Six former University of Toledo athletes were charged on Wednesday along with two Detroit-area businessmen in a 20-count federal indictment for conspiracy to influence sporting contests by bribery.
Between December 2004 and December 2006, the indictment charges that Ghazi “Gary” Manni, 52, and Mitchell Karam, 76, along with the UT athletes “did unlawfully, knowingly, and intentionally combine … to carry into effect a scheme in commerce to influence by bribery various sporting contests.”
Three former UT running backs were charged in the indictment, including Quinton Broussard, 25, from Carrolton, Texas; Adam Cuomo, 31, from Ontario, Canada; and Harvey “Scooter” McDougle, 24, from Cleveland, Ohio. Of the basketball players who were included were Anton Currie, 25, from Okemos, Mich.; Kashif Payne, 24, from Chester, Pa.; and Keith Triplett, 29, from Toledo.
The indictment lists 17 specific basketball games in which Manni and Karam placed bets, including nine Mid-American Conference games, wagering approximately $407,500. There was no mention of a specific instance in which football was gambled upon.
"Today's charges shine a light into the dark corner of illegal sports bookmaking and reveals the unfortunate consequences that the influence of money from betting can have on the integrity of both athletes and athletic contests," said U.S. Attorney Terrence Berg when announcing the indictment Wednesday.
The indictment also alleges that from November 2005 to December 2006, Manni had 101 telephone conversations with six players, including 38 with former guard Sammy Villegas, who was charged last summer with fixing games during the 2004-05 and 2005-06 seasons. Manni also spoke to Cuomo on 22 occasions. In federal court documents that were unsealed last month, Cuomo admitted he “was the University of Toledo player who started the point-shaving scheme with ‘Gary,’” by providing information and bringing “numerous” basketball and football players to Detroit to recruit them for their plan.
Manni also met on 11 different occasions with five players. Some of the meeting spots included a Huntington Bank, Ramada Inn, and Greektown Casino in Michigan, as well as parking lots in front of a Bob Evans, King Cole Foods, and even near the Glass Bowl on Stadium Boulevard.
“Let me say from the beginning that we take this matter seriously, however we also consider it past history,” UT President Lloyd Jacobs wrote in a letter to the campus community on Wednesday. “We will continue to cooperate fully with all law enforcement agencies. Working together, it is my hope that this matter can be resolved quickly and justly for all parties involved. We believe that this action brings closure to the investigatory portion of this process.”
The indictment also charged Manni and five of the UT players with 19-counts of unlawful use of a facility in interstate commerce. Manni was charged with a total of 19 counts, along with Cuomo with six counts, McDougle and Payne with five counts, Currie with two counts, and Broussard with one.
"These charges are an important step in maintaining the integrity of intercollegiate athletics and a message to the athletes who decide to participate in such activities," said FBI Special Agent Andrew Arena at the revealing of the indictment.
Manni’s attorney, Neil Fink, said federal prosecutors have allowed Manni to turn himself in, and that he will likely be arraigned Friday in Detroit.
“He is presumed innocent and it will play out in court,” Fink said.
Both Manni and Karam were also named in a separate indictment on Wednesday, along with jockey Ricardo Valdes, claiming they paid jockeys to influence the results of horse races at Tampa Bay Downs in Florida.
Triplett, who was only indicted on the first charge of conspiracy to influence sporting contests by bribery, denied the allegations through his attorney Ray Richards.
"I have spoken briefly with my client and he claims he's definitely innocent," Richards said. "He wasn't involved in this type of activity. This is what the legal system is for. And we will defend the case."
Triplett played four seasons at UT and finished his collegiate career in 2005 as the school’s all-time leader in steals (278), second in games played (119), third in scoring (1,812), fourth in three-point field goals made (170), third in free throws made (430), and fifth in field goals made (607). Triplett was also named first team All-MAC as a senior and received All-MAC honorable mention honors as a junior.
Villegas was named the MAC freshman of the year in the 2003-04 season and helped UT reach the National Invitation Tournament in 2005.
Payne started all 32 games in his senior season in 2006-07 and became only the second Rocket to ever earn MAC Defensive Player of the Year honors. Payne started every game in his first three seasons before taking an indefinite leave from the team in his senior season to attend to personal issues.
Currie averaged 3.7 points and 3 rebounds in 17 minutes per game in his final season in 2005-06 at UT.
Of the three running backs indicted, McDougle was the most notable, rushing for 620 yards and seven touchdowns on 146 carries in 2004.
Broussard rushed for 478 yards on 64 attempts with five touchdowns in his senior season in 2005.
Cuomo rushed just six times for 24 yards in his senior season in 2003.
None of the current Toledo student-athletes are suspected to be part of the illegal activity.
"We found the culture and ethos of the department to be sounded and solid and nothing to indicate something like this would occur," said Larry Burns, UT’s Vice President for External Affairs to ESPN.com on Wednesday. "That was a very thorough and important process. We continue to have confidence in our athletic department and take this very serious. But we feel in many ways this is behind us as we look to the future of UT athletics."
Manni is a grocery store manager from Sterling Heights, Michigan. Karam, a real estate investor, was also accused last month in a federal criminal complaint of planning to defraud a financial institution.
NCAA Associate Director for Public and Media Relations, Stacey Osburn, released the NCAA’s statement on Wednesday addressing the seriousness of the allegations.
"The NCAA is disappointed and concerned to hear about the point-shaving indictments involving former University of Toledo student-athletes and other individuals," Osburn said. "These type of activities are precisely why the NCAA continues to take such a strong stance against any sports wagering. Point-shaving allegations are taken very seriously by the association. There is no doubt that sports wagering threatens the well-being of student-athletes and can affect the integrity of our games.
"The NCAA was aware of the University of Toledo point-shaving allegations and has been in contact with the university, law enforcement officials and Las Vegas gaming officials," Osburn said. "Law enforcement procedures are separate from NCAA enforcement of its rules. NCAA policy prohibits us from commenting on specific details regarding a potential or ongoing investigation."
The gambling scandal first made news throughout the sporting world in the spring of 2007 when McDougle was charged with fixing games. McDougle denied the charge and it was later dropped on a procedural matter.
McDougle’s father, Harvey McDougle Sr., told ESPN.com his son he was surprised by the recent indictment.
“We thought it was all behind us,” McDougle Sr. said. “He didn’t have any idea. The last time we spoke he was trying to get a tryout in the [NFL].”
The Independent Collegian > News
Six former UT athletes indicted for point-shaving
Published: Thursday, May 7, 2009
Updated: Thursday, May 7, 2009
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