An agent has improper contact with a college sports star. The NCAA finds out about these payments/car/house for family and puts the school on probation.
The school and team are punished (loss of TV revenue, bowl trips, recruiting limits, etc). Presumably the player is, too, by losing the exposure (unless he bolts for the pros).
What happens to the agent? Does his license get suspended or revoked?
What if the payer is a booster? Does he suffer any penalties with the law?
For the NBA the agents are required to be registered/certified by the NBA Players association. The rules for agents can be found here (warning pdf). On page 7, subsection “b” of section “B” prohibits agents contacting college athletes, and “c” of that same section prohibits contact with families of college athletes. The punishment for these actions is up to the NBAPA, and can include his license being revoked.
From memory:
Some states recognized the loophole you cite where everyone gets punished except the guy who helped create the mess. In some states laws were passed fairly recently to make it illegal for agents to have “improper” contact with a college athlete. AFAIK those laws have held up and several agents have been charged in specific cases.
Maybe someone with more specific knowledge or recall can help clarify the details.