Kerr Kriisa Indicted in $2.2 Million Wire Fraud Scheme

Former NCAA basketball player Kerr Kriisa indicted for $2.2 million wire fraud, posing as others to solicit money from victims.

Former NCAA men’s basketball player Kerr Kriisa has been indicted for wire fraud totaling at least $2.2 million, according to announcements from the U.S. District Court in West Virginia on Monday.

Kriisa, who is 25 years old, was arrested on Friday in Lexington, Kentucky, and remains detained at the Fayette County Detention Center as of Monday morning, as confirmed by public information officer Matt LeMonds. His college career spanned six years and included stints at Arizona, West Virginia, Kentucky, and Cincinnati, wrapping up last season.

The indictment, which was filed on June 2 and unsealed on Monday, alleges that Kriisa posed as various individuals, both real and fictional, to solicit funds. Notably, he impersonated his mother to request money from a victim for supposed cancer treatments and sought assistance to save a family farm. The legal documents also indicated that Kriisa misled victims into believing he had not received previous payments in order to ask for replacements.

“Financial fraud schemes erode trust and cause real harm to victims who believed they were helping someone in need,” stated U.S. Attorney Matthew L. Harvey. He added, “Our office will continue to pursue individuals who exploit others through deception. We are committed to holding them accountable for their actions.”

The indictment outlines that Kriisa misrepresented situations to convince victims that he and his family were in imminent danger and necessary for them to send him funds to settle debts. He allegedly employed wire transfers as a method to send money.

Prosecutors aim to have Kriisa forfeit the estimated $2.2 million, as noted in the indictment.

Kriisa’s roots trace back to Estonia, and he began his college basketball journey at Arizona, where he played three seasons from 2020-2023. He continued his basketball career with one season at West Virginia (2023-24), Kentucky (2024-25), and Cincinnati (2025-26). Throughout this period, he supposedly engaged in fraudulent acts from August 2022 until February 2026.

After exhausting his eligibility last season at Cincinnati, Kriisa, who averaged 8.8 points over 127 career games, was set to play for La Familia, an alumni team from Kentucky, in The Basketball Tournament scheduled to start on July 18.

The team released a statement acknowledging awareness of the allegations against Kriisa, asserting he will not compete with La Familia in the tournament and indicating no further comments would be made.

A lawyer for Kriisa was not identified in the court documents.