tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10927564319207501472024-02-07T22:01:34.970-05:00Actors and Activities: The Social Construction of Organized CrimeSean Patrick Griffin, Ph.D., is Professor of Criminal Justice at The Citadel in Charleston, SC. His main research areas are organized crime, white-collar crime, labor racketeering, corruption, drug trafficking, money laundering, and various aspects of policing. This blog will contain updates on Professor Griffin's ongoing activities and links to related sites.Sean Patrick Griffin, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09634829613521863612noreply@blogger.comBlogger91125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1092756431920750147.post-82181183795810366282020-03-24T13:58:00.002-04:002020-03-24T13:58:27.724-04:00"Black Brothers, Inc.: The Violent Rise and Fall of Philadelphia's Black Mafia" now available as an audiobook<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I have been asked many times the last decade-plus about an audio version of <i><a href="http://seanpatrickgriffin.blogspot.com/p/black-brothers-inc-violent-rise-and.html" target="_blank">Black Brothers, Inc.: The Violent Rise and Fall of Philadelphia's Black Mafia</a></i>. I am thus happy to report the day has come! Narrated by the great <a href="https://tantor.com/narrator/mike-chamberlain.html" target="_blank">Mike Chamberlain</a>, you can find it <a href="https://www.audible.com/pd/Black-Brothers-Inc-Audiobook/1705210740" target="_blank">here</a>. Minor note: the text and narrative are identical to the print version, but the cover art for the <a href="https://www.audible.com/pd/Black-Brothers-Inc-Audiobook/1705210740" target="_blank">audiobook</a> looks like this:<br />
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<br />Sean Patrick Griffin, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09634829613521863612noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1092756431920750147.post-19808149804005302392020-02-25T17:51:00.003-05:002020-02-25T17:51:44.642-05:00On Malcolm X and Philly's Black Mafia<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Back when I used to lecture frequently about Philly’s Black
Mafia, I would often get questions about Malcolm X and whether he had anything
to do with the notorious syndicate. The
question on its face makes sense, of course, because of the role Philadelphia’s
Nation of Islam Temple 12 played in the group’s murderous rise. Furthermore, Temple 12 Minister Jeremiah
Shabazz (formerly Jeremiah Pugh) was a key player in the underworld along the
Eastern seaboard for decades. Interested
parties can read about Shabazz at length in my <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Black-Brothers-Inc-Violent-Philadelphias/dp/1903854369/" target="_blank">Black Brothers, Inc.: TheViolent Rise and Fall of Philadelphia’s Black Mafia</a></i> (Milo 2005.07), and in
a blog post <a href="https://seanpatrickgriffin.blogspot.com/2016/06/muhammad-ali-and-philadelphias-black.html">here</a>. With the recent popular Netflix 6-part
documentary <i><a href="https://www.netflix.com/title/80217478">Who Killed
Malcolm X</a></i>, the subject is popping up again.<br />
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Malcolm X, the flamboyant, headline-making spokesman of the
NOI movement, moved to Philadelphia in 1954 to open NOI Temple 12. As I write in <i>Black Brothers, Inc</i>:</div>
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Malcolm X found a loyal follower and a quick study in Jeremiah Pugh, and Brother Jeremiah soon rose to the rank of captain in Temple 12’s Fruit of Islam guard. Jeremiah and Malcolm became virtually inseparable, and roomed together at 2516 W. Nicholas Street in North Philadelphia until Malcolm moved to New York. “Malcolm lived in a room with another brother and me for a year. So I got to know him well,” recalled Pugh. “I woke up next to him every day, and went to bed next to him every night.”</blockquote>
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Jeremiah Pugh soon began climbing the ranks within the NOI, including
obtaining the name Shabazz along with a major location change to Atlanta. After spending just over five years
successfully establishing the NOI in the Southeastern United States, Jeremiah Shabazz
was transferred back to Philadelphia in April 1964. Of course, Malcolm X made his fateful pilgrimage
to Mecca in 1964 and turned toward Orthodox Islam and against the NOI. </div>
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On December 4th, Louis Farrakhan (then
known as Louis X) wrote in <i>Muhammad Speaks</i>, “If any Muslim backs a fool
like Malcolm … he would be a fool himself … Only those who wish to be led to
hell, or to their doom, will follow Malcolm. The die is set, and Malcolm shall
not escape … Such a man is worthy of death.”</blockquote>
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Some will recall the damning cartoon published in <i>Muhammad Speaks</i> about
Malcolm’s decision to turn against the NOI which featured his decapitated head
tumbling in a graveyard toward a stack of skulls at the base of a tombstone
marked with the names of history’s most infamous traitors:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXgzg6LPgCUOqLpgv4W4NyvOCXY0gumCUSAGOjlOac8mppv55WX5NITvrg66SN1-5hexSlw4iU9tPkz1os3axiSnyiBQaFe6dPL3wU2J4t-gLtGN4dXEBD0Q9tEtAOq1KjY7rRtLlwAQpm/s1600/MalcolmXIncendiaryCartoon6-64.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="950" data-original-width="839" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXgzg6LPgCUOqLpgv4W4NyvOCXY0gumCUSAGOjlOac8mppv55WX5NITvrg66SN1-5hexSlw4iU9tPkz1os3axiSnyiBQaFe6dPL3wU2J4t-gLtGN4dXEBD0Q9tEtAOq1KjY7rRtLlwAQpm/s320/MalcolmXIncendiaryCartoon6-64.jpg" width="282" /></a></div>
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Last on this from <i>Black Brothers, Inc.</i>:<br />
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When Malcolm and his bodyguards
arrived at a Philadelphia radio station for an interview on December 29<sup>th</sup>,
a crew from Temple 12 met them, and fought with Malcolm’s guards in their
effort to get at him. A police detective happened to be in the area, and
managed to break up the fistfight. The crew sent to attack Malcolm was led by
Sterling X. Hobbs, a gangster who was usually called upon when the need for
physical force was expected. Hobbs would make headlines a decade later, but for
now his importance was tied to Jeremiah Shabazz. He was close to Shabazz and
thus the attack on Malcolm suggested that Shabazz had allied with Elijah Muhammad
against his former friend and roommate. Another article in <i>Muhammad Speaks</i>
predicted that 1965 would be “a year in which the most outspoken opponents of
the Honorable Elijah Muhammad will slink into ignoble silence.” Malcolm X took
the threats seriously, and told anyone who knew him that his life was in
danger. His concerns were validated on February 14<sup>th </sup>when his house was firebombed. Malcolm
survived and continued to speak out against Elijah Muhammad. On February 21<sup>st</sup>,
he was on the stage again, about to speak, when he was shot dead. Elijah
Muhammad expressed no sympathy for Malcolm’s death, stating instead that
“Malcolm died according to his preachings. He preached violence and violence
has taken him away.”</blockquote>
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So, while it is true people like Jeremiah Shabazz and
Sterling X. Hobbs would play key roles in the history of Philly’s Black Mafia,
and Malcolm X had an important and then troubling time in Philadelphia, there
