Ex-San Diego star pleads not guilty
Johnson indicted in sports bribery case
SAN DIEGO – A well-known former University of San Diego basketball player has made an appearance in federal court in a sports bribery case.
USD’s all-time leading scorer Brandon Johnson pleaded not guilty at his arraignment Monday, then returned home to Houston. He is free on a $25,000 bond and was appointed a local public defender, Oliver Cleary.
Johnson was arrested without incident on April 9 in Houston.
The indictment alleges that Johnson took a bribe to influence a USD game in February 2010 and solicited someone else this January to affect the outcome of USD basketball games while he was playing for the Dakota Wizards, an NBA development team.
Johnson is one of 10 defendants in the marijuana distribution and sports gambling case. Each faces five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Johnson, who finished his career with a USD-record 1,790 points, was on the team that stunned Connecticut in overtime in the first round of the 2008 NCAA tournament, the biggest win in school history. San Diego finished 22-14 that season, and has struggled ever since under coach Bill Grier, a former assitant at Gonzaga University. The Toreros finished 6-24 last season.