LOUISVILLE, Ky (WEHT)– A federal judge sentenced 64-year-old Dino Gaudio, of Mooresville, North Carolina, to probation and a $10,000 fine for attempting to extort money from the University of Louisville.
In June, Gaudio pleaded guilty to a federal charge of attempted extortion. He agreed to a plea deal that included probation and a fine to avoid prison time. A charge of interstate communication with intent to extort carries a maximum penalty of two years in prison, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office in Louisville.
According to court documents, after Gaudio was told his employment contract as an assistant men’s UofL basketball coach would not be renewed, he attempted to extort money from the university.
Investigators said Gaudio threatened to tell the media that the University of Louisville men’s basketball program allegedly violated National College Athletic Association rules in the production of recruiting videos and in its use of graduate assistants in practices. Gaudio wasn’t going to reach out to members of the media with these claims unless he was paid his salary of $25,000 a month for an additional 17 months or received a lump sum payment of $425,000. He sent a text message to University of Louisville personnel containing one of the recruiting videos he was threatening to send to the media.
The FBI and the University of Louisville Police Department investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda E. Gregory prosecuted the case.