Anthony Hutchinson faces 21 counts of fraud and bribery
Anthony Hutchison, a former NFL player and familiar face at high-stakes poker games in Houston, has been found guilty on all 21 counts related to fraud and bribery. A jury in the US District Court for the Southern District of Texas delivered the verdict after a trial that revealed extensive corruption involving the Houston Independent School District (HISD).
Hutchison, who played in the NFL during the 1980s, was accused of bribing school district employees to steer contracts toward his businesses. Court testimony showed that he used the profits not only to fund his business operations but also to support his costly poker habit.
World Series of Poker bracelet winner Ayaz Mahmood testified during the trial, describing Hutchison as a consistent loser in private poker games, sometimes losing up to $300,000 in a single session. Mahmood explained how Hutchison would often chase his losses, a behavior known as “tilting” in the poker world.
The government’s case included evidence that Hutchison and co-defendant Brian Busby, former COO of HISD, overbilled the district by more than $800,000 annually between 2013 and 2020. Prosecutors presented checks Hutchison had written to Bulldog Timber, a business used to cash checks under the guise of legitimate transactions. Some checks misleadingly listed HISD projects in their memo lines, even though the owner of Bulldog Timber testified he had never provided services to the district.
Witnesses also testified that Hutchison bribed HISD employees with kickbacks to secure contracts. His defense argued that any tax filing errors were the fault of his accountants, but jurors rejected that explanation.
At 64 years old, Hutchison now faces a potential sentence of over 20 years in prison. He remains free on bond, with sentencing scheduled for July 28, 2025. His conviction includes multiple counts of wire fraud, bribery, conspiracy, and filing false tax returns.
