Estonian basketballer Kerr Kriisa pleads not guilty in the US
Basketball player Kerr Kriisa, who is accused of participating in a fraud scheme, pleaded not guilty. A date for the court hearing was also set.
According to court documents, Kriisa pleaded not guilty and waived his right to appear at the reading of the indictment, U.S. media reported.
Kriisa faces five counts of wire fraud. He made his first appearance in federal court in Lexington on Tuesday. Prosecutors allege that over several years, he defrauded two victims of more than $2.2 million by falsely claiming that his mother had cancer, his family was in danger and the family farm needed to be saved.
The first hearing is scheduled for July 16 in West Virginia. The deadline for filing pretrial motions is July 20 and a procedural hearing is set for July 28.
The trial is scheduled to begin on August 25 in Wheeling, West Virginia.
Just days before his arrest, it was announced that Kriisa would join La Familia, a Kentucky alumni team competing in the summer basketball tournament The Basketball Tournament (TBT).
La Familia general manager Twany Beckham said he was disappointed in Kriisa and the decisions he had made.
"I was excited to have him back. He got injured while he was here and never had the chance to show what he was really capable of, so this was supposed to be a fresh opportunity for him. When I heard the news, I was deeply disappointed — disappointed in him and in the decisions he made," Beckham said.
La Familia has since announced that Kriisa is no longer a member of the team.
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Editor: Lisette Holst, Marcus Turovski