is no evidence the syndicate had any role in the slaying. Given the complicated and controversial subject matter, I easily understand the confusion and the questions.</div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Black-Brothers-Inc-Violent-Philadelphias/dp/1903854369/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4K3slIT4Dw3Y-JdaZVOAfBUf3e5vTiPaKeo7WSNeYvdIiUrJ-JAvXvyu-pDA_h6WUOhdrzaA2sAfNvDFBeqyJLzuRcIYnS0vz7eZie0BfedxeqAkCiMBLrwNo1YXo00ECAoCzHHQ66mYG/s1600/Black-Brothers-Inc-cover-682x1024.jpg" /></a></div>
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<br />Sean Patrick Griffin, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09634829613521863612noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1092756431920750147.post-83393861282942330782020-02-25T16:02:00.000-05:002020-02-25T16:02:02.336-05:00VICE Sports piece featuring Jimmy Battista on the NBA Betting Scandal<br />
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">As I type in
late February 2020, this VICE Sports piece featuring former pro gambler Jimmy
Battista (of <a href="http://nbascandal.blogspot.com/">NBA betting scandal</a>
infamy) has been viewed 1,592,424 times on YouTube since it was posted in late
November 2018.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/MZOLwxCStAc/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MZOLwxCStAc?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I was aware
of this project before and during its development. There are reasons I
wasn't involved and why I haven't commented on it since it aired more than a
year ago. Since it now has more than 1.5 million views on YouTube, and especially
because I keep getting asked about it, here are a few quick points:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">* Needless
to say, quite literally every aspect of this piece is examined in far greater
detail and with supporting evidence in my <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Gaming-Game-Betting-Scandal-Gambler/dp/1569804443/">Gaming
the Game: The Story Behind the NBA Betting Scandal and the Gambler Who Made It
Happen</a></i> (Barricade, 2011).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">* I am
sympathetic to the producers who attempted to do a complicated story in such an
incredibly abbreviated format (12 mins)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">* Seeing PI
Flagg state Tim Donaghy has a "photographic memory" is rich - Donaghy
has repeatedly said (starting with his sessions with the feds in 2007) he doesn’t
even know what games he bet on during the scandal<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">* The
editing, especially re Battista's regrets, is poorly done and misleading<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Gaming-Game-Betting-Scandal-Gambler/dp/1569804443/" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1118" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Pw2U3p7De_yYNlvxl06mpRwCRwG6dZDcS0JXlxVvFRuwDH-wBVxVH1CiD7u3u0Gkpp7k6Mg8Wac_JufrHt9eTG_oCqSlesjNWvART1kDl1QjE8a0qqPHPR3N3RG2RZ9o5KuWXBET6Mm0/s400/GTGcoverforsocialmedia.png" width="277" /></a></div>
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<br />Sean Patrick Griffin, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09634829613521863612noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1092756431920750147.post-25678533227763197712020-01-02T14:35:00.000-05:002020-01-02T17:22:25.531-05:00Why Former NBA Referee Tim Donaghy is Disreputable<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
In late 2019, I was asked if I “hated” Tim Donaghy following
<a href="http://seanpatrickgriffin.blogspot.com/2019/12/sports-media-is-willingly-allowing-its.html" target="_blank">my ongoing criticisms of his media appearances</a>. I’ve engaged in hundreds of conversations regarding
the NBA betting scandal over a decade and yet no one had ever posed that
question to me about the former referee.
After quickly explaining I do not “hate” Donaghy (in truth, it never
occurred to me to bother), I realized people apparently don’t know why he is
disreputable.</div>
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Here, then, are the major problems with using Tim Donaghy as
a stand-alone, unverified source.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There
are two inter-related issues with Donaghy: he has a lengthy documented history
of (1) telling <i>demonstrable</i> falsehoods concerning matters of importance
and (2) troubling behavior.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><a href="http://donaghypersonalfouls.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Donaghy Falsehoods</a></b><b><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Beyond the <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Gaming-Game-Betting-Scandal-Gambler/dp/1569804443/" target="_blank">objective data (betting lines and records)</a>, there’s also a vast universe of <i>informed</i>
people who explain there are many crucial Tim Donaghy assertions which are
either incorrect or outright falsehoods about the scandal and related matters.<o:p></o:p></div>
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This universe of Donaghy detractors (on the NBA betting
scandal alone) includes:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<li>his co-conspirators</li>
<li>many pro gamblers (including some who cooperated
with the govt)</li>
<li>FBI agents (including SSA Phil Scala, whom
Donaghy loves to [improperly] cite)</li>
<li>prosecutors</li>
<li>Judge Carol Bagley Amon, etc.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></li>
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Anyone familiar with my years of work on the scandal knows
how much time I have spent on this consequential issue (see., e.g., my latest
commentary <a href="http://seanpatrickgriffin.blogspot.com/2019/12/sports-media-is-willingly-allowing-its.html" target="_blank">here</a>).<br />
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There are also major longstanding personality issues with
Donaghy…<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><a href="https://nbascandal.blogspot.com/2011/05/why-i-never-attempted-interviewing-tim.html" target="_blank">Troubling Donaghy Behavior</a></b><b><u><o:p></o:p></u></b></div>
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Have you noticed that in a span of a decade you haven't heard
people who know Donaghy say “I can’t believe what he admitted to/has been
convicted of doing; that seems so unlike him” or “He’s such a great person” or
“I feel so bad for him” and the like?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>With that in mind, here is a sampling of issues involving Donaghy over
the years (and please note, as I explain in <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Gaming-Game-Betting-Scandal-Gambler/dp/1569804443/" target="_blank"><i>Gaming the Game</i></a>, some of these matters informed and influenced decisions in
the federal NBA betting scandal investigation and prosecution):</div>
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<span style="font-family: "symbol"; text-indent: -24px;">· </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Notorious for his temper and “short fuse” dating
at least to high school straight through the NBA scandal when a federal
official described him as “a fucking loose cannon”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "symbol"; text-indent: -0.25in;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Arrested for allegedly threatening a mail
