Former Iowa baseball player Gehrig Christensen faces tampering with records charge in sports gambling investigation

IOWA CITY — Former Iowa baseball player Gehrig Christensen faces a charge of tampering with records as part of the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation’s investigation into sports gambling.

The Johnson County Attorney’s Office filed the criminal complaint Tuesday. Tampering with records is an aggravated misdemeanor.

Christensen, the complaint alleges, placed “approximately 559” sports bets totaling more than $2,400 on DraftKings, including “approximately 23” bets on Iowa sporting events.

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He told law enforcement he bet “mostly on NBA games,” according to the complaint.

Christensen, who is not yet of legal gambling age, allegedly used an account under his mother’s name to place bets. His mother “even helped set up the account for him and acknowledged it was a silly mistake,” according to the complaint.

The court document alleges the wagers were “routinely and consistently” placed from his personal iPhone at his known locations, including his “university residence and areas of the university not routinely open to the public.”

Redacted Christensen by Gazetteonline on Scribd

The “various legal and regulatory frameworks” allegedly violated include underage gambling; breach of university and NCAA policies; unfair wagering and conflict of interest; tax implications; and violation of licensed sportsbook user terms and conditions.

Betting on any NCAA-sponsored sport, regardless of whether it is at the collegiate, professional or other level, is against NCAA rules.

The NCAA’s updated reinstatement guidelines state an athlete who bets on their own school’s sporting events “will potentially face permanent loss of collegiate eligibility in all sports.”

Christensen announced his retirement from baseball earlier this summer in an Instagram post.

The second-year catcher appeared in 11 games and had 14 at-bats before Iowa pulled any players involved in the sports gambling investigation out of competition in May.

Twenty-six current Iowa athletes and "approximately 15" Iowa State athletes have been under investigation for sports betting since May.

The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission said in May it "does not currently have any information that would call into question the integrity" of Iowa or Iowa State sporting events.

The Story County Attorney’s Office similarly filed criminal complaints against three current and one former Iowa State athlete Tuesday, also with charges of tampering with records as a result of the Iowa DCI’s sports gambling investigation.

Comments: john.steppe@thegazette.com