A federal grand jury in West Virginia has returned an indictment charging former University of Kentucky basketball standout Kerr Kriisa with five counts of wire fraud.
Indictment Details
The charges stem from a multi‑year scheme that prosecutors say began in 2022 and is projected to run through 2026, during which Kriisa allegedly targeted a series of individuals with false promises of repayment and fabricated emergencies.
According to the indictment, Kriisa repeatedly told victims that his family faced imminent danger, using the threat to coerce cash transfers, and even claimed he would sell his organs to settle debts.
In one episode last year, he allegedly impersonated his mother to solicit funds for purported cancer treatments and to rescue a family farm, while another victim was asked to forward money under the pretense that a different participant would handle the transfer.
Prosecutors say Kriisa signed a written agreement in early 2026 committing to repay a victim $100,000 by February, and the scheme involved at least two distinct victims, the second of whom was approached in November 2025.
The five wire‑fraud counts correspond to specific electronic communications sent between February 1 and February 4, 2026, and the government is seeking forfeiture of roughly $2.2 million in proceeds.