The Alameda County Sheriff’s deputy that is attempting to sue Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri after he alleges he was struck by him after the 2019 NBA Finals celebration has a sketchy past.
Deputy sheriff Alan Francis Strickland was charged with felony insurance fraud and making false statements on March 31, 1994, according to documents uncovered by television station KTVU FOX 2 in Oakland.
“Eleven years later, Strickland ended up pleading no contest to misdemeanor insurance fraud on Dec. 7, 2005, court records show. The false statement charge, a misdemeanor, was dropped in exchange for the no contest plea, which has the same legal effect as pleading guilty.
The fraud charge was discovered when Strickland was applying to be a San Mateo police officer in 2005 – a job he did not get, KTVU learned after reviewing court documents and investigators’ notes at the time.”
Ujiri rushed down to congratulate the Raptors for winning the title, but a deputy stopped him and stated he had not shown the proper credentials. Witness accounts and cell phone video showed a heated altercation between them.
The 48-year-old Strickland hasn’t returned to work since the incident, claiming he suffered physical injuries to his head, jaw, chin and teeth, according to his claims.
Strickland also claimed Ujiri had a “violent predisposition” and acted with an “evil motive amounting to malice.”
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Last month, Ujiri called the lawsuit “malicious”, and said that the incident marred what should have been a highlight moment of his life.
“To me it’s incredible that things play out like that,” Ujiri said in February. “I think something incredible was taken away from me and I will never forget it. It is one of the things that drives me to win another championship because I want to be able to celebrate a championship the right way.”
