She helped tutor me, and encouraged me through some rough spots. Hill revealed his involvement in the point-shaving scheme, offering to relate the full story if federal officials would guarantee him full immunity and would agree to intercede on his behalf to convince state officials to drop the drug charges pending in state court. I don't question $1,000, give it to me.. To Cobb, it felt like he was being asked for insider info on the team and their prospects. Edwin McDonald, who prosecuted the case for the Justice Department, said that he had recommended the incarceration of Mr. Kuhn but had not suggested any specific term. So I didnt even go on trial with Kuhn and the mobsters that put the whole thing in motion.. First Republic seized by regulators and sold to JPMorgan. April 30 (UPI) -- Cuba has postponed its annual International Workers' Day parade for the third time in more than 60 years as fuel shortages hamstring the country. Knowing they were in serious trouble, the players agreed to cooperate. April 30 (UPI) -- Intense Russian shelling took place overnight in Kherson and Kharkiv, Ukraine, pounding residential areas and killing a 58-year-old civilian. The Perla brothers were small-time gamblers who saw the 1978-79 Boston College basketball season as a perfect opportunity to earn a lot of money. When he returned to the United States, he moved to Phoenix, Arizona, where he became a Special Education teacher and high school basketball coach. ----Wider Inquiry at Memphis State A former FBI agent hired by Memphis State earlier this year to adviseathletes on how to stay away from drug dealers and gamblers is now taking his job a step further. "The kid wants to do business," said Tony. They couldnt stop him. After reading this I feel its the right story to add in to existing script. Just by being there, Id already reached success beyond my wildest dreams. '', See the article in its original context from. You gotta tell me the truth, because I gotta know how to go on this?. The Return Of Bing Bong? NEW YORK -- Former Boston College basketball forward Richard Kuhn and four other people were indicted today on federal racketeering and bribery charges in a point shaving scheme, the FBI announced . Mr. Kuhn, a reserve forward on the 1978-79 Boston College team, and four other men were convicted last November of a plot to manipulate the scores of six games that season to provide betting coups for gamblers. In testimony before the President's Commission on Organized Crime, the former player, Rick Kuhn, said he thought college basketball players were most vulnerable to offers from gamblers ''in their junior and senior years, when it becomes reality that they're not going to have lucrative careers as players.'' They knew how to shave, because when I tried to explain to them, they said, Naw, we know all that shit.. Cobb's trial is scheduled to begin Oct. 31 before Judge Leonard Wexler. Beautiful, as Hill told SI. They mentioned the $1,000 that Rocco Perla gave my girlfriend and I told them the truth. Mr. Kuhn will become eligible for parole after serving one-third of his sentence. He recruited teammates Ernie Cobb and Jim Sweeney into the ring, after becoming connected with ex-convicts Paul Mazzei and Henry Hill. If you missed Part I, you can read it here. This is a digitized version of an article from The Timess print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. Kuhn was convicted for his role in the scheme and now lives in southwest Pennsylvania. When he finished with his testimony, he made a beeline straight for the restroom. Kuhn, whose 10-year prison sentence for his part in the 1978-79 Boston College scheme was reduced to four years after he testified against a teammate, will be released from federal prison in. Visser became the NFLs first female beat writer in 1976, when she was assigned by the paper to cover the New England Patriots. Burkes gang had just successfully pulled off the Lufthansa airport heist at New Yorks JFK airport, where theyd stolen an estimated $5 million in cash and $875,000 in jewels, the largest cash robbery in America at the time. As such, its impossible to be certain which game was the first they attempted to fix. If betting sites set the spread believing a team will by win seven points, the fixers bet against them and the corrupt team tries to win by six or fewer. It was more than 30 years ago, but considering Henry Hill's involvement, I'm surprised this scandal isn't at the top of the list of biggest sports scandals ever. Do you recognize him? And my answer every time was, No! I didnt recognize any of those mobsters because I had never met