A major update in the sports-betting investigation affecting the athletic departments at Iowa and Iowa State arrived Tuesday, with Cyclones quarterback Hunter Dekkers right in the middle of it.

The Story County Attorney’s Office has filed a criminal complaint against Dekkers, charging him with tampering with records related to the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation’s probe into sports gambling. Two other current Iowa State athletes also are charged with tampering with records. Paniro Johnson, a sophomore wrestler, and Dodge Sauser, a sophomore offensive lineman on the football team, are both accused of wagering on Iowa State sports. Former Iowa State defensive lineman Enyi Uwazurike is also facing a complaint of tampering with records, and he is accused of placing wagers in two games he played in while a Cyclone in 2021.

More: Iowa State QB Hunter Dekkers accused of betting on ISU sports, including football

All told, one former and three current Iowa State athletes were charged Tuesday with tampering with records in an attempt to disguise their identities while placing sports wagers. All are accused of manipulating transactions to create the appearance their bets were placed by other people.

Through his attorney, Mark Weinhardt of The Weinhardt Law Firm, Dekkers said he will plead not guilty to the tampering charge. The statement also said Dekkers will not participate in fall camp.

With multiple athletes accused of betting on their own teams and schools, these developments take this story to another level. Here’s what we know to this point.

How much did each athlete allegedly bet, and what did they bet on, according to the complaint?

Dekkers is accused of placing 26 wagers on Iowa State sporting events, including the 2021 football game against Oklahoma State when he was a sophomore backup quarterback, according to the complaint filed in Iowa District Court for Story County. The complaint alleges the DraftKings account controlled by Dekkers completed approximately 366 mobile/online sports wagers totaling “over $2,799.”

The account controlled by Sauser is alleged to have placed 12 wagers on Iowa State football games, including contests last year against Ohio, West Virginia, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech. In total, Sauser’s account wagered $3,075 on DraftKings, according to the complaint.

Johnson’s account placed wagers totaling $45,640 on approximately 1,283 bets, according to the complaint. The Big 12 Conference champion at 149 pounds last season saw his account place approximately 25 bets on Iowa State events, authorities allege.

More: Ex-Iowa State star Uwazurike accused of betting on Cyclones games in which he played

The account in Uwazurike’s name placed wagers on Iowa State’s games against Iowa and Kansas in 2021, authorities allege.

Did the Iowa State football players allegedly bet on any games they played in?

Yes and no.

Dekkers did not play in the 2021 Oklahoma State game while serving as Brock Purdy‘s backup. On Sauser’s official Iowa State athletics website bio, it does not list him appearing in any games during his career.

However, Uwazurike played extensively in the two games he’s accused of betting on. He had four tackles and one sack in the 2021 Iowa game (a 27-17 Iowa State loss) and six tackles in the Kansas game (a 59-7 Iowa State win).

Originally, the Iowa Racing & Gaming Commission said in May that it hadn’t uncovered any evidence of compromised markets.

The NCAA recently updated its gambling guidelines. How do they affect the current Cyclones involved?

In short, it’s not good for Dekkers, Sauser and Johnson based on the allegations.

While the NCAA did loosen its regulations to some degree — primarily in cases involving betting on professional sports — it still has a very strict policy when it comes to athletes betting on their sport or school. Here is what the NCAA says for wagering-related violations reported on or after May 2.

• Athletes engaging in activities to influence the outcomes of their own games or knowingly providing information to individuals involved in sports betting activities will potentially face permanent loss of collegiate eligibility in all sports. This also applies to student-athletes who wager on their own games or on other sports at their own schools.

• If an athlete wagers on their own sport at another school, sports wagering education will be required as a condition of reinstatement, and the loss of 50% of one season of eligibility will be considered.

What’s alleged in the criminal complaint places Dekkers, Sauser and Johnson in the first category. As a result, all are at risk of losing their remaining NCAA eligibility.

More: A look at Iowa State QB Hunter Dekkers’ Iowa high school and college football career

What are the legal implications involved?

The tampering with records charge is an aggravated misdemeanor and could carry a maximum sentence of up to one year in county jail or up to two years in prison if convicted.

Hunter Dekkers denies the allegations and will sit out for fall camp

On Tuesday night, attorneys representing Dekkers released a statement to the Register saying Dekkers denies the allegations in the complaint and will plead not guilty. Dekkers also plans to sit out of Iowa State’s fall camp.

Here’s the full email released by his attorneys.

“Hunter Dekkers denies the criminal charge brought against him. He will plead not guilty to that charge because he is in fact not guilty of that charge. “This charge attempts to criminalize a daily fact of American life. Millions of people share online accounts of all kinds every day.

“This prosecution interferes with and politicizes what is the business of Iowa State University and the NCAA. The investigation at the Iowa universities is the tip of an iceberg. Thousands and thousands of college athletes place bets—usually very small ones—with shared accounts. That is for the schools and the NCAA to police.

“From boyhood, Hunter Dekkers has been the model student athlete, with the first emphasis on student. He grew up in a close-knit farm family in tiny Hawarden, Iowa, on the state’s northwest border. Playing football at Iowa State has been a dream come true.

“This investigation has gone on since May, when DCI agents executed a search warrant at Hunter’s apartment in Ames and another at his family’s home in northwest Iowa. The investigation has been an immense distraction from Hunter’s ability to be a good student and a great teammate. Hunter greatly appreciates the cooperation and support of Iowa State University and Coach Campbell and his staff during these events.

“So he can focus on his studies and on the defense of this criminal charge, Hunter has informed the University and the coaching staff that he cannot participate in fall football camp.”

Former Iowa baseball player Gehrig Christensen also charged

The Johnson County Attorney’s Office has filed a criminal complaint against the ex-Hawkeye catcher and Urbandale product, accusing Christensen of tampering with records related to the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation’s probe into sports gambling. Christensen was one of four Iowa players who missed the final 17 games amid the early stages of the sports-betting investigation.

After redshirting in 2022, Christensen appeared in 11 games with six starts last season. He hit .214 with two RBIs. Christensen announced his baseball retirement June 8 on Instagram and isn’t listed on Iowa’s 2024 roster.

Dargan Southard is a sports trending reporter and covers Iowa athletics for the Des Moines Register and HawkCentral.com. Email him at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: What we know after ISU, Iowa athletes charged in gambling investigation