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Business manager Christian Dawkins arrives to court in New York, Tuesday, March 5, 2019. Federal prosecutors have recommended multi-year prison sentences for Dawkins and two other men convicted of fraud for channeling secret payments to the families of top-tier basketball recruits to influence where the players went to school. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Business manager Christian Dawkins arrives to court in New York, Tuesday, March 5, 2019. Federal prosecutors have recommended multi-year prison sentences for Dawkins and two other men convicted of fraud for channeling secret payments to the families of top-tier basketball recruits to influence where the players went to school. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)Seth Wenig/Associated Press

Christian Dawkins, Merl Code Found Guilty of Conspiracy in NCAA Bribery Trial

Adam Wells
May 8, 2019

The jury reached a guilty verdict for aspiring sports agent Christian Dawkins and former Adidas consultant Merl Code in the NCAA corruption trial.

Per Adam Zagoria of theย New York Times, Dawkins was found guilty ofย conspiracy to commit bribery and bribery and Code was found guilty ofย conspiracy to commit bribery.

Dawkins was facing a total of six charges, while Code was facing four charges in the case.ย 

"I never bribed anybody and there's no evidence that I bribed anybody," Code toldย Zagoriaย after the verdict. "There was no emails, no text messages, no phone calls where I bribed anybody at any time."

ESPN.com'sย Jeff Borzelloย reported Monday defense attorneys made their closing arguments and the jury was set to begin deliberations.ย 

Borzello and Mark Schlabachย noted Code and Dawkins will receive their sentencing from United States District Court Judgeย Edgardo Ramos at a later date.ย 

Code and Dawkins were among four peopleย found guiltyย last October ofย wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraudย as part ofย pay-for-play schemes. United States district judgeย Lewis Kaplanย sentencedย Code and Dawkins to six months in prison.ย 

The scandal first broke in September 2017 when theย FBI arrested 10 peopleย as part of a two-year investigation into bribery and corruption throughout college basketball.ย 

In February 2018, Yahoo Sports'ย Pete Thamel and Pat Fordeย obtained federal documents and bank records found in discovery that detail meetings and/or payouts between Dawkins and several high-profile recruits and coaches.ย