Somehow this is not surprising...

FEDS PROBING REF IN MAFIA BET SCAM FOUL! This game may have been clean...

July 20, 2007 -- THE FBI is investigating an NBA referee who allegedly was betting on basketball games - including ones he was officiating during the past two seasons - as part of an organized-crime probe in the Big Apple, The Post has learned.

The investigation, which began more than a year ago, is zeroing in on blockbuster allegations that the referee was making calls that affected the point spread to guarantee that he - and the hoods who had their hooks in him - cashed in on large bets.

Federal agents are set to arrest the referee and a cadre of mobsters and their associates who lined their pockets, sources said.

"These are dangerous people [the referee] was involved with," a source said.

One source close to the probe counted the number of games on which the ref and his wiseguy buddies scored windfalls in the "double digits."

NBA Commissioner David Stern is aware of the investigation and has a report about the referee on his desk, another source said.

The official, whose name was withheld, allegedly wagered on games during the 2005-06 and 2006-07 NBA seasons.

James Margolin, an FBI spokesman, declined comment on the latest black eye for professional sports.

The sources indicated the referee apparently had a gambling problem, slipped into debt and fell prey to mob thugs.

"That's how he got himself into this predicament" by wagering with mob-connected bookies, one source said.

Professional basketball has remained largely unscathed by allegations of game-fixing, although college basketball has been rocked by several scandals involving point-shaving by players, but not officials.

One of the most recent was a Boston College point-shaving scam arranged in the 1980s by mobster Henry Hill, who bribed several players. Hill later became a government informant, and his life was depicted in the movie "GoodFellas."

Having a referee in their pockets provides a two-fold bonanza to game fixers.

Gamblers would be able to directly cash in by betting on games where they knew the point spread was compromised.

But having a ref in their pocket could prove even more lucrative to crooks in a bookmaking syndicate.

Bookmakers hope to encourage an equal amount of betting on each team and make their money on the "vigorish," which is typically 10 percent of a losing bet.

But armed with the inside information, the bookmaking syndicate could set an artificial point spread that would encourage large "layoff" bets from other bookies carrying too much action on one team, that were likely now to lose.

An FBI organized-crime squad in the bureau's flagship New York office is handling the case, but the referee traveled the country officiating various games on which he allegedly bet.

It was not determined which games were allegedly affected by the referee's actions, or how much money may have been won by him and his cohorts.

The FBI got wind of the scheme while conducting a separate mob investigation.

The most prominent American sport- gambling scandal in recent history involved Cincinnati Reds manager Pete Rose, who was banned from baseball in 1989 for betting on his own team.

Based largely on testimony of two Rose associates, Ron Peters and Paul Janszen, Major League Baseball determined that from 1985 through 1987, Rose bet on baseball, including 52 Reds games in 1987, at a minimum of $10,000 a game.

All of Rose's bets on Cincinnati were to win.

WOW. This is going to be huge. Imagine if this referee was calling some of the playoff games from the past couple of seasons where there were questionable calls. Now everyone is going to be questioning NBA refs more than they have in the past.

as part of an organized-crime probe in the Big Apple

It was no play-off games in NY so up to 20 games of Knicks was fixed...
Interesting in which direction?

[Edited by - arkrud on 07-20-2007 08:49 AM]

NO wonder my Gamepicker would get phuched up!

I think JVG and Cuban should sue david stern, it's only fair, and the nba has been suspect for years especially during the jordan days

Uh yeah- it's been so obvious that the refs's were either fixing games for gambling purposes and/or for the NBA itself. Especially during the Jordan era. Not taking anything away from Jordan but fouls were never called on him - especially during 4th qrtrs. The most notorious non-foul call was during the Final against Utah when he empahtically pushed off(can't remember who was guarding him) and hit the game winning jumper. It's ridiculous. It's even relevant to the Knicks. Back in the Ewing, Oakley/Mason days we were known as the thugs of the NBA (an image that the league was trying to get away from) and we cert. received bogus calls.

Posted by arkrud:

as part of an organized-crime probe in the Big Apple

It was no play-off games in NY so up to 20 games of Knicks was fixed...
Interesting in which direction?

[Edited by - arkrud on 07-20-2007 08:49 AM]

Most likely a Knick Hater.

All I gotta say is mike breen is rolling around in his grave!!!

Everytime somebody says anything about a call no matter how retarded it is mike breen says, "nuh-uh!!!"

Mike breen makes his wife dress up in a refs uniform during their love making sessions.

So when are the knicks gonna fire breen? Did he sign an LL cool J contract?

I wonder if it is joey? why else throw tim duncan out unless he was trying to help the point spread.

I have been saying this for years, it happen in superbowls too...the latest was Pittsburg Steelers vs Seattle Seahawks.

The latest in the NBA was the Dallas vs Miami final and Stern knows all about it.

The love of money has ruined our sports and country.