KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Former Olathe North football star Arland Bruce IV has been charged with tampering with records in Iowa in connection to a college-sports betting scandal.
Johnson County, Iowa, prosecutors allege that Bruce illegally placed 132 wagers that totaled more than $4,342. Those alleged bets included 11 placed on games in which he played for the Hawkeyes.
The criminal complaint alleges that Bruce, who won the 2019 Simone Award as Kansas City’s top high school football player but transferred to Ankeny (Iowa) the next year to avoid COVID-19 restrictions in Johnson County, Kansas, “knowingly and intentionally” falsified sports-wagering records by “concealing his identity” when placing bets illegally.
Bruce — who was under 21 years old, the legal age to gamble in Iowa — allegedly used a proxy account under the name Vincent Bruce, who was of age, to place the bets through the DraftKings app on his iPhone.
Investigators determined that several of the bets were made from Bruce’s university residence and “areas of the university not routinely open to the public,” which may include football team facilities.
Court documents allege he bet on Iowa games against Iowa State, Penn State, Purdue, Nebraska and Michigan during the 2021 regular season as well as the 2022 Citrus Bowl against Kentucky on New Year’s Day to cap his freshman season.
The Hawkeyes went 3-3 in those games.
Bruce allegedly placed additional wagers on Iowa games against South Dakota State, Rutgers, Michigan and Nebraska in addition to betting the “under” against Northwestern during the 2022 season.
The Hawkeyes went 2-2 in those games. The “over” won in the Northwestern game.
After leaving Olathe, Bruce ultimately was ruled ineligible for the 2020 season at Ankeney.
He has subsequently transferred from Iowa to Oklahoma State.
“We are aware and are continuing to gather information,” a Cowboys spokesperson told The Oklahoman. “We are not to the point of being able to comment yet.”
With the Hawkeyes, Bruce totaled 512 yards from scrimmage and six touchdowns in 44 games during the 2021-22 seasons.
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