Tuesday, February 07, 2006

Oh, man...

This hurts...
EWING, N.J. (AP) - Phoenix Coyotes assistant coach Rick Tocchet financed a nationwide sports gambling ring in which about a dozen current NHL players placed bets, authorities said Tuesday.
Tocchet, a former NHL star, was served with a criminal complaint Monday and was expected to travel from his Arizona home to answer charges of promoting gambling, money laundering and conspiracy, state police Col. Rick Fuentes said.
Fuentes said an investigation into the New Jersey-based ring discovered the processing of more than 1,000 wagers, exceeding $1.7 million US, on professional and college sports, mostly football and baseball. He declined to identify the NHL players who made wagers.
Authorities said Tocchet and state police Trooper James J. Harney were partners in the operation, with the ex-NHL forward providing the financing.

Given the fact that this is close to Philly, this could get real ugly.
Philly's traditional organized crime family, while decimated pretty badly, is still functional and doesn't like competition.
And it's another blow to the image of New Jersey cops, who don't need any more bad pub.