Former Kentucky guard Kerr Kriisa has been arrested and indicted in connection with an alleged $2.2 million fraud scheme, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Northern District of West Virginia announced on Monday. Kriisa is set to appear in federal court this week on five counts of wire fraud.
Kriisa is alleged to have run his scheme between 2022 and 2026, obtaining nearly $2.2 million from multiple victims using “false representations, fabricated identities, and deceptive communications.” The Estonian is said to have posed as fictional contacts of his and as family members to carry out his transgressions.
Kriisa is accused of having made false claims, such as that he and his family members were in danger, his mother required cancer treatment, and that their property required urgent financial support. The 25-year-old repeatedly requested funds from two victims. At times, he’d have one of them send money to the other under false pretenses.
On the subject of repayment, Kriisa is said to have falsely told one of his victims he intended to sell his organs to raise money. He also signed a written agreement, falsely promising to pay this individual $100,000 by February 2026.
“Financial fraud schemes erode trust and cause real harm to victims who believed they were helping someone in need,” U.S. Attorney Matthew L. Harvey said in the news release. “Our office will continue to pursue individuals who exploit others through deception. We are committed to holding them accountable for their actions.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jarod Douglas is prosecuting the case, and the FBI is still investigating. The government is seeking “forfeiture of any proceeds traceable to the alleged offenses, including a money judgment of approximately $2.2 million,” against Kriisa. It will be interesting to see how this situation develops.
Kriisa had begun his basketball career in his native Estonia and would also have stints in Germany and Lithuania before deciding to head to the United States in 2020. He would spend the first three seasons of his college basketball career at Arizona.
Kriisa then transferred to West Virginia in 2023, but spent only one season there. He joined Kentucky in 2024, only to transfer to Cincinnati in 2025.
In the 2025-26 season, Kriisa averaged 5.8 points, 1.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 0.4 steals, and 0.1 blocks per game for the Bearcats. He suffered a separated shoulder in February and missed the rest of the campaign.
Injuries would be a theme in Kriisa’s college career. He played 19 games for the Bearcats, which meant that over his five seasons, he played in just 127 games.