them. If the scam was to work, they needed another player. Your email address will not be published. Kuhn was convicted with four other men in November of taking part in the scheme in which six Boston College basketball games were fixed during the 1978-1979 season. He also connected with Hill to power the ring. I feel it.. In the 1979 NBA Draft, Magic Johnson was the first overall pick of the Los Angeles Lakersafter leading Michigan State University to the National Championship over Larry Birds Indiana State team. My parents have suffered. Ed Guevara, a former FBI Special Agent, recalls viewing hours of footage. Im not angry at the school. When he told Alswanger about the indictment, his old high school coach spoke sternly with him, as he'd done sometwelveyears earlier when Cobb had just returned home fromthe juvenile detention facility. The Globe would later admit that they were wrong in reporting that Bowie was involved, after he was not implicated nor investigated by the federal government for any role in the scandal. Cleanly summarizing this story feels futile, but well try. Also involved were bookmakers across the East Coast. I feel like I did all that fighting after I lost my dream of playing in the NBA, and it was all in vain. I had everything I could have possibly asked for. The FBI didnt have to prove the games were fixed, only that there was a conspiracy to manipulate the scores. The other defendants were all found guilty, with Kuhn, Mazzei and Tony Perla sentenced to 10 years, while Rocco Perla got four. https://www.nytimes.com/1985/06/26/sports/rick-kuhn-recalls-point-shaving-case.html. Needing an inside man, the brothers wanted to recruit Rick Kuhn, a high school friend of Rocco who was entering his senior year at Boston College and was expected to be a key member of the 197879 Eagles team. As he said regarding point shaving, the shit I was doing, that was going on in my life? Alswanger, my high school coach inspired me to rise above my circumstances, he continued. After he interviewed him, he fell in love with him and told me, Hes innocent. I said, If this dude has cash like that to burn and wants to give me $1,000 because I told him wed destroy Stonehill, sure, Ill take it. Maybe he was trying to cultivate a relationship with me and soften me up for something down the road. ESPNs Playing for the Mob, a 30 for 30 documentary narrated by Liotta, interviews all the living participants, including former coaches and law enforcement officials. Thats why I got into education and coaching. Rocco Perla was sentenced to four years' imprisonment. May 1 (UPI) -- Elon Musk's SpaceX launched a Falcon Heavy rocket with a payload of satellites from the Kennedy Space Center on Sunday after having to abort the mission days earlier. You probably recognise that line of dialogue. When the evidence came up at the first trial, it didnt match up, but they still came after me a few years later. At trial in 1981, the government's case consisted primarily of the testimony of Hill and three other witnesses: Sweeney and Joseph Beaulieu, both Boston College players, and Barbara Reed, a 23-year-old nurse who lived with Kuhn during the 197879 Eagles season. The documentary, narrated by Ray Liotta (who portrayed Hill in the film), was set up so that the viewer needed to watch Goodfellas beforehand to understand many of the references in the story. I told him, I think were gonna blow them out, we look really good. But by his sophomore year, when he was inserted into the starting lineup, it was apparent that the 5-foot-11 scorer brought a dimension to the Boston College squad that it sorely needed when he averaged 17.4 points per game. She knew the terrain in terms of what I needed to be doing, said Cobb. And after they put my name out there, and after I admitted to taking that $1,000, they didnt have enough evidence to prosecute me. The February 6 game against St. John's was a "push" (winning back exact bets), as the syndicate neither won nor lost when St. John's prevailed 8576, the exact point spread (nine) the bookmakers had offered.