DOJ charges former Akron basketball star

NBA free-agent LeBron James, jokes with friend and former high school teammate Romeo Travis...
NBA free-agent LeBron James, jokes with friend and former high school teammate Romeo Travis during a workout at the LeBron James Skills Academy for high school and college basketball players as a group of high school players watch, at Rhodes Arena on the University of Akron campus, in Akron, Ohio, Monday, July 5, 2010. (AP Photo/Phil Long)(PHIL LONG | ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Published: Mar. 10, 2023 at 8:31 AM EST
Email This Link
Share on Pinterest
Share on LinkedIn

AKRON, Ohio (WOIO) - A former Akron basketball star is facing charges in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio.

The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) press release said Romeo Travis, 39, was charged by way of information of conspiracy to defraud the United States and wire fraud.

Travis is an alumni of St. Vincent St. Mary High School, where he played with NBA superstar LeBron James from 2001 to 2003. Travis and James both were inducted in the Athletic Hall of Fame in 2011.

DOJ officials said Travis allegedly consented to having his agent alter his basketball contracts overseas by understating his income prior to sending them to a tax preparer, which reduced his tax liability.

Officials said Travis also allegedly used the falsely-reported income to reduce child support payments to “an unidentified individual” through the Stark County Child Support Enforcement Agency.

19 News reached out to St. Vincent St. Mary officials for comment.

This is a developing story. Return to 19 News for updates.