Louisville, KY – A North Carolina man was sentenced today to probation and a $10,000 fine for attempting to extort money from the University of Louisville.
According to court documents, after Dino Gaudio, 64, of Mooresville, North Carolina, was informed his employment contract as an assistant men’s basketball coach would not be renewed, he attempted to extort money from the University of Louisville. Specifically, Gaudio threatened to report to the media that the University of Louisville men’s basketball program had allegedly violated National College Athletic Association rules in its production of recruiting videos for prospective student-athletes and in its use of graduate assistants in practices, 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.
As part of this threat, Gaudio sent a text message to University of Louisville personnel containing one of the recruiting videos he was threatening to send to the media.
Acting U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky made the announcement.