New Jersey authorities are currently conducting a criminal investigation into a high-profile basketball scandal at Paterson Eastside High School in Paterson, NJ.

The scandal involves allegations that teachers and coaches at Eastside High have been illegally recruiting foreign minors to play basketball for the school. Some school workers have been accused of forging documents. Additionally, the recruitment has been described by some observers as “human trafficking.”

The Division of Criminal Justice for the Office of the Attorney General started the official criminal investigation after getting several reports about illegal activity, including alleged immigration violations. Moreover, federal law enforcement has reportedly been watching the situation very closely for the past few months.
NJ investigators plan to interview teachers and staffers at East High School in Paterson, NJ.

Rich Callaway, the union representative at the high school, recently spoke to the media and said that officials are “not even close” to answering the crucial questions in the investigation. Moreover, Callaway implored state investigators to take a close look at Eastside High School administrators, not just teachers and coaches.

A spokesperson for Christopher Porrino, the NJ attorney general stated that authorities are not able to confirm or deny the existence of an official investigation.

Since the investigation involves possible criminal code violations, anyone connected to the alleged offenses could potentially face prison time.

Beyond that, since the alleged illegal recruiting involves juveniles, the Division of Child Protection and Permanency (DCP&P, formerly known as DYFS) also recently launched its own investigation into the Paterson Eastside High scandal.

For further information about this case, see the NJ.com article, “Criminal Investigators Looking into Paterson Eastside in Wake of Hoops Scandal.”