Criminal charges have emerged in the state of Iowa's ongoing investigation into gambling among athletes at the University of Iowa and Iowa State. On the Hawkeye side of things, former Iowa baseball player Gehrig Christensen is the subject of a criminal complaint that alleges that he "knowingly and intentionally" falsified personal sports wagering records by "concealing his personal identity... with the intent to deceive or conceal a wrongdoing."
The complaint alleges that Christensen took part in a "scheme" with his mother, Jill Mingles, to "disguise his identity and manipulate online/mobile transactions" to make it appear that the bets being (illegally) placed by Christensen, who was underage at the time the bets were placed, were instead (legally) placed by his mother. The records-tampering charge is an aggravated misdemeanor under the state of Iowa criminal code and carries a maximum sentence of up to one year in county jail or up to two years in prison if Christensen is convicted.
The complaint accuses Christensen of placing 559 mobile/online sports bets through a DraftKings account, totaling over $2400. 23 of the wagers were placed on sporting events involving the Iowa Hawkeyes.
In the complaint, Mingles, Christensen's mother, affirmed that she knew that the DraftKings account, registered in her name, was used by her son to place sports wagers. She described it all as a "silly mistake." The complaint also indicates that Christensen admitted to agents from the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) that he made multiple wagers while underage using his mother's account, mostly on NBA games.
The complaint alleges that Christensen placed the bets between 11/7/22 and 2/7/23. During that period of time Christensen was a member of the Iowa baseball program. Under current NCAA rules, Christensen would be permanently ineligible to compete in college athletics if the NCAA rules that he placed bets on University of Iowa sporting events. That said, Christensen, who played in 11 games last season (starting six), retired from baseball in an Instagram post earlier this summer and is no longer listed on Iowa's current baseball roster.
Christensen is the first current or former Iowa player to face criminal charges as a result of the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission's ongoing investigation into sports wagering among Iowa and Iowa State student-athletes. Iowa State football player Hunter Dekkers also faces criminal charges for sports wagering; like Christensen, he is also accused of placing wagers on games involving his school.
Charges have not been filed against any other current or former Iowa (or Iowa State) players at this time, but we'll continue to provide updates on this story as more information emerges. The full criminal complaint against Christensen is available here, courtesy of The Des Moines Register.
