Former college basketball player Kerr Kriisa has been indicted on five counts of wire fraud for allegedly orchestrating a scheme that defrauded victims out of approximately $2.2 million. Prosecutors claim Kriisa posed as various individuals, including fictional contacts and family members, to solicit funds under false pretenses over a period of nearly four years.
According to court documents, Kriisa is accused of telling victims that he and his family faced imminent danger and required money to pay debts. U.S. Attorney Matthew L. Harvey stated that such schemes "erode trust and cause real harm to victims who believed they were helping someone in need." The U.S. Attorney's office is committed to holding individuals accountable for exploiting others through deception.
Prosecutors allege that from 2022 to 2024, Kriisa contacted one victim, posing as his mother, to request money for her alleged cancer treatments and to help "save the family's farm." He also falsely promised to repay this victim $100,000 by February 2026 through a signed written agreement.
In another alleged instance, Kriisa is accused of posing as a fictional person named 'Irene' to solicit funds from a second victim in November 2025. He then purportedly instructed this victim to send money to the first victim, claiming the initial target would then forward the funds to him. This alleged transaction method was reportedly used seven times between December 2022 and January 2023. Kriisa is also accused of sending separate requests for money to this second victim without attempting to route payments through the first victim.
On February 4, Kriisa allegedly sent a message denying that 'Irene' was a fake person. Prosecutors contend that Kriisa committed at least five counts of wire fraud between February 1 and February 4 of this year.
U.S. Attorneys are seeking the forfeiture of property obtained through the alleged scheme, including a money judgment for at least $2.2 million. Kriisa is currently being extradited from Kentucky to West Virginia, with an initial trial date set for later this week.
Kriisa had a six-season college basketball career, playing for prominent programs including Arizona, West Virginia, the University of Kentucky, and the University of Cincinnati. He reached the NCAA Tournament's Sweet Sixteen in multiple seasons. Following his college career, Kriisa was slated to play for a professional team in Estonia and participate in 'The Basketball Tournament' with a Kentucky alumni team, but he will not be competing due to his arrest. The professional team's roster no longer lists Kriisa.