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In her newly released book Breaking Cardinal Rules: Basketball and the Escort Queen, self-styled Louisville “madam” Katina Powell alleges she provided, through former University of Louisville player and staff member Andre McGee, exotic dancing and sexual favors to U of L players, recruits and, in some cases, recruits’ fathers between 2010 and 2014.  Her co-author, Dick Cady, is a former Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter for the Indianapolis Star.

In the book, Powell said that among the dancers and prostitutes she sent to parties for U of L and other entities were her own three daughters, at least one of whom was then under age. She said McGee paid her a total of $10,000 in cash for her stable’s services over the four-year span.

As reported by Louisville radio station WKRD on its Oct. 5 afternoon talk show, Powell said McGee arranged for her services via text message, some 700 of which were permanently lost to a “phone virus,” and asserted Cardinal head coach Rick Pitino knew of the arrangement.  Pitino flatly denied any knowledge of the alleged wrongdoing at a press conference earlier in the day.

According to several Louisville-area media reports, neither McGee nor any former players or recruits have provided any corroboration of Powell’s assertions.

If her assertions prove true, Powell could find herself in serious legal difficulty.

In a statement released Monday afternoon, as reported by Michaela McDonald of Louisville television station WHAS, Jefferson County Commonwealth’s Attorney Tom Wine said:

“The allegations of criminal activity contained in this book cause grave concern to me and this community. My office is currently in consultation with the University of Louisville Police Department and the Louisville Metro Police Department Crimes Against Children Unit regarding the possible criminal violations revealed in this book. If my office receives credible evidence of sexual abuse or other criminal activity involving minor children, we will vigorously prosecute those responsible for those crimes.”

According to Kentucky law, promoting prostitution constitutes a crime separate from having sex for money, and is designated a Class D felony.  If any of the prostitutes involved were under 18 years of age, the crime becomes human trafficking, a Class B felony.  Under Kentucky law, felonies have no statute of limitations.

“If you are going to commit a crime, I wouldn’t suggest that you write a book about it,” Kent Wicker, a former federal prosecutor turned defense attorney, said.

Wicker said anything you write in a book or say to others can be used against you in court.

Powell also could be held liable for slander for anything she said to others that she knew to be false, or libel for malicious false statements in print.

In an Oct. 2 press conference, U of L athletic director Tom Jurich, who was in North Carolina with the Cardinal football team, was asked by phone whether Powell had asked the university for money before the book’s release.  Jurich declined to answer the question.

Since the principal figures in this controversy cannot (or will not) comment because of the active investigations, any further elaboration must wait.  Suffice it to say, the stakes involved are high, and this story will bear watching.

BREAKING NEWS

At 11 a.m. EDT on Oct. 8, Gary Parrish of CBS Sports, citing an unnamed source close to the NCAA investigation, reported Ohio State freshman JaQuan Lyle, a former Louisville recruit, confirmed “the gist” of the allegations against the Cardinal men’s basketball program.  More detail as it becomes available.