[i]. Nobody knows for certain how much money was made. GDC Media Limited. He was hopeful that hed have another chance to make it in the NBA. (Sadly, Liotta, who was brilliant in Goodfellas and Field of Dreams, among other films, died Wednesday at 67.). As nobody had any inkling that point shaving had occurred, that shouldve been the end of it. The FBI were unable to prove that fixing had occurred from examining the games. Our story begins in the mid-1970s at a penitentiary in Lewisburg. She also recalled Kuhn saying that Cobb was too into his own game to cooperate with the betting thing, but the New York gangsters were adamant about getting him involved. For example, if the Eagles were favored by 10, the mobsters would want the players on the take to make sure the team won by nine points or less. It was one of the most tremendous feelings Id ever experienced.. Hill went into witness protection and died in 2012 of a heart attack. Hill turned state's evidence in exchange for avoiding prison and possible execution by Burke and the Lucchese family. A Cooperative Kuhn Has Life Threatened. He was a murderer and a horrible human being. display: none; The fact that I went to court and fought for my name, that I stood up for myself and cleared my name, that I was exonerated and acquitted, its a travesty that Im still associated with this., My name is indelibly linked to it, Cobb continued. April 30 (UPI) -- Democrats continue to oppose the plan by House Republicans to raise the national debt ceiling while slashing government spending cuts. Four Others Convicted. Today, Cobbs relationship with Boston College remains strained. With his name swirling down the vortex of the mob cesspool from the moment the story broke, Ernie Cobb found it difficult to make a living. All Kuhn had to do was ensure that the Eagles fell short of the point spread in the games that they bet on. was favored to win a game by ten points, Kuhn had to make sure, if the game was in play with the mobsters and the bookies, that they won by less than ten in order for the gamblers to make money. There were times when the work got really hard, when I wanted to give up, when I had to stay up all night reading or studying or writing papers, and shed be right there pushing me, telling me, You cant give up! I saw Ernie score 28 points against the Celtics in one of the final pre-season games when he was with the Nets, said Alswanger, Cobbs former high school coach. They would also ensure protection for the enterprise in the event that the unsuspecting bookmakers, all of whom had toughs at their disposal to collect unpaid debts, discovered they were being swindled. And despite friends urging Sweeney to report what was happening, he refused as he didnt want to hurt Kuhn. The stories from all participants have changed in various interviews and often contradict each other. Either way, the mob were unhappy that the plan hadnt worked. Greg Abbott to not follow through with his "inhuman and dangerous" plan to send more migrants and asylum seekers from his southern state to her city. He took advantage of an opportunity that surfaced when a pro team from Israel offered him a spot on their roster. Did it start out with a loss for the gamblers on Dec. 6, 1978, when Boston College handily beat Providence, 83-64? He made other African-American ballers feel like they could go there and really showcase what they could do on a national level. Yet its hard to believe it wouldve been had the bets won. Any recount of the BC points-shaving scandal should come with a free CharlieCard for a story with more twists and turns than the citys T system. Fourteen hours later, I arrived in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts.. | Knicks Win Their First Playoff Series In 10 Years But Can They Stay Back On Top In The Big Apple? Cobb later cleared his name, and Sweeney was never charged. He really set the tone in terms of being a strong, dynamic, willful player that wondrous talents like John Bagley, Michael Adams and Dana Barros, all of whom went on to play ball in the NBA after their careers at B.C., followed. More regulations and laws results in more eyes scrutinizing each game. As he walked across the scenic campus, marveled at the schools architectural splendor or ate until his hearts content in the dining hall, hed often pause to quietly give thanks for his fortunate circumstances. We cant forget the bank-rolling bosses. I was relishing that moment. Ernie Cobb played professional basketball in Israel for 17 years, where he learned to speak fluent Hebrew. A grand jury indicted Burke, Mazzei, Kuhn, and the Perla brothers. I didn't even consider it a crime.. While residents eagerly await March 10 for legalized Massachusetts sports betting, we look back on the breach that mixed gamblers and mobsters with student-athletes in the late 1970s. Theyre no match for us. He told me, Well good, I plan on betting on those games and if you guys win and it turns out like that, Ill take care of you., Man, I was one of the most recognizable athletes on campus and people would come up and talk to me all the time, people I didnt know, Cobb continued. It wasnt an absolute disaster but it was a cousin. So the scam