NYPost: THE FBI is investigating an NBA referee

DreamRoxCoogFan · Jul 20, 2007

foo82 said:

Well, this is a NY Post article...so don't know how true this article is.
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this is from the associated press, so its the real deal.

FBI probes allegations NBA ref bet on games he worked

Associated Press

Updated: July 20, 2007, 1:02 PM ET

NEW YORK -- The FBI is investigating allegations that a veteran NBA referee bet on basketball games over the past two seasons, including ones in which he officiated.

According to a law enforcement official, authorities are examining whether the referee made calls to affect the point spread in games on which he or associates had wagered.

The law enforcement official, who spoke to the AP on Friday on condition of anonymity, said the referee was aware of the investigation and had made arrangements to surrender as early as next week to face charges. The official, who did not identify the referee, is familiar with the investigation but was not authorized to speak publicly about the ongoing investigation.

The law enforcement official said the bets involved thousands of dollars and were made on games during the 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 seasons.

The NBA issued a brief statement Friday: "We have been asked by the FBI, with whom we are working closely, not to comment on this matter at this time."

The FBI probe, which began recently, also involves allegations that the referee had connections to organized crime associates. Other arrests are expected, the official said.

The referee had a gambling problem, according to the official, and was approached by low-level mob associates through an acquaintance.

The investigation first was reported Friday by the New York Post.

Veteran oddsmaker John Avello, at the Wynn resort on the Las Vegas Strip, said that without specific information it would be difficult to identify wagering irregularities over the last two seasons.

"At this point, it's too early to know if any games were affected," Avello said, adding that no regulators or investigators had contacted him about the case.

Jay Kornegay, executive director of the sports book at the Las Vegas Hilton, said he had never seen any unusual activity in NBA betting, and was surprised not to have heard about an investigation until Friday.

"Whispers would have happened on the street, and we would have heard something," Kornegay said. "Any type of suspicious or unusual movements, you usually hear in the industry. We're so regulated and policed, any kind of suspicion would be discussed.

"We haven't seen anything like that in the NBA that I can remember," he said, "and we haven't been contacted by anybody."

Kornegay said legal sports betting in Nevada represents a fraction of sports betting worldwide, with 98.5 percent of all action taken outside the state.

Gambling long has been a problem in sports, and leagues have made a point of educating players of the potential pitfalls. The NBA, for example, discusses gambling at rookie orientation, even bringing in former mobster Michael Franceze to speak.
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SupraJames · Jul 20, 2007

MrRolo said:

First person that came to mind was that Greaser. Forgot his name...
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Steve Javies

wnes · Jul 20, 2007

SupraJames said:

Steve Javies
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Ken Mauer would be my choice.

SupraJames · Jul 20, 2007

tinman said:

rockets/spurs 1992, david robinson scores when the game was clearly over, screwing the rockets out of home court vs the sonics.
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I think the article said the ref fixed games within the last 2 seasons, not the last 15 years...

lunaticrocket · Jul 20, 2007

Now we know why Crawford ejected Duncan.

Tonaaayyyy · Jul 20, 2007

I'm guessing it's Joey Crawford, .. did he ref the Mavs / Rockets playoff game ?

Blatz · Jul 20, 2007

SupraJames said:

I think the article said the ref fixed games within the last 2 seasons, not the last 15 years...
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Yeah but I doubt this new. Some other ref could have been doing this years ago.

Wasabi_sauce · Jul 20, 2007

The investigation reportedly has focused on whether the ref, whom multiple sources have told ESPN.com is 13-year veteran Tim Donaghy, made calls that affected point spreads.

macalu · Jul 20, 2007

it sucks to hear that games may have been rigged but i'm glad this is gonna keep Stern from having a good night's sleep.

