Iowa Athletes Allege State Investigators Violated Their Rights in Latest Lawsuit

The Iowa college athlete betting saga is not over yet.

Twenty-six current and former collegiate athletes filed a lawsuit Friday alleging their constitutional rights were violated when criminal investigators used geolocation software to track activity on their cell phones as part of an investigation that led to criminal charges and the loss of NCAA eligibility. ESPN was the first to report the lawsuit.

Of the 26 plaintiffs, 16 are from the University of Iowa, nine are from Iowa State and one is from a community college.

The lawsuit, which was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa, alleged the state's criminal investigators needed a search warrant before they utilized geolocation to examine wagering activity. It alleges the state, its Department of Public Safety, Division of Criminal Investigation and the agents involved violated their civil rights.

GeoComply is the service that provides geolocation software to major sportsbooks. When registering on sportsbooks, users will consent to using location data provided to the companies. The companies also note they may disclose personal information to law enforcement.

The investigators allegedly utilized the software before they acquired the warrant.

This all stems from a criminal investigation in which 16 students were criminally charged. Twelve of them pleaded guilty to underage gambling while four athletes were charged with identity theft. The cases were dismissed after a motion noting that new evidence showed investigators "exceeded the scope of its permitted use" after utilizing the GeoComply program.

The other plaintiffs were not criminally charged but lost their ability to compete in the NCAA or professionally, the lawsuit states.