Dino Gaudio expected to plead guilty in federal extortion case

(Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)

And now for an update on a hot story from last week concerning our friends down I-64. Former Louisville basketball assistant Dino Gaudio has a change of plea hearing scheduled for June 4 in his federal extortion case, which indicates he will plead guilty to the charge of Interstate Communication with Intent to Extort.

After Louisville head coach Chris Mack did not renew his contract in March, Gaudio allegedly threatened to expose numerous recruiting and on-campus violations by the coaching staff to the media if he wasn’t paid 17 months of salary. He accused the Louisville program of violating NCAA rules in its production of recruiting videos for prospective student-athletes, along with the team’s use of graduate assistants in practices. Last week, Gaudio’s attorney Brian Butler said his client takes full responsibility for his statements, which were made in “the heat of passion” and captured on tape.

“Dino has lived an exemplary life and coached at the highest level and changed the lives of thousands of athletes,” Butler said. “It is our hope that people who know and love Dino will consider this lapse of judgment in the context of 40 years of making the world and college basketball a better place.”

Gaudio and Mack have known each other for 30 years, with Gaudio, previously the head coach at Wake Forest, serving as his mentor. The maximum penalty Gaudio faces is two years in prison and a $250,000 fine, although it is expected to be much less than that under federal sentencing guidelines.

[Courier-Journal]