continued. Cobb says he received $1,000 in an envelope but said he didnt really know what it was for. Mazzei and Tony Perla were sentenced to ten years' imprisonment. The syndicate was very happy with this result, and Kuhn was given cash to distribute to the players for their efforts. Boston college basketball gambling scandal Boston college basketball gambling scandal We have many ongoing and upcoming promotions featuring Bitcoin Slots on our casino. Other notable players selected in that draft included Sidney Moncrief, Bill Laimbeer, Bill Cartwright, Mark Eaton and Jim Paxson. They were touting me as the next sub-6-footer to have an impact in the NBA. Henry Hill avoided going to prison, and he went off into the sunset of the governments Witness Protection Program, said Alswanger. They treated me great. You realize that you cant play if you dont do this. Many details of the scandal remain murky. But my high school coach got his friends to take my case, pro bono. Regulated operators also have safety checks in place to help protect those with gambling addictions. After a four-week trial, each conspirator was convicted on charges of Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) conspiracy, conspiracy to commit sports bribery, and interstate travel with the intent to commit bribery. talked to the Nets, their head coach Kevin Loughery called him in and said, You know why I have to let you go, said Alswanger. Self-described Boston College basketball fixer, he confessed the conspiracy to agents investigating the signature crime of his mob crew, the Lufthansa heist immortalized in Goodfellas. Recruited into scheme by Mazzei. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. The Globe, quoting an unnamed source in New York, said the three games in which point-shaving was alleged were a Feb.3 game against Fordham, a Feb. 6 game against St. Johns and a March 1 game in the ECAC Regional Playoffs against Connecticut. The conspirators chose the January 17, 1979, game against Connecticut to implement this plan. Jim Sweeney admits that Kuhn gave him cash. . Mazzei, Hill and the Perlas devised a plan to rip off bookies without having players throw games. However, Kuhn did receive ''several thousand dollars'' for his efforts, according to Edward A. McDonald, the attorney in charge of the Organized Crime Strike Force for the Eastern District of New York, which conducted the investigation in 1981. Learn how your comment data is processed. Its from Martin Scorseses GoodFellas, a film widely considered one of the best ever and among the greatest examples of the gangster genre. Julie loves lakes, bonfires, Dachshunds, coaching Little League and carrying on her Dads fantasy football legacy that he started in 1987 before there was an app for that. Federal investigators first learned of the point-shaving scheme while looking into Mr. Burke's suspected role in the $5.8 million robbery of the Lufthansa freight terminal a t Kennedy International Airport in December 1978. Hill reportedly cleared over $100,000 ($373,400 today) and bettors higher up the line were said to have made up to $250,000 ($933,400 today). It was all so positive.. The other vital parties were the bookmakers, and it was very much a plural, as Hill explained. "As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster.". I think you could poll a lot of people in the business and the Boston College scandal is off their radar. NEW YORK -- Former Boston College basketball player Rick Kuhn, jailed for his 1981 conviction in a point-shaving scandal, has asked for a reduction of his 10-year prison sentence. After perhaps his greatest moment during the preseason, when he had that outstanding game against the Celtics right before the regular season tipped off, Cobb was relaxing in his hotel room when he heard a knock at the door. Mazzei in turn contacted Henry Hill, a Lucchese crime family associate from New York who had befriended Mazzei while both men were serving sentences in a federal prison. My family has suffered. H e refused comment yesterday on whether any attempt had been made to get Mr. Kuhn to cooperate in this investigation for consideration s in his sentencing. Anyone can read what you share. But in the first game the scheme was tested, against Providence College, Boston College won by nearly double the point spread. Everything Id worked so hard for was coming to fruition.. They contacted a local friend, Paul Mazzei, who was known to have influence within major New York gambling circles. To preserve these articles as they originally appeared, The Times does not alter, edit or update them. They reintroduced the original