carrier (charges of disorderly conduct, harassment, and stalking were dropped
when the carrier didn’t appear in court)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "symbol"; text-indent: -0.25in;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Sued by neighbors for harassment and invasion of
privacy (suit was dropped, but Donaghy was suspended from his country club as a
result of his actions)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "symbol"; text-indent: -0.25in;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Another neighbor said Donaghy “was so bad you
can’t imagine…The guy had a personality problem from Day One, with 99% of
people” with whom Donaghy came in contact. “Unless everything went his way…he
just became a flaming maniac”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "symbol"; text-indent: -0.25in;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">The Mayor of his township said Donaghy had “a
very dictatorial personality, a very aggressive personality”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "symbol"; text-indent: -0.25in;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Donaghy’s off-court behavior so troubled the NBA
they sanctioned Donaghy by prohibiting him from working a round of playoffs one
season</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "symbol"; text-indent: -0.25in;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Donaghy’s wife, soon after filing for divorce,
requested a restraining order because he allegedly threatened to “knock [her]
head off [her] body when he was “enraged, out of control” (matter was dropped
when wife didn’t appear in court)</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Please also consider what reporters looking into these circumstances
have discovered when they reached out to former Donaghy teammates, classmates,
colleagues, and associates...</div>
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<span style="font-family: "symbol"; text-indent: -24px;">·</span><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: -24px;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">"every teammate, classmate, or associate
contacted…by the [Delco] Daily Times either chose not to comment on Donaghy or
didn’t return phone calls…While there are those empathetic to Donaghy and his
gambling-related plight, many others consider his a karmic downfall"</span></div>
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<span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; text-indent: -24px;">·</span><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: -24px;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">“several sources described him as fairly
unpopular with his peers, past and present…From his Philly basketball roots to
his peers in the NBA, Donaghy isn’t described with much affection”</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Donaghy’s troubling behavior has continued and he has privately
and publicly lashed out against many parties, making baseless claims in the
process.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He also – unsolicited -
publicly mocked his ex-wife’s appearance in response to a 2019 ESPN article
about the scandal:<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjah6-0_xFkiBTEWwu25QV5owG0N8LD3XW0dxnjIw3FcB-6zfLLOApzL4kKoiNy4xeu6G-985xOFggLShOMB_DVC1vvjLs0bEk3L2IA7fZKJvFfv090Q7vz0qPuCF5Edxnt4r3vrINSTu0k/s1600/Donaghytweetreexwife.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="609" data-original-width="588" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjah6-0_xFkiBTEWwu25QV5owG0N8LD3XW0dxnjIw3FcB-6zfLLOApzL4kKoiNy4xeu6G-985xOFggLShOMB_DVC1vvjLs0bEk3L2IA7fZKJvFfv090Q7vz0qPuCF5Edxnt4r3vrINSTu0k/s320/Donaghytweetreexwife.png" width="308" /></a></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4bBI1q-pH-Ou50kwophl8YpBpRw0_EBXPJBczC8t0j44S7BKcc_mFC8aEWhyphenhyphenGhVT7XmGwZo6yw4V4VRIp7R3S94v1Gka2GLZvqJsMnF5Lxn79Zuf36650UIW4q6wwOzi64JA1iQpVpeJq/s1600/Donaghytweetreexwife2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="210" data-original-width="570" height="117" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4bBI1q-pH-Ou50kwophl8YpBpRw0_EBXPJBczC8t0j44S7BKcc_mFC8aEWhyphenhyphenGhVT7XmGwZo6yw4V4VRIp7R3S94v1Gka2GLZvqJsMnF5Lxn79Zuf36650UIW4q6wwOzi64JA1iQpVpeJq/s320/Donaghytweetreexwife2.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />
So, with the collective decades-long evidence of lies and
falsehoods and frauds, along with an unreal history of troubling personal
behavior*, you can hopefully understand why many people like me can’t understand the
routine, often genteel, manner in which some media personalities treat the discredited
and disturbed Donaghy.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
spg<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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*I haven’t humored above other issues such as Donaghy admitting
having someone take his SATs for him, allegedly cheating on his wife, allegedly
using prostitutes and drugs with co-conspirator Tommy Martino during the
scandal (as Martino claims), in addition to repeatedly defrauding his employer, etc.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Sean Patrick Griffin, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09634829613521863612noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1092756431920750147.post-23359976235375901812019-12-24T08:23:00.000-05:002019-12-24T08:23:41.856-05:00 Sports media is willingly allowing its audiences to be suckered by former NBA referee Tim Donaghy (again) and Philly’s Mike Missanelli is Exhibit AAs someone then deep into the research and writing about the
2003-07 NBA betting scandal, I purchased former NBA referee Tim Donaghy’s book
when it was published in 2009.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also
listened to many of his related interviews at the time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Almost immediately, I realized it was simply
the latest Donaghy con job, and couldn’t believe practically no one in the
media caught onto the hustle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instead,
the vast majority of the media actually facilitated Donaghy’s scam!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As a white-collar crime researcher with an interest in
literary frauds, I have often referred to Donaghy’s book as the sports version
of James Frey’s now-infamous <i>A Million Little Pieces</i> (made popular by
Oprah Winfrey, first exposed by <a href="http://www.thesmokinggun.com/documents/celebrity/million-little-lies" target="_blank"><i>The Smoking Gun</i></a>).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because many
sports media hosts have uncritically accepted Donaghy’s myriad <i>demonstrable</i>
falsehoods, enabling and assisting his con, I have on occasion attempted to
correct the record.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After all, this is
one of the most significant scandals in the history of U.S. sports.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I began documenting Donaghy’s ongoing fraud
and related scams almost a decade ago and can imagine what someone like James
Randi experienced <a href="https://youtu.be/lTn0t_7pGZo" target="_blank">debunking hustlers like Uri Geller and Peter Popoff</a> years ago.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Interested parties can revisit some of these matters <a href="http://nbascandal.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">online</a> (see, e.g., my <i>evidence-based</i>
