Two more schools are linked to college basketball bribery probe in court filing

Two additional schools have been linked to the college basketball bribery and corruption investigation, according to a superseding indictment filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Manhattan.

The schools, referred to in the document as University-1 and University-2, are identified only as being located in Nebraska and Texas.

People familiar with the case who spoke on the condition they not be named because of the ongoing legal proceedings identified the schools as Creighton University, located in Omaha, Neb., and Texas Christian University, located in Fort Worth.

Federal prosecutors allege that Christian Dawkins, in an attempt to start a sports management company, paid $6,000 bribes to an unnamed assistant coach from each school during meetings in a Las Vegas hotel room on July 28, 2017.

In exchange, the superseding indictment said, the assistant coaches agreed to direct players at their schools to use Dawkins’ company when they turned professional.

Dawkins and Adidas employee Merl Code are scheduled for trial in the case next month on six charges that include conspiracy to commit bribery and honest services wire fraud.

The superseding indictment doesn’t include new charges or defendants.

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Three assistant coaches previously charged have accepted plea bargains. Tony Bland of USC, Lamont Evans of Oklahoma State and Book Richardson of Arizona all were terminated by their schools after being arrested during the investigation that became public in September 2017.

Bland, who pleaded guilty in January to conspiracy to commit bribery, has had his sentencing delayed until late April.

In a related case, Code, Dawkins and Jim Gatto, another Adidas employee, were sentenced to prison this week after being convicted last year of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with paying families of players at Louisville, Kansas and North Carolina State.

Gatto received nine months in prison while Code and Dawkins each got six months. They are expected to appeal.

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Twitter: @nathanfenno