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After the state of Iowa dismissed all charges against Iowa athletes involved in the sports gambling investigation, 26 athletes have filed a federal lawsuit against the Division of Criminal Investigation.

The lawsuit states the investigators violated the constitutional rights of the athletes by using geolocation software to track cell phone activity without a warrant. The 26 former and current athletes involved include 16 from the University of Iowa, nine from Iowa State, and one from Ellsworth Community College.

Iowa’s former and current athletes involved include:

• Abe Assad, Nelson Brands, Tony Cassioppi, Patrick Kennedy, Cullan Schriever, and Cobe Siebrecht from the wrestling program
• Aaron Blom, Harry Bracy, Arland Bruce IV, Jack Johnson, and Noah Shannon from the football program
• Keaton Anthony, Gehrig Christensen, Jacob Henderson, and Benjamin Tallman from the baseball program
• Aaron Ulis from the men’s basketball program

“It is our hope that through the civil action we can help these young men put their lives back on track and gain a measure of justice for the violation of their rights,” the attorneys for the plaintiff said in a statement, according to ESPN.

Beyond alleging a violation of constitutional rights, the athletes state the investigation and report caused humiliation, degradation, public ridicule, loss of personal reputation, and emotional distress. The athletes are seeking compensation for these impacts, as well as punitive damages.

The DCI investigators utilized a third-party company GeoComply as evidence for the now-dropped charges against the involved athletes.

The lawsuit also states that GeoComply trained DCI investigators on how to use the program to locate sports betting activity. Brian Sanger, one of the DCI special agents involved in the case, reportedly reached out to GeoComply in 2021 to collect data on users of sports betting sites and platforms.

State charges previously dismissed with prejudice

In March, the state dismissed all charges in the sports gambling investigation.

The case was dismissed with prejudice following the revelation that the investigation was conducted without a warrant. This is independent of the NCAA investigation, which barred several athletes from competing in the 2023-24 season. The NCAA has yet to release a statement on the dropped charges.

Lawyers representing Iowa State football defensive lineman Isaiah Lee wrote that Division of Criminal Investigation agents monitoring gambling was the result of Sanger conducting a warrantless search on the University of Iowa and ISU campuses.

Lee’s lawyers stated that the DCI went forward with the warrantless investigation, placing the geolocation tracking technology around UI dorms “without any tips, complaints, or evidence that underage gambling was occurring.”

Iowa wrestling coach Tom Brands commented on the DCI investigation earlier this year during a press conference, stating that “basic liberties were infringed upon” while gathering evidence.