assessments of Donaghy’s claims broken down by <a href="http://donaghypersonalfouls.blogspot.com/p/donaghy-claims-post-november-2009.html" target="_blank">outright falsehoods</a> vs <a href="http://donaghypersonalfouls.blogspot.com/p/donaghy-claims-post-november-2009-for.html" target="_blank">unsupported claims [likely to be falsehoods</a><span class="MsoHyperlink">]</span>; and my critiques
of his 2009-10 media appearances <a href="http://nbascandal.blogspot.com/2011/02/on-tim-donaghys-media-appearances-part.html" target="_blank">here</a>
and <a href="http://nbascandal.blogspot.com/2011/02/on-donaghys-media-appearances-part-two.html" target="_blank">here</a>).<b><span style="color: red; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">∞</span></b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One of the media personalities who gave Donaghy a forum to
hustle his audience in 2009 was <a href="https://975thefanatic.com/shows/mike-missanelli/about/" target="_blank">Mike Missanelli,of 97.5 FM The Fanatic in Philadelphia</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In fact, at the end of Donaghy’s (essentially fact-free and shrewdly
ingratiating) appearance, host <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKgSSPxy2ww" target="_blank">Missanelli wished Donaghy good luck</a>, adding, “I hope your life evolves to the point where you really
can be proud of it.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Among dozens of insulting and offensive Donaghy appearances
over the past decade, Missanelli’s “interview” was among the most
problematic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Missanelli is a former
journalist for the <i>Philadelphia Inquirer</i> and a law school graduate, and
listeners are told they can expect something more than the standard sports
radio talk show shock jock shtick.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Indeed, Missanelli recently admonished someone on Twitter in this
regard, <a href="https://twitter.com/MikeMiss975/status/1190624675828830208">stating</a>,
“Obviously, u haven’t heard my interviews, so one day you’ll learn,” while his
on-air colleague tweeted, “Mike doesn’t just ‘interview’, he cross-examines.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Given all the above, I was eagerly anticipating <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/former-nba-ref-tim-donaghy-discussed-his-scandal-his/id280736131?i=1000455709547" target="_blank">Missanelli’s 11/1/19 interview of Donaghy and his lifelong friend/ NBA betting scandal co-conspirator Tommy Martino</a> as they promoted Martino’s dubious film, <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/inside_game"><i>Inside Game</i></a>.<b><span style="color: red; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">*</span></b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What follows is an evidenced-based review of the vital
claims Donaghy (and to a far lesser extent, his fellow conspirator/convicted
fraudster Martino) made to Missanelli and his audience. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As you’ll see, nothing has changed since 2009
when it comes to Missanelli’s command of/regard for the facts.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
For starters, Missanelli had Donaghy and Martino in the
studio together, which should have afforded golden opportunities to expose the
many consequential issues and contradictions between them over what transpired
during the scandal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps the easiest
string of questions which should have been asked concerns <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8591260/" target="_blank">the film’s official description</a>,
which reads (<b>emphasis</b> added):<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="background: #fbfbfb; color: #333333;">In 2007, when NBA referee Tim <b>Donaghy</b>
(Eric Mabius) got caught betting on games he worked, he <b>said two men
associated with the Gambino crime family - a bookie named Baba Battista (Will
Sasso) and a drug dealer named Tommy Martino (Scott Wolf) - threatened to kill
his family if he didn't give them gambling picks.</b> <b>That's what Donaghy
told the FBI, that's what he told 60 Minutes, and that's what he testified in
court. But that's not what really happened. That's not even close.</b> INSIDE
GAME is the untold true story of one of the biggest scandals in sports history.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i><span style="background: #fbfbfb; color: black;">You are reading that correctly</span></i><span style="background: #fbfbfb; color: black;">.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The promo for the Martino film explicitly
states Donaghy lied about matters of vital importance for more than a decade.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Was it too much to expect host Missanelli to
alert his audience to this, and to then inquire about this fundamental
curiosity – with Donaghy and Martino feet from him, no less? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If I had to guess, Missanelli and his crew
were wholly unaware of these fundamentals (along with much else, as you’ll
discover).</span><span style="background: #FBFBFB;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="background: #fbfbfb; color: black;">Please find below the most consequential matters about
which Missanelli’s audience was (again) misinformed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Anyone really paying attention will notice
the questions are, themselves, predicated on Donaghy’s false narrative
(Missanelli appears unaware of this, too).</span><span style="background: #FBFBFB;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-right: .5in;">
<span style="background: #fbfbfb; color: black;">The Donaghy-Martino appearance began with this exchange:</span><span style="background: #FBFBFB; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
(1:33) MM: “Alright, here’s the story, in case you don’t know
the story, but it’s pretty well known.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>You [TD] provided inside info to gambling buddies off, primarily, a
referee’s master list that came out in the morning, knowing the tendencies of
certain refs. And the inside information you got on injuries and edicts from
the League on how to balance calls, and you used that information to provide at
first to a golfing buddy… Primarily you knew of referees’ tendencies to not
like certain players or coaches and hence the calls would go against those
particular guys, and that was one of your major assets in winning bets, right?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
(2:37): TD: “Oh, absolutely and we won at like an 80% clip.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="background: #fbfbfb; color: black;">You will
note host Missanelli doesn’t say the above is <i>Donaghy’s</i> (self-serving) story;
it is presented to his audience as <i>the</i> story (i.e., as though its
fact-based history).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And herein lies the
problem with the entire appearance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Missanelli is clearly unaware all of Donaghy’s key assertions have been debunked.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>About this exchange, listeners should know
Donaghy has always claimed he didn’t fix games and that his bets were instead
based on “inside information”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Furthermore, he argues he bet more on games he <i>didn’t officiate</i>
