Richard Jeffersonβs longtime personal assistant was sentenced Tuesday to nearly six years in prison and ordered to pay nearly $5 million in restitution after a U.S. District Court judge in Tucson ruled that he had stolen millions from the former University of Arizona and NBA standout.
Theodore Itsvan Joseph Kritza, 46 and a former Chandler resident, must serve 70 months in prison and pay Jefferson back $4,794,874. Kritza previously pleaded guilty to bank and wire fraud.
Kritza forged Jeffersonβs signature on business loans, credit applications and power of attorney during a seven-year span starting in 2005, the government said. Kritza stole from Jeffersonβs NBA paycheck and endorsement money, and benefited from a sale of a condo, the government said. He used the money to buy himself luxury cars, homes, vacations β and even private-school tuition for his kids.
βWe see this scenario time and again,β U.S. Attorney Gary Restaino said in a news release. βA confidant abuses a position of trust and embezzles someone elseβs assets. Thanks to our partners at the FBI for their hard work on the investigation.β
Sean Kaul, a special agent in charge of the FBI Phoenix Field office, said Kritza βpreyed upon the trust he gained with the victim and defrauded him of his hard-earned money and savings, choosing greed over trust.β
βThis sentencing sends a clear message that fraud is a serious crime, with serious consequences,β he added. The FBI remains committed to pursuing justice for all victims of fraud.β
U.S. District Court Judge Cindy Jorgenson recommended in her sentencing that Kritza serve his term in a prison βin or near Colorado,β according to court documents. He lives in Superior, Colorado.
Kritza will spend five years on probation following his release from prison. His release is tied to several special conditions, including that Kritza not be allowed to make purchases over $500, enter into any financial contracts or obligations or work any jobs that involve βfiduciary responsibilities or control of another personβs financial information or personal documentsβ without approval from his probation officer.
Heβll also have to submit his property, including computers and electronic devices to be searched, if thereβs cause to believe heβs violated his conditions of release.
Kritzaβs sentencing ends a nearly five-year ordeal that began in June 2017, when he was indicted by a Tucson grand jury on federal charges of fraud totaling nearly $7 million. Kritza was charged with 22 counts of bank fraud, wire fraud and aggravated identity theft in U.S. District Court in Tucson.
Jefferson learned of the fraud in 2012, when he purchased a home and learned about an outstanding loan, as well as several other loans of which he was previously unaware. Jefferson met Kritza during his junior year at the UA; their business relationship between the two men began in 2001, while Jefferson was getting ready for the NBA draft. He hired Scottsdale-based Stratosphere Sports, where Kritza worked, to represent him.
Former Arizona Wildcat Richard Jefferson is now a popular television analyst and podcaster.
Jefferson made $112 million in earnings during his time in the NBA. Between 2001-18, Jefferson played for the Milwaukee Bucks, San Antonio Spurs, Golden State Warriors, Utah Jazz, Dallas Mavericks, Cleveland Cavaliers and Denver Nuggets. He is now a television commentator for ESPN and the Pac-12 Networks as well as a podcaster.
Jefferson remains popular around the UA campus, with the basketball and volleyball teams practicing in the Richard Jefferson Gymnasium, which was named for him after he donated $3.5 million toward its construction.
