from two victims, with one victim directed to send money to the other under false pretences. The indictment references numerous emails and text messages sent as part of the scheme, including five specific wire transmissions tied to the charged counts. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jarod Douglas is prosecuting the case, and the FBI is conducting an investigation.

Kriisa is an Estonian national who began his college basketball career in 2020 at the University of Arizona. He subsequently transferred to West Virginia, Kentucky and Cincinnati, playing one season at each of the latter two institutions. Over his college career, Kriisa played in 127 games, starting in 106, averaging 8.8 points, 2.2 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game. U.S. Attorney Matthew L. Harvey stated that financial fraud schemes "erode trust and cause real harm to victims who believed they were helping someone in need."