If I understand your question, and if I can take a crack at some of the issues:
1) Taking ANY benefits other, non-student athletes would not have access to - even if not for yourself, but family members - by NCAA rules should mean instant - and retroactive - loss of amateur status, and the school for which you had played have all wins vacated in games in which that player played. Apparently, Cam Newton is the exception to these rules. So that is not criminal.
2) However, taking money, and not declaring it as income, might be construed as TAX FRAUD ... which is criminal - and a felony.
3) I had not heard a heavy focus in yesterday's news about ficus on the PLAYERS. Rather the focus has been on the FBI investigating agents, apparel companies and coaches.
4) What I do not know is whether student athletes could be accused of fraud, or defrauding, their colleges, if they take money from outside parties in order to choose a college ... I think there might have been some cases surrounding that in the past. But I cannot remember the exact arguments.
5) Apparently, one pressure point on the COLLEGES is that if any receive ANY Federal funding, those colleges could be subjected to charges of wire fraud of some sort, and risk losing Federal funding ... if a legitimate charge, that is a big financial hammer to force colleges to take action, and/or to cooperate with the investigation.
