IOWA CITY, Iowa — Backup Iowa kicker Aaron Blom is accused of betting on eight Iowa sporting events, including taking the under on the 2021 Iowa-Iowa State game, according to Iowa court documents.
The Johnson County Attorney’s Office charged Blom, 21, with tampering with evidence — an aggravated misdemeanor — on Tuesday, alleging he used a DraftKings account to make wagers while underage. He allegedly placed 170 bets totaling $4,400 before turning 21 years old, which is a condition to gamble in Iowa. Blom used an account registered to his mother, Michelle, to place the bets, court documents allege.
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Both the Hawkeyes and the Cyclones were ranked in the top 10 entering their 2021 game in Ames. The over/under was 45.5 points, and the Hawkeyes won 27-17. Blom did not play in that game, but he was the regular kicker in the 2022 game and missed the game-tying 48-yard field goal with no time remaining. He entered fall camp as Iowa’s backup kicker and punter.
Coincidentally, the Iowa State quarterback who threw the final touchdown pass in the 2021 game was Hunter Dekkers, who was charged with the same offense on Tuesday.
From Iowa’s Division of Criminal Investigation. It appears the criminal phase largely is over, although additional charges can be filed. pic.twitter.com/MaVAb85KPB — Scott Dochterman (@ScottDochterman) August 2, 2023
Former Iowa basketball player Ahron Ulis, who transferred to Nebraska this spring, also was charged with tampering with evidence, according to court documents filed by the Johnson County Attorney’s Office.
Ulis is accused of placing wagers on FanDuel before turning 21 years old and using the pseudonym Anton Porter while doing so. He allegedly gambled on 430 NCAA-related events, including on an Iowa football game. According to the criminal complaint, Ulis made about 1,850 bets, including 740 before turning 21.
Ulis, who enters his fourth year, started 27 games and played in 32 last season for Iowa. He averaged 6.1 points per game. His older brother, Tyler, formerly played at Kentucky and in the NBA.
Additionally, walk-on Iowa baseball player Gehrig Christensen, who has since left the program, has been charged with tampering with records, an aggravated misdemeanor. Christensen, 20, is alleged to have bet 559 times from his phone totaling more than $2,400 and 23 bets were made on Iowa sporting events.
Christensen is underage and allegedly used his mother’s information to obtain a DraftKings account. He bet “mostly on NBA games” according to the criminal complaint. His mother, Jill Mingles, admitted to investigators she helped set up her son’s account and “acknowledged it was a silly mistake to do.”
(Photo: Jeffrey Becker / USA Today)