during the ’06-07 season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This would all
make sense, of course, if “inside information” accounted for his betting
interest and success, not his on-court behavior.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><a href="https://nbascandal.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="background: #FBFBFB; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">As I and others have explained in detail</span></a><span style="background: #fbfbfb; color: black;">, with the exception of a few bets in the 2006-07 season
(the last of the four NBA scandal seasons), <i>all the wagers were on games
Donaghy officiated</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The reason for
that is obvious – those were the games he could influence with his on-court
actions. The only reason professional gamblers learned of the scandal in the
2003-04 season was the outrageous winning percentage of certain bets <i>exclusively
on games Donaghy was officiating</i>. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
very few bets placed in ‘06-07 on non-Donaghy games were losers, and pro
gambler Battista thus stopped taking them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Sources for that? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pro gamblers, including
those who proffered with the government, Battista, AND TOMMY MARTINO, who also
cut a deal with the feds after perjuring himself in front of the grand jury; </span><a href="http://nbascandal.blogspot.com/p/gaming-game-story-behind-nba-betting.html" target="_blank"><span style="background: #FBFBFB; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">betting line data and betting records illustrate this clearly, also</span></a><span style="background: #fbfbfb; color: black;">).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span><span style="background: #FBFBFB; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="background: #fbfbfb; color: #333333;">The next area of Missanelli “inquiry”
concerned the following Donaghy staples, each of which was uttered without a
hint of evidence-based pushback from host Missanelli: (1) Donaghy decided to stop
betting on games he officiated with his golfing buddy Jack Concannon in 2006 but
then (2) “mob-connected” gambler Jimmy Battista (3) threatened him and his
family unless he began betting with Battista.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><i>Not one of these three items is true</i>, so let’s see how Missanelli
“probed” Donaghy and Martino (</span><b><span style="background: #fbfbfb; color: red;">emphasis</span></b><span style="background: #fbfbfb; color: #333333;"> added):<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
(2:46) TD: “We [Jack Concannon and I] stopped at one point
and Battista tricked Tommy into going down to the airport Marriott where I was
staying one time.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
(3:30) MM: “Alright now, Tommy, you’re the kind of the
go-between of this whole thing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Battista
is the <b><span style="color: red;">mob-connected guy</span></b>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How does he know that you [Donaghy] have this
expertise in picking these games?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
(3:36) TD: “Battista knows because they were watching what
Concannon was betting with Pete Ruggieri, so they knew.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
(3:37) MM: “So there was a bookie…” (overtalking)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
(3:38) TD: “There was a bookie named Pete Ruggieri that Jack
was going through, and they saw that we were winning an enormous amount of the
time so they started piggyback[ing] the bets and making a lot of money, so when
we would stop you know that’s when they wanted to continue to get the picks and
that’s when Battista went to Tommy.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
(4:02): MM “Alright, <b><i><span style="color: red;">they </span></i><span style="color: red;">strong arm you</span></b>, Tommy, and there’s this meeting
and, Tim, you are allegedly threatened by this <b><span style="color: red;">semi-mob-connected
guy</span></b> that if you don’t cooperate he’s gonna hurt your family?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
(4:16): TD “That, and he’s gonna, uh, ya know, possibly
expose the fact that I’ve been gambling, and my contract stated that I couldn’t
place a bet at any time.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
(4:23): MM “So he’s gonna dime you out, basically? Alright,
so now the <b><span style="color: red;">extortion</span></b> part is involved.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
(4:27): TD “Right, so either way I just felt like I was going
to lose my job so I was gonna roll the dice and provide picks for him for the
next three months [i.e., the rest of the NBA season].” <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
(4:35): MM “Now, people will look at this and go, ‘Okay,
that’s a big justification.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ya know this
<b><span style="color: red;">mob guy</span></b>’s involved, and that’s only
giving you an excuse to do what you what you’re really likin’ to do, anyway.’
How do you answer that?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
(4:52) TD: “I didn’t want to do it with Battista but I was
gonna lose my job if he went to anybody in<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>the NBA and said I had been gambling for years, uh, so it was something
ya know when he tricked Tommy into setting up the meeting that I agreed to do
it.” <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
(12:05) MM: “Let me ask you, Tommy, did you know you were
taking this guy [Donaghy] down the well? What were you feeling this whole time?
He's making the bets, we got this other <b><span style="color: red;">mob guy</span></b><span style="color: red;"> </span>over here, you know that his life is going to be in
ruin. What did you think your responsibility was? You grew up as friends.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
(12:20) TM: “Yeah, so Battista came to me and wasn't specific
as to why - <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the reason why - we had to
have a meeting with Donaghy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He just
said to me, ‘Tommy, Timmy’s in trouble. We need to meet with Donaghy next time
he's in Philadelphia.’ So, me being worried about Timmy, I said, ‘What the hell
did he do now?’, ya know?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So…I said ‘Tim,
when are you gonna be in Philly again?’ I didn't tell him about Battista. He
said, ‘They’re playing the Celtics this day,’ and I said, ‘Ayyight, I'm gonna
come down and see ya.’ <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the way down
Battista told me that he…Battista caught wind of the fact Timmy was betting
through Jack Concannon and Pete Ruggieri.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
(13:00) MM: “So you had to tell him that?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
(13:02) TM: “That's what Battista told me.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
(13:04) MM: “And that was it. You’re on the hook.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
(13:05) TM: “That was it. And we went in there and it was
different. Batista held up a napkin with ‘2k’ on it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And said, ‘Timmy, give me the games not Jack’.”
