Iowa-based athlete files lawsuit over gambling investigation, claims rights were violated

More than 20 Iowa-based athletes lost their constitutional rights Friday after state criminal investigators tracked their cell phone activity using location software as part of a wide-ranging sports betting investigation. filed a federal lawsuit alleging infringement, resulting in criminal charges and damages. NCAA eligible.

The 47-page lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa alleges that criminal investigators in the state used a program from a third-party company, GeoComply, to manipulate athletes, including minors. The question is whether a search warrant was needed before they could be found. Conduct a search to investigate online gambling activity – her 21-year-old is the legal gambling age in Iowa.

The plaintiffs are 26 current and former athletes: 16 from the University of Iowa, nine from Iowa State University, and one from a central Iowa community college. Thirteen played soccer, six played wrestling, and the remaining seven played baseball or basketball.

“These young people's lives have been disrupted and in some ways changed.”[s] “Through civil litigation, we hope to be able to help these young men get their lives back on track,” plaintiffs' attorneys Matt Bolles, Adam Witsky and Van Plumb said in a statement. Ta. and obtain some measure of justice for the violation of their rights. ”

The state alleges in the lawsuit. Criminal Investigation Division, Ministry of Public Security. and its agents used his GeoComply software without a warrant to identify cell phones using Mobile His sports betting app inside Iowa State and Iowa State athletic facilities, violating the civil rights of athletes. Did.

DCI declined to comment when contacted about the lawsuit on Friday.

GeoComply provides geolocation software to major sportsbooks to monitor their users. The complaint notes that when users register with an online gambling company, they “agree to share their location data with GeoComply, which in turn provides that data to the company.” Written policies at DraftKings and FanDuel, the two online sportsbooks used by the players, tell users that the companies may disclose personally identifying information to law enforcement.

DCI agents were given access to the GeoComply platform and licensed through the Iowa Horse Racing and Gaming Commission, which regulates gambling in the state.

State investigators later obtained warrants to obtain and search the players' cellphones, but the complaint alleges that the information used to justify them was obtained without a warrant and that claims that the warrant is “invalid and unconstitutional.” The plaintiffs also allege that DCI supervisors failed to properly train staff and failed to intervene when they learned of the alleged conduct.

Sixteen of the plaintiffs were criminally charged, and 12 of them pleaded guilty to charges of underage gambling. Four athletes have been charged with felony identity theft. Story County prosecutors respond to defense arguments by filing new evidence showing state investigators are using GeoComply's program “beyond its permitted use.” Their case was later dismissed in March.

The other 10 plaintiffs were not charged with a crime, but the investigation resulted in loss of playing time, threat of NCAA or NFL sanctions, and/or damage to their athletic careers, the complaint states. There is. Some players who were not charged lost some or all of their remaining eligibility when their schools learned of their gambling activities.

The NCAA prohibits athletes from betting on sponsored sports at any level.

Lawyers sought actual and punitive damages from each plaintiff.

According to the complaint, DCI officials told the players that they were not targets of the investigation and that they were cooperating with the investigation of the sports betting company.

Multiple players told ESPN that DCI officials visited their homes on May 2 and asked them to hand over their cellphones, which were returned the same day. Players said their family members and people whose names were on their gambling accounts also had their phones searched.

DCI Director Stephen Bayens, a defendant in the case, said in a statement in March that prosecutors had repeatedly told the office they believed the steps taken in the investigation were lawful. “I fully support the investigation and the investigators who conducted it,” he said.