N.C. State compliance director Carrie Doyle testified in federal court in New York on Tuesday that she had no prior knowledge of a $40,000 payment made to the father of Dennis Smith Jr. to secure his son's commitment to play basketball for the Wolfpack.
The government alleges that former adidas executive James Gatto gave $40,000 to an unnamed N.C. State assistant basketball coach who then passed it on to Dennis Smith Sr. in the fall of 2015.
"What, if anything, did you know about the payment of approximately $40,000 to the father of Dennis Smith Jr. in connection with Smith Jr.'s decision to attend N.C. State University?" U.S. assistant district attorney Noah Solowiejczyk asked Doyle on Tuesday, according to a court transcript obtained by The News & Observer.
"I have no knowledge," Doyle answered.
Doyle was called to testify in the federal wire fraud and conspiracy trial of Gatto, former adidas employee Merl Code and former agent runner Christian Dawkins. The FBI's case involves corruption in college basketball that involved adidas employees, agents and coaches paying players as a way to get them to play at certain schools and to sign with adidas upon entering the NBA.
On Tuesday, Doyle was questioned about the scheme, an unauthorized recruiting trip involving former Wolfpack coaches Mark Gottfried and Orlando Early's use of a helicopter, and the relationship between Smith Sr. and Eric Leak, a former football player at N.C. State and agent runner who had previously been disassociated from the university.
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