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: .5in;">
And one last point re “the mob”
threatening Donaghy came a bit later (<i>emphasis </i>added):<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
(16:00) MM: You quote a <b><span style="color: red;">mob capo</span></b><span style="color: red;"> </span>in your book, Mike Franzese, who has since reformed
himself and become a born again Christian or whatever and his message to you
because you communicated with him was that <b><i><span style="color: red;">you're
always going to be looking over your shoulder</span></i></b>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do you feel that?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
(16:16) TD: For sure. I mean, I think I definitely feel that
way.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Whew!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Where to begin <a href="http://nbascandal.blogspot.com/2011/02/on-mob-and-nba-betting-scandal.html" target="_blank">debunking this utter nonsense</a>? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps the
best way for someone like Missanelli to understand the core problem here is to
pose him this question: “Would you ask Philadelphia Eagles coach Doug Pederson if
he is ‘always looking over his shoulder’ in fear of ‘the mob’?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why, then, ask Donaghy?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The only reason – like all else with this
narrative – is because Missanelli bought Donaghy’s self-serving bs in the first
place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Indeed, the predicate of the
entire appearance and “interview” starts with Donaghy’s misinformation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Missanelli is apparently unaware these
matters were vetted by federal authorities (who LOVE hyping organized crime
cases, by the way, especially in New York, where this case originated), and
resolved in court (not to mention the considerable follow-up research by many
data-driven folks).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The feds never
discussed this as an organized crime case (in court docs/proceedings or in the
press), and they never viewed it as an extortion case.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This level of historical ignorance in the
media is a problem.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My goodness, <a href="http://nbascandal.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">we have known all of this for a decade</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As a brief refresher: Judge Carol Bagley Amon (1) described
the conspiracy among Donaghy, Battista, and Martino as a business “arrangement”,
before she (2) added that Donaghy was “more culpable” than his co-conspirators
(not exactly what you’d hear if Donaghy was an extortion victim, which is why
Battista was never even charged with extortion).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Furthermore, following his proffer sessions
and guilty plea negotiations, the government wrote that <span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Donaghy <span style="background: white; color: #333333;">“has never taken the position that he was anything other than
a willing participant in the scheme with Battista and Martino, and, before
them, with Jack Concannon.”</span> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is
Missanelli aware of <i>any</i> of this?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Want more details about this specific absurdity?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Okay, please consider this…especially given
current events.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Since Donaghy is out hyping Tommy’s MARTINO’s film WITH MARTINO,
perhaps it might be enlightening to see what MARTINO told the FBI about the
above.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The following are from FBI 302
summaries of MARTINO interviews contained in his confidential FBI file (again,
recall he proffered with the government after he got caught perjuring himself
in front of the grand jury).<span style="mso-no-proof: yes;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-no-proof: yes;">Actual</span></i><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-no-proof: yes;"> context re that
December 2006 meeting at the PHL Marriott between Donaghy, MARTINO, and
Battista (“Baba”) occurred, according to MARTINO?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-no-proof: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 31.5pt; margin-top: 0in;">
<b><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-no-proof: yes;">“Donaghy complained that
Concannon was not giving him any money so he wanted to start giving picks to
Baba.”<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">What about Battista allegedly threatening Donaghy, according to
MARTINO? (<i>emphasis</i> added)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<b><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-no-proof: yes;">“Martino never heard Baba threaten Donaghy in any
way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Martino had the impression that <i>Donaghy
wanted to provide the picks to Baba for Donaghy’s own financial gain</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Martino was not aware of Baba ever
threatening Donaghy that he was going to hurt Donaghy or tell the NBA about the
betting.”<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">On this consequential matter, you should also know that when
Donaghy was released from prison in 2009 and hyping his book, </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n08PA__ZK9Y" target="_blank"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">he referred to MARTINO as a “Gambino Crime Family member/associate” who threatened him and his family</span></a><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When it suited his purposes </span><span style="color: #222222; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">(garnering
attention for business interests, minimizing his culpability in the scheme,
inviting sympathy)</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">, Donaghy said Battista <i>and MARTINO</i> (men he knew for years)
were mobsters, assuming – correctly – the media wouldn’t pause to consider the
FBI and other law enforcement agencies never made such claims (despite an
interest and motive to do so if it was remotely plausible).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">When Martino recently approached Donaghy with an offer to help market
Martino’s 2019 film, Donaghy altered his talking points to split Martino from
Battista; now Martino, too, was a mob extortion <i>victim</i> and no longer a
“Gambino Crime Family <i>member/associate</i>” doing the threatening.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And Martino is clearly willing to allow
Donaghy to spout his nonsense as long as it helps the film project.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I have chronicled </span><a href="http://seanpatrickgriffin.blogspot.com/2019/03/my-comments-on-espn-magazine-piece_21.html"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">elsewhere</span></a><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">, this is now
at least the fifth Martino version of events (starting with his perjurious
testimony before a grand jury), each suited to the needs of the moment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hopefully at some point people will grasp the
latest scam going on with these two.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Oh, and since folks like Missanelli believe “the mob” threatened
Donaghy, which of course according to Donaghy was the reason for his 2006-07
NBA season crimes, please also know the following.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Instead of being “relieved” pro gambler Battista went into rehab
(as Donaghy claims – after all, now “the mob” wasn’t making him fix/bet his
games so he stopped!), here is what <i>really</i> happened.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Battista went into rehab for addiction to
prescription pills on 3/18/07.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
scheme continued, however, simply with a different pro gambler, Pete Ruggieri (often
wrongly identified, as in this “interview”, as a “bookie”).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like Battista, Ruggieri isn’t a mobster
whatsoever, and like Battista he never threatened Donaghy to keep</span>
fixing/betting games he officiated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once
Ruggieri correctly assessed the scheme after a handful of games officiated by
Donaghy (betting lines were moving considerably – word was out the games were
being fixed), <i>Ruggieri shut the scheme down</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Source for that?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pete Ruggieri.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don’t believe Ruggieri (who, like Donaghy, Martino,
