STAR-BULLETIN / DECEMBER 2003 Ryan Wolf, who coached Jason Carter, above, before the guard arrived at Hawaii, has been indicted by a federal grand jury.

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Former Rainbow’s
JC coach indicted

Former Hawaii guard Jason Carter was listed among athletes involved in a case that resulted in a federal grand jury indictment against former Barton County Community College (Kan.) coach Ryan Wolf on charges that he illegally provided financial help and false academic credentials to several athletes.

The indictment charges that from May 1998 to June 2003, Wolf recruited athletes to play basketball for BCCC, then used his faculty position to get them grants they were not qualified to receive and campus jobs that paid them for work they did not perform.

U.S. Attorney Eric Melgren said he did not know whether the athletes were aware of the fraud, but no indictments are expected against them.

"By and large this indictment would pretty much conclude this investigation," Melgren said.

The indictment also claims Wolf mailed transcripts containing false information that made players appear academically eligible for NCAA Division I play, forged player signatures on Pell grant checks, and defrauded Barton County Community College by falsely stating that athletes had received their high school equivalency degrees, among other charges.

Wolf is charged with misappropriating more than $120,000. The government is seeking reimbursement of money it says Wolf received from Pell grants, federal work-study programs, campus work-study programs and federally guaranteed student loans.

Along with Carter, other athletes named in court documents are former Missouri guard Ricky Clemons; Missouri recruit Randy Pulley, who was dismissed from the team in February; Carlton Baker, who was a leading scorer for San Jose State before quitting the team in January 2003; Eric Washington, who accepted a scholarship to play for San Jose State; and Justin Rose, who went on to play for Central Florida.

Carter enrolled at UH in 2002 after earning an associate's degree at BCCC. The point guard played in 26 games as a junior and in 32 games last season. He averaged 4.8 points and 2.2 assists as a senior.

Carter could not be reached for comment last night.