Kriisa, 25, is accused of carrying out a scheme that defrauded victims of $2.2 million. According to the charges, the scheme began in 2022 when the Estonian was playing for West Virginia University. Court documents say it continued until at least June 2 of this year.

According to the indictment, Kriisa told victims that his family was in danger, that his mother needed cancer treatment and that the family's farm had to be saved. He also allegedly impersonated his mother and solicited money under the name of a fictitious person called Irene.

In the fall of 2022, he allegedly told one victim he would sell his internal organs to pay off his debts. In the spring of 2025, he signed a written agreement with one victim promising to repay $100,000 by February 2026, but failed to do so. The court documents identify two victims from whom Kriisa repeatedly requested money transfers.

Kriisa is scheduled to appear in court in West Virginia later this week. If convicted, he will be ordered to forfeit the full amount allegedly obtained through the scheme, $2.2 million.

No charges related to sports betting have been filed against the Estonian.

Kriisa moved to the United States to play college basketball in 2020 and represented the University of Arizona (2020–2023), West Virginia University (2023–2024), the University of Kentucky (2024–2025) and the University of Cincinnati (2025–2026). Last week, he signed with Estonian club Tartu Ülikool Maks & Moorits. Before moving to the U.S., Kriisa was part of Lithuanian powerhouse Žalgiris Kaunas' development system.

Attorney-at-law Mart Parind told ERR that Kerr could at worst be looking at a prison sentence of 50 to 60 years if convicted. "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.

--

Follow ERR News on Facebook and X and never miss an update!