The alleged crime took place while the athlete was playing for the University of West Virginia during the 2023-2024 season
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/Kerr-Kriisa-070526-3-4780bffb36b643c2a43fad74e0fa81d5.jpg "Kerr Kriisa #11 of the Cincinnati Bearcats brings the ball up court during the game against the Alabama State Hornets at Fifth Third Arena on December 17, 2025 in Cincinnati, Ohio.")
Credit: Michael Hickey/Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- Former NCAA basketball player Kerr Kriisa was arrested by the FBI in Kentucky in connection with an alleged multimillion-dollar fraud scheme, according to a report from Kentucky Sports Radio
- Kriisa is expected to be extradited to West Virginia, where the alleged scheme reportedly took place during his 2023-24 season with the West Virginia Mountaineers men’s basketball team
- He will be extradited from Kentucky to West Virginia, per the report
Former NCAA basketball star Kerr Kriisa has been arrested by federal authorities.
The former Kentucky guard, 25, was arrested by the FBI in relation to a multimillion-dollar fraud scheme, per a report from Kentucky Sports Radio (KSR).
The alleged crime took place when Kriisa played for the West Virginia Mountaineers during the 2023-24 season, according to the outlet.
Credit: Dylan Buell/Getty
The FBI did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
Kriisa was arrested in Kentucky and will eventually be extradited to West Virginia for an initial hearing, per KSR.
According to local outlet WKTY, the Estonia-born athlete was arrested on Friday evening, July 3, and is currently being held at the Fayette County Detention Center in Lexington, Ky.
Fayette County Detention Center did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
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Kriisa, who spent three seasons at Arizona before transferring to West Virginia and later Kentucky, finished his final year at Cincinnati. He was expected to compete on LaFamilia, the University of Kentucky’s alumni team, in The Basketball Tournament (TBT) this summer.
In a statement shared on X, LaFamilia shared that they are aware of the charges against Kriisa and said he will not be competing in the tournament.
We’re aware of the allegations regarding Kerr Kriisa. Kerr will not be competing with La Familia during the TBT Tournament. We will have no further comment.
— LaFamilia – Kentucky’s TBT Team (@LaFamiliaTBT) July 5, 2026
The tournament is scheduled to begin on July 18.
