Federal fraud, conspiracy statutes come into play in Rush brothers suspensions.

KANSAS CITY _ JaRon and Kareem Rush, two of the best prep basketball players ever to come out of Kansas City, have been suspended by the universities they play for after a federal grand jury questioned JaRon and investigators talked to Kareem.

The universities say it's possible National Collegiate Athletic Association rules have been violated. But such violations are not necessarily a crime. So a lot of people are wondering: What does a federal grand jury have to do with college athletics?

At the heart of the probe, a source familiar with the legal theory in play told The Kansas City Star on Thursday, is the novel application of federal fraud and conspiracy statutes often used in public corruption cases.

The source said prosecutors would argue that an athlete who falsely certified to a university that he was amateur could be guilty of defrauding the school. Each year, athletes …