Crime

Former Wake Forest University Basketball Coach Charged With Extortion

by David Ford

In this Jan. 30, 2019, file photo, Louisville assistant coach Dino Gaudio cheers on the team against Wake Forest during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Winston-Salem, N.C. Federal authorities have charged Gaudio with attempting to extort the university after his dismissal from the team. Gaudio threatened to go to the media with alleged NCAA violations by the team, according to a charging document filed in federal court. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton, File)

Former Wake Forest University head basketball coach Dino Gaudio has been charged in federal court with extortion. Gaudio took over Wake's basketball program in 2007 following head coach Skip Prosser's fatal heart attack.

Under Gaudio, the team accrued a solid win-loss record but went just 1-5 in tournament play — the reason given for his sudden firing in 2010. Following work as an ESPN sports analyst, Gaudio was then hired as assistant coach at the University of Louisville.

In March, after being told that his contract would not be renewed, charging documents state that Gaudio threatened to inform media of alleged NCAA violations within the men's basketball program unless the university paid his salary for an additional 17 months. The Louisville Courier-Journal reports that during a meeting with U of L personnel, Gaudio threatened to reveal allegations that the school skirted rules in its production of recruiting videos.

Gaudio was charged by the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Kentucky. The maximum penalty is two years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both.

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