The FBI arrested Estonian basketball player Kerr Kriisa on Sunday on suspicion of participating in a fraud scheme. According to the allegations, the 25-year-old was involved in a multimillion-dollar fraud operation dating back to the time he played for West Virginia University in the NCAA.

"The information available today is still very limited and unofficial; it has not come from official sources. What we do know is that the FBI has taken Kerr Kriisa into custody and, as far as is known, has charged him with four separate federal offenses: wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, sports bribery and aiding and abetting various crimes," attorney-at-law Mart Parind, head of public procurement and sports law at law firm NOVE, told ERR.

"Under the U.S. system, these are all federal offenses, meaning crimes prosecuted at the national level, and they are generally considered serious. If Kerr Kriisa is ultimately convicted, he could, in the worst-case scenario, face a prison sentence of 50 to 60 years. That is highly unlikely, but the general trend and past practice show that convictions for crimes of this nature can result in prison terms of five to 10 years," he added.

According to U.S. media reports, Kriisa is expected to appear before a court in West Virginia as early as next week. "He will likely have his initial appearance before a judge in West Virginia in the near future, but the longer legal process is still ahead," Parind said. "To the best of my knowledge, if Kriisa cooperates with the authorities and admits to some of the allegations, the process could take around six to nine months. If the case proceeds to a full trial, it could take one to two years."

According to Parind, the U.S. and Estonian legal systems differ significantly, and Estonian lawyers would likely have little practical role in the case. "They can certainly provide moral support, but I don't see what they could do from a legal standpoint. This is purely my speculation, but if he were ever convicted, perhaps something could be arranged at a very high political level, such as the prisoner exchanges we've seen in movies. But that's a matter for the distant future and is highly, highly speculative," Parind said.

Kerr signs on with Estonian basketball team

Kerr signed on with the Tartu Ülikool Maks & Moorits basketball team earlier last week. The team's Sports Director Janar Talts told ERR that while the situation is shocking, he hopes the player can resolve his issues in America.

In October 2023, the NCAA suspended Kriisa for nine games after determining that he had received impermissible benefits while attending the University of Arizona. Asked whether this could have been a red flag for the Estonian team, Talts said: "There are warning signs with a great many players. For us, what matters is the basketball player," he said. "A lot of players have had problems in the past. We can't get hung up on that or the pool of players to choose from becomes very small."

Estonian Basketball Association Secretary General Gerd Kiili said that the association and any help it can provide are just a phone call away for Kriisa, adding that the player has so far not sought contact.

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