Lang
3/1/24
Prosecutors admit investigators involved in the student-athlete gambling investigation at the University of Iowa and Iowa State may have misused the technology used to track the athletes’ gambling habits.
That admission comes after the Story County Attorney’s Office dropped all charges against four Cyclone athletes whose lawyers contended Division of Criminal Investigation special agent Brian Sanger used a device to scan the active cellphones inside freshman and sophomore dormitories and athletic facilities at both universities to see if anyone was using gambling apps. Sanger, who said he was investigating potential game fixing, allegedly did so without a warrant and without receiving any tips or orders from his superiors.
The Iowa Department of Public Safety, which oversees the DCI, issued a statement in January defending its methods in the investigation. But in the new filings, prosecutors say the DCI may have gone beyond its scope by scanning the devices inside the buildings without a warrant.
Earlier this year an agent with the DCI claimed in court documents that he and other agents were told by their superiors that the target of the investigation was the companies running gambling apps, not the student-athletes who were accused of using them. As a result, DCI agents reportedly told the accused that there would be no consequences against them for being honest about their online gambling habits.
The investigation led to multiple student-athletes being suspended and pleading guilty to minor gambling charges.