Kentucky player's indicted father living it up

TULSA, Okla. (AP) _ A University of Kentucky basketball player's father, who is indicted on 18 federal counts of fraud, has deposited hundreds of thousands of dollars while being represented by public

Saturday, May 15th 2004, 9:56 am

By: News On 6


TULSA, Okla. (AP) _ A University of Kentucky basketball player's father, who is indicted on 18 federal counts of fraud, has deposited hundreds of thousands of dollars while being represented by public defenders, according to court filings.

Former Tulsan Kenneth Azubuike is also living a lavish lifestyle in Lexington, Ky., owning an expensive home, three sport utility vehicles and sending two children to exclusive private schools, another filing says.

All the while, Azubuike ``benefits from court-appointed counsel and government-sponsored medical care,'' probation officer Thomas E. Mattingly Jr. says in his filing.

Tulsa federal prosecutors charged Azubuike, whose son Kelenna Azubuike just finished his sophomore season with the Wildcats, in February 2003 with interstate transportation of stolen property, wire fraud, bank fraud and bankruptcy fraud. He has pleaded innocent and is free on $50,000 bond.

The indictment alleges Azubuike, a native of Nigeria, fraudulently induced investors to provide money to various business ventures dating to 1996.

He has claimed in court documents that he is unemployed.

Federal Public Defender Paul Brunton, whose office had been representing Azubuike, filed a motion Friday to withdraw from the case. A hearing Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Tulsa will address the matter.

``There's no reason in the world why we should be representing him,'' Brunton said. ``We've got no business representing people who have money. That's not our function.''
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