LOS ANGELES (AP) -Authorities are investigating whether former Southern California basketball star O.J. Mayo received benefits paid for by a sickle-cell charity, according to a report published Friday.
The California Attorney General’s Office is looking into whether “any funds or credit cards were taken or used under the foundation’s name and used for other purposes,” special agent Danny Kim told the Los Angeles Times, which posted the story on its Web site.
Louis Johnson, a former associate of Mayo’s, told ESPN earlier this month that Mayo associate Rodney Guillory received money from the agency BDA Sports and funneled cash and gifts to Mayo, who played one season at USC before declaring for the draft.
Johnson told the network that Tony Hicks, who operates the Los Angeles-based National Organization of Sickle Cell Prevention and Awareness Foundation, had allowed Guillory to use an American Express card registered to the charity.
Mayo has denied Johnson’s allegations, which are being investigated by the NCAA, Pacific-10 Conference and USC.
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