Eyioma Uwazurike, Paniro Johnson charged with felony identity theft in gambling investigation
Former Iowa State defensive lineman and current NFL player Eyioma Uwazurike and current Cyclone wrestler Paniro Johnson have been charged with identity theft, a Class D felony, in the state's ongoing sports gambling investigation.
Uwazurike, chosen by the Denver Broncos in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL draft, was initially charged with tampering with records on Aug. 1 after allegedly making more than 800 sports wagers on college and NFL games, some of which he played in.
Uwazurike was suspended indefinitely by the NFL last month for his alleged bets on NFL contests.
The 25-year-old allegedly "engaged in a scheme" to use the cover of a female name to “disguise his identity” and open a FanDuel Sportsbook account. He allegedly placed wagers on his personal iPhone from Feb. 7, 2021 to July, 2022, totaling more than $21,000.
Uwazurike played his final game with the Cyclones in 2021.
Johnson completed his first season as a Cyclone wrestler in the spring of 2023, finishing as the Big 12 champion at 149 pounds, the first in Iowa State history at that weight.
The 20-year-old from Erie, Pennsylvania, finished his debut campaign with an 18-6 record, with marquee wins over Wisconsin's second-ranked Austin Gomez in Johnson's second-ever college dual and a victory over sixth-ranked Max Murin in the Cy-Hawk dual.
Johnson also was originally charged with tampering with records, an aggravated misdemeanor. Documents filed in Story County on Aug. 21 for Johnson and Aug. 25 for Uwazurike revealed additional identity theft charges related to their alleged gambling activity.
Court documents for both Cyclones allege Uwazurike and Johnson were “shielded from potential state and federal tax implications” by concealing their identity through accounts on FanDuel and DraftKings, respectively.
In Johnson's case, the use of a different identity tied to the DraftKings account helped the sophomore "avoid detection and the potential consequences of participating in prohibited activity," the complaint said.
Uwazurike pled not guilty to both charges Thursday, Aug. 31. A jury trial is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. Oct. 24 at the Story County Courthouse in Nevada.
Johnson pled not guilty to his two charges on Monday with a jury trial also scheduled for 9 a.m. Oct. 24 at the Story County Courthouse.
Several other former and current Iowa State athletes have been charged with gambling infractions, including 2022 starting quarterback Hunter Dekkers. The redshirt junior, who is still listed on Iowa State's roster after starting all 12 games under center last year, was charged with tampering with records, using the cover of his mother's name to place several wagers.
Uwazurike and Johnson are believed to be the only current or former Iowa/ISU athletes to be charged with felony identity theft for their roles in the gambling investigation.
Last year's leading rusher, Jirehl Brock, was charged with tampering with records for allegedly placing wagers under a fake identity, as were fellow 2022 starters Isaiah Lee, DeShawn Hanika and Jacob Remsburg.
Former Cyclone football player Dodge Sauser was also charged with tampering with records after allegedly making sports wagers, as were several University of Iowa student-athletes as a result of an Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation gambling probe.
More: Hunter Dekkers one of 7 ISU, Iowa athletes charged in gambling probe. Here's what we know.
Defense asks court to dismiss Uwazurike's case
Uwazurike’s defense believes he did not commit a crime by state of Iowa standards and filed a motion to dismiss on Thursday.
Among several other points, the motion claims that no “complaining party” was listed in the trial information.
According to court documents, Uwazurike's lawyer claims that the prosecution is organizing “a smear campaign to justify a suspect action.” The motion said the state “cites a breach” of university and NCAA policies by Uwazurike and that his alleged wagers on college and NFL games are a “conflict of interest” that constitutes a crime. The defense argues “the state knows that these are not criminal acts” in Iowa, countering with the notion that using someone else’s gambling account “with their permission" is not a crime.
The defense also questioned why only Uwazurike and Johnson had been charged with identity theft in addition to tampering with records charges, while the other known Iowa and ISU athletes involved in the gambling investigation were only charged with tampering with records.
Uwazurike’s lawyer thusly asked in the motion, “Why would the state investigate (Uwazurike) and other D-I athletes from Iowa and Iowa State wherein it appears only males associated with the football, baseball, wrestling and basketball teams were targeted even though many more people were implicated?”
“It appears the state cannot even agree on whether identity theft applies,” Uwazurike’s lawyer said in the motion.
A hearing for the motion to dismiss will be held at 9:30 a.m. Oct. 4.
Uwazurike’s alleged betting history
Four of Uwazurike’s alleged wagers were on Iowa State football games, two of which he played – Sept. 11, 2021 against Iowa, and Oct. 2, 2021, against Kansas. Both games were played at Jack Trice Stadium in Ames.
Uwazurike is also accused of playing "approximately 32" wagers on Broncos games and individual Broncos players through a FanDuel account controlled by Uwazurike,
Court documents allege Uwazurike bet on five Broncos games, including two in which he played, according to Story County court documents – Dec. 11, 2022, against Kansas City and Dec. 18, 2022, against Arizona.
More: Iowa State running back Jirehl Brock, three other starters charged in state's gambling investigation
Uwazurike played six seasons with the Iowa State Cyclones, making 46 starts and appearing in 60 games, the second-most in school history. He finished his time in Ames with 144 tackles, 34.5 tackles for loss, 15.0 sacks, two fumble recoveries, 15 quarterback hurries and two blocked field goals.
He was named first-team All-Big 12 in 2021.
Johnson allegedly used his mother's name to wager more than $45,000
Johnson, 20, allegedly used an account under the name Thesha Freeman to place wagers totaling more than $45,640. Freeman is Johnson's mother, according to a senior spotlight posted on the wrestling page of the Erie High School he attended.
With the DraftKings account, authorities say Johnson placed approximately 1,283 bets, according to the complaint. Johnson also placed approximately 25 bets on Iowa State events, authorities allege. That is an average of $35.57 per wager.
Johnson does not turn 21 until May of 2024.
Brandon Hurley is the editor of the Ames Tribune and the Iowa City Press-Citizen. He can be reached at bhurley@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: Eyioma Uwazurike, Paniro Johnson charged with felony identity theft
