Former University of Arizona men’s basketball player Kerr Kriisa admitted to a fraud scheme totaling millions of dollars and pleaded guilty to a single count of wire fraud, U.S. Attorney Matthew L. Harvey announced on Thursday.
A single count of wire fraud carries a statutory maximum penalty of up to 20 years in federal prison.
Kriisa, 25, was arrested in July and charged with defrauding victims of nearly $2.2 million since 2022 by using false representations, fabricated identities and deceptive communications.
The indictment alleged that Kriisa, an Estonian national, posed as various individuals and falsely claimed that he and his family were in danger, that his mother needed cancer treatment, or that family property required urgent financial support.
According to the plea agreement, Kriisa sent one of the victims an email in February 2026 holding himself out to be “Irene,” in which he demanded a payment of $9,000 to avoid litigation and publicity regarding the financial dispute.
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“Financial fraud schemes erode trust and cause real harm to victims who believed they were helping someone in need,” Harvey said in a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of West Virginia. “Our office will continue to pursue individuals who exploit others through deception. We are committed to holding them accountable for their actions.”
Former college basketball player Kerr Kriisa was arrested last week by the FBI.
Kriisa spent three seasons in Tucson from 2020-23. The 6-foot-3 guard finished his time at Arizona averaging 9.9 points and leading the Pac-12 with 5.14 assists per game.
Kriisa went on to play basketball for West Virginia, Kentucky and Cincinnati.
According to the indictment, the February 2026 incident was one of many acts Kriisa took to defraud two people of millions of dollars since 2022.
The indictment alleged that Kriisa repeatedly sought payments from two victims, instructed one victim to transfer money to the other under false pretenses and fraudulently signed an agreement promising to repay one of the victims, but never did.
Kriisa is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 22.
