10 indicted in point shaving scheme at Univ. of San Diego

[Skjellyfetti]

Authorities with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the FBI announced Monday that 10 people have been indicted in connection with a sports bribery scheme involving at least two former University of San Diego basketball players and a former USD assistant coach.

The indictment charges the 10 with conspiracy to commit sports bribery, operate an illegal sports bookmaking service and distribute marijuana, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

It further alleges that the conspirators bribed college basketball players to alter the outcome of games and then bet on those games in Las Vegas.

Former Toreros players Brandon Johnson, 24, of Houston, and Brandon Dowdy, 22, of San Diego, and the team’s former assistant coach, Thaddeus Brown, 32, of El Cajon, were named in the indictment.

Earlier, in Serra Mesa, Steven Warda Goria, 32, of Chula Vista, was arrested in connection with the scheme after an almost two-hour SWAT standoff at a house where he was staying.

FBI investigators and San Diego police went to the home on Mobley Street off Gramercy Drive about 8:10 a.m. to serve a federal search warrant, San Diego police said.

Goria refused to cooperate with authorities, and a SWAT team was called about 9 a.m. Some residents were evacuated. Goria surrendered to authorities about 10:40 a.m.

At an 11 a.m. news conference at the federal building in downtown San Diego, U.S. Attorney Laura Duffy and FBI Special Agent in Charge Keith Slotter declined to say how much money was wagered or how many games were affected.

The indictment alleges Johnson, the school’s all-time leader in points and assists, took a bribe to affect the outcome of a game in February 2010. Duffy and Slotter declined to specify what game that was.

Slotter said the investigation was continuing and authorities could not say at this time how many total games are involved.

“These are questions we are seeking complete answers to as the investigation continues,” he said.

He said the investigation began about a year ago as a probe into marijuana distribution in San Diego but grew into a sports bribery case that was code named “Hook Shot.”

The indictment alleges that in addition to the 2010 game, Brown and Dowdy approached an unidentified player to fix a game involving the University of California at Riverside. Dowdy played there from 2008 to 2010, after leaving USD.

The indictment also says Johnson asked another unidentified player at USD to take a bribe to throw a USD game in January 2011, after Johnson had left the school and was with a National Basketball Association developmental league team called the Dakota Wizards.

Johnson was arrested Saturday in Houston and is expected to appear before a federal judge there today. Eight other defendants are expected to make their first federal court appearances Tuesday in San Diego. One defendant, Jake Salter, 23, of Garberville, in Northern California, is at large.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011 ... xing-sche/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Skjellyfetti]

god damnit. posted in wrong forum. feel free to delete.

[SuperHornet]

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=23136

Thirteen minutes before you.