Cleveland Browns linebacker Mychal Kendricks has been charged with using insider trading tips from an acquaintance to make about $1.2 million in illegal profits on four major trading deals, federal prosecutors announced Wednesday.
Co-defendant Damilare Sonoiki was paid $10,000 in kickbacks in the scheme from 2014-2015, as well as perks like tickets to Philadelphia Eagles games, said U.S. Attorney William McSwain. Kendricks played for the Eagles before signing with the Browns in June.
‘Four years ago, I participated in insider trading, and I deeply regret it,’ Kendricks’s statement read. ‘I invested money with a former friend of mine who I thought I could trust and who I greatly admired. His background as a Harvard graduate and an employee of Goldman Sachs gave me a false sense of confidence.’