Eight men out
Feds indict eighth figure in ASU point-shaving scheme
Posted: Thursday February 11, 1999 11:47 PM
PHOENIX (AP) -- Another alleged gambler in the Arizona State University basketball point-shaving scheme was indicted, prosecutors said Thursday.
Anthony Joseph Frank, whose age was not immediately available, was indicted for conspiracy to commit sports bribery, interstate travel in aid of racketeering and sports bribery.
Cathy Colbert, a spokeswoman for the Arizona U.S. Attorney's Office, said the Phoenix man allegedly bribed ASU guard Stevin "Hedake" Smith to fix a game against the University of Washington on March 5, 1994. She said he then traveled to Las Vegas to bet on the game.
Smith, the Sun Devils' No. 2 career scorer, was paid by a Chicago bookmaker to fix four games. Colbert said that after fixing four games for Chicago bookmaker Benny Silman, Smith figured he could make extra money by getting another party to also pay him to fix the game.
Colbert said Smith talked to another ASU student, whose name has not been released, and that friend contacted Frank who apparently didn't know the game was already being fixed.
Frank allegedly paid Smith $5,000 to shave points.
He is the eighth person to be accused in the growing point-shaving scheme.
Silman, the alleged mastermind of the original scheme, is serving a 46-month sentence for getting Smith and ASU guard Isaac Burton to shave points in certain games so the team wouldn't beat the point spread.
Smith agreed to fix four games for $20,000 a game, in part to erase a reported $10,000 gambling debt to Silman, authorities said. Burton was paid $4,300 for helping fix two games, authorities said.
In addition to Washington, the other 1994 games in question were those with Oregon State on Jan. 27, Oregon on Jan. 29, and Southern California on Feb. 19.
Smith, Burton, Phoenix investment adviser Joseph Gagliano Jr., Chicago trucking company executive Dominic Mangiamele and his son, Joseph, are awaiting sentencing.
Last month, another person was indicted in the scheme.
Vincent Basso of Buffalo Grove, Ill., was indicted on charges of sports bribery, interstate travel in aid of racketeering and money-laundering. Prosecutors didn't release his role in the scheme.
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