and other pro gamblers, cooperated with the feds)?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Here are the relevant portions of what MARTINO told the FBI:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<b>“Around March 2007, Baba went into drug rehab.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At that point, [Donaghy] told Martino that he
wanted Martino to continue the scheme with Pete Ruggieri.”<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And (<i>emphasis</i> added)…<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<b>“After Ruggieri decided to shut the scheme down, <i>Donaghy
pushed Martino to take one more game</i>.”<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If the media did its job they would notice Battista’s plea
deal is for activities through <i>March</i> 2007 (when he went into rehab),
while everyone else’s plea agreements are for activities through <i>April</i>
2007.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now you know why.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is simply a shrewd, self-serving Donaghy
lie “the mob” was involved at all, much less that it accounted for Donaghy’s
crimes in the ’06-07 season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If Donaghy
is looking over his shoulder for anything, it shouldn’t be for “the mob” it
should be for a conscience.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Incredibly there is much more demonstrably absurd discussion
in the 26-minute Donaghy-Martino appearance on Missanelli’s 11/1/19 show (e.g., retired
FBI SSA Phil Scala’s supposed comments, Martino denying he was the source of
the info re Donaghy’s alleged Las Vegas mistress, Donaghy’s book, Donaghy’s
alleged addiction, the FBI and NBA investigations, etc.), but you get the
point.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
While I am open to the possibility media types like
Missanelli may be aware of Donaghy’s falsehoods but consciously ignoring them
for content, clicks, and ratings, I don’t believe that is what is
happening.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Missanelli is clearly unaware
of everything penned above, even though the information has been available for
years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I would love to know what the
career hustlers could have said to Missanelli on air which would have <span style="background: #fbfbfb; color: black;">sufficiently troubled him, causing him to realize this was
all bs and alerting his audience to this reality.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: #fbfbfb; color: black;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: #fbfbfb; color: #333333;">With the evidenced-based critique
of the Missanelli interview of Donaghy and Martino behind us, let’s return to
host Missanelli ironically boasting of his probing interviewing skills.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just in case you think this is being
overstated, here is what one of his broadcast team members tweeted about the
appearance:</span><br />
<span style="background: #fbfbfb; color: #333333;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZm9r0EWUrbk7eOJhsevDi8TB5_2098YmYCLkaxswGGeJfRGgicRVp_Ovl9pl7KnDXcnJpeY8AF1G9-Ox-B3o3dKbnMv_9APJSozfkLyEsq3ExjUoCXY-KrQiGyLFUmEhrDszvwCG2C6Tw/s1600/EgenolfMissanelliDonaghytweet.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="536" data-original-width="605" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZm9r0EWUrbk7eOJhsevDi8TB5_2098YmYCLkaxswGGeJfRGgicRVp_Ovl9pl7KnDXcnJpeY8AF1G9-Ox-B3o3dKbnMv_9APJSozfkLyEsq3ExjUoCXY-KrQiGyLFUmEhrDszvwCG2C6Tw/s320/EgenolfMissanelliDonaghytweet.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: #fbfbfb; color: #333333;">It is sad to say, but I don’t
believe this is radio shtick.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rather,
all evidence points to this radio crew (like plenty of others) being wholly
unprepared for an <i>evidenced-based</i> interview, and thus the result was allowing
Donaghy to manipulate and hustle their audience (again).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Indeed, after the 11/1/19 Donaghy appearance,
Missanelli boasted he “just about cross-examined him.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: #fbfbfb; color: #333333;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: #fbfbfb; color: #333333;">The Missanelli interview disgrace
is unfortunately the rule with Donaghy's numerous media appearances, and I have yet to see
an evidence-based exception in this round of attention.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That
Missanelli is a former journalist and law school grad promoting himself as a
serious analyst on a major platform, however, arguably makes it worse.</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: #fbfbfb; color: #333333;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">spg<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: red; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">∞</span></b> I went on to publish <a href="https://nbascandal.blogspot.com/p/gaming-game-story-behind-nba-betting.html" target="_blank"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">a critically-acclaimed and best-selling book</span></a><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> on the scandal, along with presenting my
findings at academic conferences and training law enforcement professionals,
attorneys, etc. on the matter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span>My work was also cited in a formal statement before the U.S. House Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade hearing in 2016.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: red; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">*</span></b><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I was invited by the producers to take part in
the Martino film.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once I grasped the
scam, I turned it down without hesitation - they made it
very clear historical accuracy was irrelevant and that profit, however
achieved, was the only goal. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Martino reached out personally to Battista, who turned the
opportunity from his old friend down for the same reasons I did.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unbeknownst to me until very recently,
Battista was approached later for him to accept a fee to promote the film.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Want to guess who reached out - <i>on
repeated occasions</i> - offering a fee to Battista, the “Gambino Crime Family
member/associate” Tim Donaghy continues to say threatened him and his family in
2006?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yep - Tim Donaghy!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Battista turned the money down again, of
course, but not before Donaghy offered his early take on the film to Battista,
texting, “Just an FYI I watch the movie.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In my mind you are portrayed the best buy the actor that plays you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Me and Tommy come across as a little stupid
and dumb.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">How people don’t get that Donaghy is a con artist (</span><a href="https://nbascandal.blogspot.com/2011/05/why-i-never-attempted-interviewing-tim.html" target="_blank"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">and worse</span></a><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">) is a
mystery to me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps it is because
prominent personalities like Mike Missanelli continue offering the discredited and disturbed Donaghy
a comfortable, inviting forum, which implicitly affords Donaghy legitimacy and
lends credibility to his bs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<br />Sean Patrick Griffin, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09634829613521863612noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1092756431920750147.post-83096317663076318912019-12-08T06:23:00.001-05:002019-12-08T06:23:49.665-05:00Boxing legend Muhammad Ali with Philly Black Mafia heavyweights Nudie Mims and Shamsud-din Ali<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I recently came across this amazing photo (<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BuzgrH7HTeX/" target="_blank">via@ meccapolis IG</a>). Boxing legend
Muhammad Ali is flanked (l-r) by Philly Black Mafia legends Shamsud-din Ali and
Nudie Mims (supposedly in 1980). <o:p></o:p></div>
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Mims, also known as Ameen Jabbar, died in prison in 2012
while serving a life sentence for his role in one of the city’s most infamous
crimes. In 1971, Mims and some of his
Black Mafia confederates robbed DuBrow’s Furniture Store in South Philly,
killing one employee and setting many others on fire. (The robbery/murder/arson is discussed @12:45
in the <a href="https://vimeo.com/106876875" target="_blank">2007 BET American Gangster episode,“Philly Black Mafia: ‘Do for Self’</a>.”)
