BleedGopher
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per ESPN:
A former Nike EYBL coach testified on Friday that two of the sneaker company's employees directed him to make payments of tens of thousands of dollars to the parents and handlers of at least three high-profile recruits and then submit fraudulent invoices to the company for reimbursement.
Gary Franklin, who founded California Supreme and coached its under-17 elite team on the EYBL circuit, testified during celebrity attorney Michael Avenatti's federal criminal trial that he facilitated payments to Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton's mother as well as to the handlers, coaches and trainers of Denver Nuggets center Bol Bol and former UNLV player Brandon McCoy when they were still amateurs.
Franklin testified that in June 2016 he helped facilitate payments of $30,000 to Melvin McDonald, a California-based trainer who worked with Ayton and Bol; $15,000 to Shaun Manning, who was McCoy's handler; and $15,000 to Ayton's mother, Andrea.
Franklin also testified that he flew from Los Angeles to Phoenix to deliver $10,000 more in cash to Andrea Ayton.
Franklin told the jury that Nike EYBL director Carlton DeBose then instructed him to submit an expense report to Nike for $60,000 and specify that the money was going to be used to pay for a California Supreme back-to-school event and travel expenses for his program's 15- and 16-year-old team.
Avenatti, whom the federal government accused of attempting to extort as much as $25 million from Nike to conduct an internal investigation of its employees' alleged misconduct, had released a text message between Franklin and DeBose, which Avenatti said detailed the false invoice for $60,000.
"Send me an invoice for $60K. $30K line item for 16U, 15U travel expenses, $30K for CA Supreme Back to School Event Sponsorship," DeBose wrote, according to Avenatti.
www.espn.com
Go Gophers!!
A former Nike EYBL coach testified on Friday that two of the sneaker company's employees directed him to make payments of tens of thousands of dollars to the parents and handlers of at least three high-profile recruits and then submit fraudulent invoices to the company for reimbursement.
Gary Franklin, who founded California Supreme and coached its under-17 elite team on the EYBL circuit, testified during celebrity attorney Michael Avenatti's federal criminal trial that he facilitated payments to Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton's mother as well as to the handlers, coaches and trainers of Denver Nuggets center Bol Bol and former UNLV player Brandon McCoy when they were still amateurs.
Franklin testified that in June 2016 he helped facilitate payments of $30,000 to Melvin McDonald, a California-based trainer who worked with Ayton and Bol; $15,000 to Shaun Manning, who was McCoy's handler; and $15,000 to Ayton's mother, Andrea.
Franklin also testified that he flew from Los Angeles to Phoenix to deliver $10,000 more in cash to Andrea Ayton.
Franklin told the jury that Nike EYBL director Carlton DeBose then instructed him to submit an expense report to Nike for $60,000 and specify that the money was going to be used to pay for a California Supreme back-to-school event and travel expenses for his program's 15- and 16-year-old team.
Avenatti, whom the federal government accused of attempting to extort as much as $25 million from Nike to conduct an internal investigation of its employees' alleged misconduct, had released a text message between Franklin and DeBose, which Avenatti said detailed the false invoice for $60,000.
"Send me an invoice for $60K. $30K line item for 16U, 15U travel expenses, $30K for CA Supreme Back to School Event Sponsorship," DeBose wrote, according to Avenatti.
Ex-EYBL coach: Nike staffers directed payments
A former Nike EYBL coach testified that two of the company's employees directed him to make payments of tens of thousands of dollars to parents and handlers of at least three high-profile recruits and then submit fraudulent invoices for reimbursement.
www.espn.com
Go Gophers!!