Former Cincinnati guard Kerr Kriisa has been arrested by FBI agents and is expected to be extradited to West Virginia next week in connection with an alleged crime, according to Kentucky Sports Radio’s Jack Pilgrim.
Pilgrim reported Saturday that Kriisa’s arrest is tied to a multimillion-dollar fraud scheme dating back to his time at West Virginia during the 2023-24 season. A court hearing is scheduled for next week after the extradition.
"The 25-year-old from Estonia’s arrest was in connection with a multimillion-dollar fraud scheme dating back to his time at West Virginia as a Mountaineer in 2023-24. He’s being extradited to West Virginia with a court hearing scheduled for next week. Kriisa averaged 5.8 points and 3.0 assists in 19 games this past season at Cincinnati," Pilgrim posted on Saturday.
The news comes after Kriisa had been set to play in The Basketball Tournament this month. That is no longer happening.
Cincinnati added Kriisa through the transfer portal last spring, and he opened the season as an important starter. But injuries, which have followed him through much of his career, eventually pushed him out of the rotation.
Kriisa had signed last week with his former club, Tartu Ülikool Maks & Moorits, for the upcoming season in Estonia. He was also slated to play professionally there this coming season.
The 25-year-old spent six seasons in college basketball, with his West Virginia stint now at the center of this legal situation. Before that, he also played in the Kaunas Žalgiris system in Lithuania and spent time in Germany with Brose Bamberg and Bayreuth Young Pikes.
"College basketball is the best thing in the world," Kriisa told the local media in a breakout session at 2025 Big 12 Media Days last year about his love for the sport. "You can't compare college basketball to your league to the NBA, because the community and everything about it is so special.
Everybody has their own mascot. Everybody takes pride.
And it's just the best. It really is like it makes me, like, smiley; it's a super cool thing."
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