Former Indiana University basketball standout Todd Leary pleaded guilty this week to a felony fraud charge after investigators said he took nearly $50,000 from a parent who had hired him to coach his son and to organize an AAU team.
According to court filings, Leary assured the parent that he would provide personal training and assemble a competitive team, then pocketed three separate payments totaling $48,900. The promised mentorship never materialized, and the parent later discovered that only nine brief coaching sessions had been delivered.
Leary was arrested on Oct. 9 by Carmel police and booked into the Hamilton County Jail. He faced ten Level 6 felony counts, including five fraud and five theft charges, before reaching a plea agreement that includes a suspended jail sentence, probation and restitution to the victim.
A Storied Basketball Past
Leary’s basketball pedigree is notable. He starred at Lawrence North High School, leading the team to a state championship in 1989, and later played for Indiana University under the legendary coach Bob Knight from 1989 to 1994. Teammates and opponents still recall him as one of the program’s most prolific three‑point shooters.
His legal history stretches back to 2010, when he was arrested on 17 felony counts related to a conspiracy to misappropriate title‑insurance escrow funds. He served a 365‑day prison term before resurfacing in the community, even appearing in a 2017 IndyStar series that followed his attempts to volunteer at a homeless shelter.
Probation, Restitution and Ongoing Scrutiny
Under the current plea deal, Leary will remain under probation while making restitution payments to the victim. Sentencing is set for July 15, at which point the court will determine the exact conditions of his supervised release. The case adds another chapter to a career that has oscillated between athletic acclaim and repeated legal entanglements.
The investigation was covered by Indianapolis Star reporter Dana Benbow, who documented Leary’s 2017 outreach to the city’s homeless population and his public reflections on past mistakes.