Just a couple of months ago, Edmond Pryor was seemingly on top of the world, having accomplished a lifelong dream of joining the coaching staff of a Division I college basketball team.
“If you know me you know this is a DREAM COME TRUE FOR ME!” wrote the 42-year-old veteran Chicago basketball coach on an Instagram post in June, announcing that he was going to New Mexico State.
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Now Pryor is accused of creating and selling forged employment records for criminal defendants on electronic monitoring to trick officials who administer house arrest.
Earlier this month, prosecutors charged Pryor, of Plainfield, with a single count of forgery, a Class 3 felony. He was released from jail after posting the $5,000 bail set by Judge Charles Beach II. Another judge last week gave Pryor permission to leave the state and travel for his job.
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Pryor was hired in early July as a defensive analyst with the Aggies’ men’s basketball team. An official with the university’s sports program on Monday confirmed that Pryor remained with team but declined further comment.
A West Side native and Southern Illinois University at Carbondale graduate, Pryor began his coaching career at Providence-St. Mel High School before moving to Malcolm X, which won the National Junior College Athletic Association Region 4 Division I Tournament in 2013.
After five seasons, he was named head coach of Wilbur Wright. In 2019, he was fired by City Colleges of Chicago amid accusations of theft, the Cook County sheriff’s office said. After his firing, he became an assistant at Triton College.
Triton men’s basketball coach John Clancy expressed shock at the news of the felony charge against Pryor, whom he called a dedicated coach. Clancy, who won the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association coach of the year honor earlier this year, thanked his assistants, including Pryor. “There wasn’t anyone better when it came to working with young players,” Clancy told the Tribune.
Pryor is also a founding member of the Chicago Elite ProAm basketball league, a West Side league of professional and amateur players.
“I will say this: I am innocent,” Pryor told the Tribune when reached by phone, before declining to comment further. Attempts to reach Pryor’s attorney, Sean O’Brien, were unsuccessful.
The case offers a rare glimpse into methods used to subvert court-ordered house arrest.
During an Aug. 7 bail hearing, prosecutors said Pryor allegedly used his City Colleges laptop to create forged pay stubs, fake work schedules and letters confirming employment that were used by jail detainees to receive freer movement during their court cases.
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In ongoing criminal cases, defendants charged with felonies are often ordered to remain at home. County judges will sometimes allow them to work while free on bond but require proof of employment and a work schedule.
Among the trove of documents allegedly found on Pryor’s laptop were fraudulent employment verifications for Amazon and UPS. Both companies confirmed that the found documents were forged and that none of the people who submitted the documents work for them.
Pryor also allegedly created fake financial documents that were used to obtain auto financing for six people, according to prosecutors.
In court, prosecutors said an investigation by the City Colleges’ inspector general for unspecified “irregularities regarding out-of-town basketball tournaments” led to the discovery of the fraudulent records. Investigators also uncovered evidence that Pryor accepted Zelle bank payments the same day he completed and sent off the documents, but authorities didn’t disclose what he was paid.
Prosecutors didn’t approve felony charges against Pryor and others until July 13, but authorities gave no reason for the three-year delay in filing charges.
On Aug. 6, Cook County sheriff’s police, who joined the City Colleges investigation, took Pryor into custody at O’Hare International Airport as he returned to Chicago. Following his arrest, Assistant State’s Attorney Jack Costello said Pryor allegedly made “lengthy admissions” to authorities in video and audio recorded statements.
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Costello also said the faked records were found in electronic monitoring programs in Cook and DuPage counties.
A spokesman with the DuPage County state’s attorney’s office declined to comment on whether they were currently investigating any evasion in the electronic monitoring department, while a spokesman for the DuPage sheriff’s office said their office was not investigating.
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Over the weekend, Desmond White was charged with forgery for allegedly submitting Pryor’s fake records to Cook County’s EM system in 2019, claiming that he worked for shipping giant UPS. UPS officials confirmed that White never worked for them, Costello said during a bail hearing on Sunday. Authorities are currently seeking four other suspects, according to sheriff’s officials.
Sheriff’s officials said their department now uses GPS-based technology that confirms the locations of defendants who are allowed by a judge to leave their homes. “This technology was not in place at the time of the fraud scheme,” sheriff’s officials said in a statement. “The office continues to aggressively investigate instances of fraud and seeks criminal charges in all appropriate cases.”
The felony Pryor faces offers the possibility of jail time or probation. Still, a conviction could derail a yearslong coaching career with numerous ties to West Side basketball, from street ball to college hoops. Over his career, Pryor earned the reputation as someone who gained the respect of his young players, which included standout talent.
In announcing Pryor’s hiring, Aggies head coach Greg Heiar praised Pryor’s bond with players. “EP has done a tremendous job building long-lasting relationships with student-athletes throughout his career. His personality really impressed me from the first time I met him along with his feel for the game and basketball IQ.”
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Four days before he was taken into custody, Pryor posted a photograph of him standing with several New Mexico players. “Mama ain’t raise no fool, put me anywhere on God’s green earth, I’ll triple my worth!”
Twitter @Midnoircowboy
