Jury Convicts Rumeal Robinson on Financial Fraud
For a guy that hit some of the biggest free throws in basketball history, he shot an airball in court.
Rumeal Robinson, who led Michigan to the NCAA men's basketball championship in 1989, has been found guilty on 11 federal financial fraud charges.
A jury returned its verdict against Robinson on Wednesday, finding him guilty of bank bribery, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit bank fraud and making a false statement to a financial institution.
The U.S. attorney’s office says Robinson schemed between 2004 and 2005 to borrow more than $700,000 from Community State Bank in Ankeny with the help a loan officer at the bank.
Prosecutors say Robinson claimed to borrow the money for a business but actually spent it on a condominium, cars, furniture and invested in an energy company.
Robinson, who grew up in Cambridge, Mass., faces up to 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine on each count. After playing for Michigan, Robinson spent six seasons in the NBA with the Atlanta Hawks, Los Angeles Lakers, New Jersey Nets and other teams.