Former UH Athletics Foundation treasurer pleads guilty to fraud

[Harry]

Brian Bjork, the former investment counselor and associate of the late University of Houston athletics booster and Ponzi scheme perpetrator David Salinas, has pleaded guilty in federal court to allegations he siphoned off $1.4 million from investors in a scheme of his own, including $550,000 from a foundation established to benefit UH athletics.

Bjork, 43, of Missouri City, who was treasurer of the Houston Athletics Foundation and chief executive officer of Select Asset Management, on Monday entered the plea to one count of wire fraud stemming from what federal prosecutors described as a scam within a scam.

The offense is punishable by up to 20 years in prison and a fine of no more than $250,000. Under sentencing guidelines, defendants in similar cases generally are sentenced to between five and eight years in prison. Bjork will be sentenced June 14.

The Bjork case arose out of the federal investigation into the activities of J. David Salinas, the UH booster and investment adviser whose clients, according to published reports, included such current and former college basketball coaches as Lute Olson of Arizona, Scott Drew of Baylor, Billy Gillispie of Texas Tech and Texas A&M, Doc Sadler of Nebraska and Willis Wilson, formerly of Rice, plus Baylor football coach Art Briles and former UH football coach Bill Yeoman.

Read more: http://blog.chron.com/cougars/2013/02/former-uh-athletics-foundation-treasurer-pleads-guilty-to-fraud/

[UNT90]

So is this why Houston was able to afford the firing of a program killing coach just a couple of games into his 1st season?

[greenjoe]

This guy will be really anxious that the Big East television deal gets done so that he can watch the Cougars on ESPN in prison.

[VideoEagle]

One of Cougan High's finest hiring decisions.