strategy, which proved successful for the February 3 Fordham game when Boston College, a ten-point favorite, won by seven points. Apparently, someone called into the online editor the second to inform them of the "miss." I think you could poll a lot of people in the business and the Boston College scandal is off their radar. Burke instructed Hill to warn the players to keep to their end of the deal because "you can't play basketball with broken hands.". He said he was approached in the summer before his senior year. Hill mentioned the point shaving scam, which the FBI were completely unaware of. 197879 Boston College basketball point-shaving scandal. Said Hill, "He wanted me to fly up to Boston. The spread was for them to win by seven though, so the bet lost. Sweeney claiming he didnt fix is equally undermined by his admission he accepted $500. I was so thankful, and was willing to work as hard as I possibly could, both in my studies, and in basketball, to be able to get the most I could out of the experience.. [1]. But I know that its not really in vain, because I know the truth.. Burke was sentenced to twelve years' imprisonment. I feel like if I can change one life, like he changed mine, man, it makes everything Ive been through worthwhile.. No source was given for this claim, with Streater's last appearance for the team occurring in the 197778 season, but this claim remained for more than five years, resulting in a number of media sites including Bleacher Report, ESPN and Yahoo News erroneously naming him as a point-shaver.[5]. Pope Francis says Vatican involved in ongoing effort to end Ukraine war. The sources for this article include interviews he gave in 1981, 1985 and 2014, and while the framework of this story is reliable, the specific details change. Confident from their recent success, the conspirators viewed the February 10 game against Holy Cross as an opportunity to reap the full benefits of their scheme. Kuhn and Hill say hes lying. Hello I am making a movie on the scandal and my Director would like me to pursue the story as told by the players. He was sentenced to 10 years in . McDonald has answered questions about Mr. Cobb's status by say ing that the Justice Department's investigation is continuing. Bookmakers, on seeing the heavy action, moved the line as high as twelve to discourage bets on the favorite (St. John's) and attract more bets on the underdog. Some had connections to various upper-level gambling circles and some were connected to the mob as we take a look back at one of the biggest betting scandals seen during the 1980's in America. Once the FBI arrested Hill the following year though, it all came out. The Boston Globe reported on Friday that Cobb and Bowie are targets of the federal probe into allegations of point-shaving in three Eagles games. Gambling.com is tracking sport cancellations (and eventual resurgences) on an interactive map below. The shavers only have to win by fewer points than the bookmakers think they will, not throw the game. The Nets coaches were telling me, Coach, hes gonna be a great pro., I had a great camp with the Nets and was poised to make the team, said Cobb. Overall, more legality increases transparency, making it more difficult for shady characters to hide. He worked hard in class. Mazzei and the Perlas were particularly hopeful that Hill would enlist the support of his associate, James Burke, to finance the payments to the players and to set up a network of bookmakers who were in on the scheme. He said, these guys were irate. ''Rather,'' Judge Bramwell said before imposing sentence, ''he emerges as a somewhat greedy individual. It was like a paradise to me, coming from where I came from. Other times, they didnt deliver as promised, which caused some very dangerous and ill-tempered men to lose large sums of cash. Mr. Kuhn, a reserve forward on the 1978-79 Boston College team, and four other men were convicted last November of a plot to manipulate the scores of six games that season to provide betting. Suspecting that some bookmakers might be getting wise to the scheme, the conspirators temporarily revised their strategy after the UCLA game. Julie Walker has written, edited and designed words at five Michigan newspapers and websites. In 1981, forward Rick Kuhn was convicted of conspiracy in a point shaving scheme in which he, guard Jim Sweeney, and possibly other members of the team attempted to manipulate the scores of some games on behalf of organized crime. But as a drug-using gangster who feared for his life, its unsurprising that his recollections were inconsistent. This page is not available in other languages.