DOMINATOR · Jul 20, 2007

after reading different teams forums everyone thinks it's Bennett Salvatore

across110thstreet · Jul 20, 2007

DreamRoxCoogFan said:

this is from the associated press, so its the real deal.
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abundance said:

Forget about the NY Post. It's an associated press article. It's made it to Yahoo and Fox.
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and within the AP article are the words

The investigation first was reported Friday by the New York Post.
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I'm not saying I dont believe the story, but the story was originally a NY Post exclusive by Murray Weiss

DOMINATOR · Jul 20, 2007

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19868741/

A-Train · Jul 20, 2007

I think Stern will go Pete Rose on Donaghy...

Williamson · Jul 20, 2007

I'm really glad this happened for this reason alone:

http://www.dallas-mavs.com/vb/showthread.php?t=30784

As soon as it was released that an NBA ref was under investigation for tampering in games, a Dallas fan jumps to conclusions and starts a thread about how the 06 Finals were rigged - then a few hours later they discover that the ref under investigation didn't even participate in that series. HILARIOUS!

denniscd · Jul 20, 2007

suppossedly other refs involved.

Williamson · Jul 20, 2007

denniscd said:

suppossedly other refs involved.
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According to who? I haven't seen anything about that in the articles. They all discuss one particular referee being involved with mobsters.

Val · Jul 20, 2007

There goes the possibility of a Las Vegas team...

Val · Jul 20, 2007

It's Donaghy btw. I've never heard of him...

denniscd · Jul 20, 2007

cnn report on tv

CharlieMurphy · Jul 20, 2007

It's Tim Donaghy.

Donaghy under investigation for betting on NBA games

NBA referee Tim Donaghy is under investigation by the FBI for allegations that he bet on games that he officiated over the past two seasons and that he made calls affecting the point spread in games, multiple sources told ESPN.

Donaghy, a 13-year veteran of the league, is aware of the investigation and resigned from the NBA recently.

The NBA issued a brief statement Friday, saying: "We have been asked by the FBI, with whom we are working closely, not to comment on this matter at this time."

According to a law enforcement official, authorities are examining whether Donaghy -- whose identity was not revealed until Friday afternoon -- made calls to affect the point spread in games on which he or associates had wagered.

The law enforcement official, who spoke to The Associated Press on Friday on condition of anonymity, said the referee was aware of the investigation and had made arrangements to surrender as early as next week to face charges. The official, who did not identify the referee, is familiar with the investigation but was not authorized to speak publicly about the ongoing investigation.

The investigation first was reported Friday by the New York Post.

The law enforcement official said the bets involved thousands of dollars and were made on games during the 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 seasons.

The FBI probe, which began recently, also involves allegations that the referee had connections to organized crime associates. Other arrests are expected, the official said.

The referee had a gambling problem, according to the official, and was approached by low-level mob associates through an acquaintance.

Nevada gambling regulators were not involved in an investigation and had no information about the allegations, said Jerry Markling, enforcement chief for the state Gaming Commission and Gaming Control Board.

Jay Kornegay, executive director of the sports book at the Las Vegas Hilton, said he had never seen any unusual activity in NBA betting, and was surprised not to have heard about an investigation until Friday.

"Whispers would have happened on the street, and we would have heard something," Kornegay said. "Any type of suspicious or unusual movements, you usually hear in the industry. We're so regulated and policed, any kind of suspicion would be discussed.

"We haven't seen anything like that in the NBA that I can remember," he said, "and we haven't been contacted by anybody."

Kornegay said legal sports betting in Nevada represents a fraction of sports betting worldwide, with 98.5 percent of all action taken outside the state. Clayton cited a 2005 estimate by the National Gambling Impact Study Commission that found $380 billion is wagered on illegal sports betting, compared with $2.25 billion in legal sports betting in Nevada.

Gambling long has been a problem in sports, and leagues have made a point of educating players of the potential pitfalls. The NBA, for example, discusses gambling at rookie orientation, even bringing in former mobster Michael Franceze to speak.

NBA commissioner David Stern had long objected to putting a team in Las Vegas because it permits betting on basketball, though earlier this year allowed Mayor Oscar Goodman to submit a proposal to owners on how the city would handle wagering on a team if it moved there.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
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http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2943095

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