Iowa DCI Investigator Knew Geofencing Would “Ruffle some feathers” in Gambling Scandal

(Des Moines, IA) – The Iowa and Iowa State athlete gambling scandal continues to dive deeper and deeper into what was happening inside the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation. Public records from Christopher Adkins’ email in February of 2023 have been released, detailing further information into the story.

Over two dozen athletes were affected by the inside investigation by Adkins and his team at the Iowa DCI. Their attorneys just recently were able to obtain open records and released them to the public including an email from Adkins stating, “If they get suspended or get a scholarship taken away, so be it.” He was looking to impress the public to show that the higher-ups held the power and would push lawmakers toward updating the Iowa gambling laws.

The public is already aware of geolocating software to identify the athletes who used the apps that were registered, but that information was obtained illegally because there was no search warrant issued. Iowa’s Department of Public Safety Commissioner Stephan Bayens, defended the tactics used by the DCI to obtain information on the athletes. Just a month before he targeted the athletes with the software, Brian Sanger, said he wanted to bring attention to his unit and to legislators to ensure that, “no college coaches, athletes, officials, athletic trainers, individuals close/inside a college sports program along with statewide barred patrons don’t have Iowa sports wagering accounts.”

Adkins put in that this investigation would be a lot of work but they were looking to slow things down in the future in terms of athletes gambling. Most athletes were using a family member’s name and most were underage when betting on sports. Most athletes did not bet on their own team, but rather most bet on other sporting events across the nation.

(Information provided by apnews.com)