Turkish 7-footer, once detained in York County, leads feds to couple’s indictment

Remember Mumin Tunc? He’s the 7-foot, teenage, basketball player from Turkey who spent six days in the York County jail earlier this year facing charges linked to immigration violations.

Based on what Tunc told Homeland Security agents, Michael and Brenda Rawson of the United Kingdom are facing federal indictments. The couple ran the 22ft Academy basketball team on which Tunc played.

While in South Carolina, Tunc was not enrolled in school; he was only in the state to play basketball for 22ft Academy, and students there were taking online classes instead of going to school, according to a criminal complaint filed in federal court against Michael and Brenda Rawson.

The husband and wife have been arrested by Homeland Security agents and accused of running a visa fraud conspiracy, federal court records show.

The Rawsons were arrested Nov. 1. They posted bond and are awaiting federal trial, public court records show. Michael Rawson’s lawyer, Matthew Kappel, declined to comment on the charges. Efforts to reach Brenda Rawson’s lawyer were unsuccessful.

The federal charges against the Rawsons accuse them of a conspiracy in which Rawson “misrepresented himself” in order to stay in the United States and run the basketball academy. Federal indictments allege the conspiracy started in 2012 and ran through 2017.

“It was further part of the conspiracy that Michael A. Rawson recruited young men to come to the United States to play basketball ... and to attend school, but Michael A. Rawson did not require regular school attendance, allowed students to take online courses in violation of their visas, and allowed the students to transfer repeatedly” without proper documentation, the indictment states.

The indictment alleges Brenda Rawson told the students to lie to police if they were questioned about the academy or the living conditions.

Michael Rawson ran the team in the Upstate until last summer, when he moved it to Hilton Head because officials in Anderson County refused to let Rawson house players in a converted barn. Rawson had sought a zoning variance, federal prosecutors allege.

A federal court affidavit from a Homeland Secuity agent states that Tunc’s statement to federal investigators started the investigation and “led law enforcement to look into the operations of 22ft, and its owners, Michael and Brenda Rawson.”

Tunc was in custody in York from late March through early April because he was not enrolled in school, but was here on a student visa, according to court and Immigration and Customs Enforcement records obtained earlier this year by The Herald. The York County jail temporarily houses federal immigration detainees until they are sent to a Georgia court for hearings.

While in custody, Tunc told federal agents he came to the United States in November 2016, and was supposed to attend Anderson Christian school while playing basketball for 22 ft Academy, according to the federal criminal complaint. Tunc told agents there was no classwork for him and others. Tunc was among other players from Mali, the United Arab Emirates, Canada and Australia, who supposedly were preparing for college recruitment.

Tunc had the attention of some college scouts, published reports show. He also had played for Turkish national teams before coming to America, according to some sports articles.

Agents continued to investigate.

They allege in the criminal complaint that “multiple students failed to attend class, were utlizing online courses in violation of their visas, and transferred schools repeatedly” without proper federal paperwork.

And where is Mumin Tunc now? Federal officials won’t discuss Tunc’s case or whereabouts because he is not charged with any crime, said Bryan Cox, an ICE spokesman for the southeast region.

However, Tunc’s detainment, the alleged involvement of the 22 ft basketball program, and arrest of the Rawsons has caught interest from national media. The website Deadspin reported recently, in conjunction with the Fusion television network, that Tunc went back to Turkey after being released by federal officials in April.

This story was originally published November 24, 2017 at 2:47 PM with the headline "Turkish 7-footer, once detained in York County, leads feds to couple’s indictment."