The Ali photo was likely taken while Mims was briefly out of prison following the
May 1980 PA State Supreme Court granting of a retrial. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Mims would soon be re-arrested after police executed a search warrant and discovered cocaine, a Thompson machine gun, an Israeli Army Uzi
submachine gun, strainers, scales, and other drug-related equipment in his apartment. When back in prison, Mims was crucial to
major heroin deals in the Philadelphia area, working with Black Mafia and
Italian-American organized crime figures.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Shamsud-din Ali (then known as Clarence Fowler) served time
in prison for murder in the early 1970s until his conviction was
overturned. While in Philly’s notorious
Holmesburg Prison, Fowler (like Mims years later in equally-infamous Graterford
Prison) was an influential figure inside the institution and on the
street. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Shamsud-din Ali garnered national attention in 2005 when he
was convicted of various racketeering charges in a massive federal corruption
probe in Philadelphia which originated with a drug investigation. He was sentenced to approximately 7 years in
prison and was released in 2013. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Fowler’s/Ali’s ties to the boxing world have spanned
decades, as I have documented elsewhere.
As many know, his daughter Lakiha (“Kiki”) is married to another boxing
legend, Mike Tyson.<o:p></o:p></div>
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For more on these fascinating and complicated circumstances,
see <a href="http://seanpatrickgriffin.blogspot.com/2016/06/muhammad-ali-and-philadelphias-black.html" target="_blank">my earlier post on Muhammad Ali and Philadelphia’s Black Mafia</a> and/or:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br />Sean Patrick Griffin, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09634829613521863612noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1092756431920750147.post-30011980245921040482019-03-21T08:08:00.000-04:002019-03-23T09:19:05.065-04:00My comments on the ESPN the Magazine piece about Tim Donaghy and the 2003-07 NBA betting scandal - Part II<b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Some comments about my involvement with the ESPN piece and my work on the NBA betting scandal</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">This is <span style="font-family: inherit;">the definitive</span> account of how Tim Donaghy conspired to fix NBA games -- and how, in so doing, he unwittingly enriched an array of gamblers to the tune of likely hundreds of millions of dollars.</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #48494a; text-indent: 0.5in;">From the </span><i style="color: #48494a; text-indent: 0.5in;">ESPN the Magazine</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #48494a; text-indent: 0.5in;"> article</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">The texts from friends and colleagues began within hours of “The
Boardroom Issue” of <i>ESPN the Magazine</i>’s
release in mid-February. Phone calls and
emails soon followed joined by many more texts, and the correspondence only
abated several days later: “Have you seen the article about Tim Donaghy/the NBA
betting scandal? They stole your material/they didn’t give you enough credit!” The internet and social media are littered
with a smattering of these sorts of reactions as well. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">When Scott Eden first contacted me in July 2017, I was of
the impression ESPN wished to discover new aspects of the scandal as the 10<sup>th</sup>
anniversary approached, and that my work (including and especially <a href="http://nbascandal.blogspot.com/p/gaming-game-story-behind-nba-betting.html" target="_blank"><i>Gaming the Game: The Story Behind the NBA Betting Scandal and the Gambler Who Made It Happen</i></a> [Barricade, 2011])
would serve as the foundation of the new research/angles. It never occurred to me in the
year-and-a-half of assisting Scott that the finished product would be (1) a repeat
of my work (2) offered as his/ESPN’s.</span><br />
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The never-before-told inside story of how Tim Donaghy conspired to fix NBA games. More today at 1pm ET on ESPN <a href="https://t.co/iL4ybfBWJr" target="_blank">https://t.co/iL4ybfBWJr</a></div>
— Outside The Lines (@OTLonESPN) <a href="https://twitter.com/OTLonESPN/status/1097837619415842817?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">February 19, 2019</a></blockquote>
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In 2007, NBA ref Tim Donaghy pleaded guilty to betting on games he officiated.<br />
<br />
It was never proved that he fixed them — until now: <a href="https://t.co/V24WzIgO7N" target="_blank">https://t.co/V24WzIgO7N</a></div>
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) <a href="https://twitter.com/SportsCenter/status/1097867031741911043?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">February 19, 2019</a></blockquote>
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"You wanna get paid? Then you gotta cover the f------ spread."<br />
<br />
This is the never-before-told inside story of how Tim Donaghy conspired to fix NBA games: <a href="https://t.co/6p4Tohv3vV" target="_blank">https://t.co/6p4Tohv3vV</a></div>
— ESPN (@espn) <a href="https://twitter.com/espn/status/1097858406726201344?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">February 19, 2019</a></blockquote>
As someone <a href="https://news.psu.edu/story/208640/2005/09/06/research/book-ties-phillys-violent-mob-past-modern-day-corruption-probe" target="_blank">actively engaged in public scholarship</a> who routinely criticizes the media for poor
reporting, I always feel obligated to assist persons who at least seem they’re
taking the time to “get it right” (a glimpse of <a href="http://www.citadel.edu/root/images/05-2018_Sean_Patrick_Griffin_Vita.pdf" target="_blank">my CV</a> will illustrate the dozens of media entities I have assisted hundreds of
times the past 20+ years). Thus, I was
glad to offer my insights and assistance when Scott reached out to me. Unfortunately, the results of such
well-meaning and often time-consuming endeavors are not always satisfactory. In this case,
beyond <span style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="https://seanpatrickgriffin.blogspot.com/2019/03/my-comments-on-espn-magazine-piece_21.html" target="_blank">the factual and contextual errors</a></span>, there is the issue of intellectual property. The reason so many people privately contacted
me and others posted online (including a few media folks [please see immediately below]) is because not a thing of
significance re the scandal offered in the article was new, and all of it was
detailed far more extensively in <i>Gaming
the Game</i> (predictably so – it’s a book, of course).</div>
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They did allude to it, but I felt like <a href="https://twitter.com/spgauthor?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@spgauthor</a> really didn't get his fair shake as being the guy who truly broke most of the details on this story... <a href="https://t.co/YEIR7UWOEz" target="_blank">https://t.co/YEIR7UWOEz</a></div>
— Gill Alexander (@beatingthebook) <a href="https://twitter.com/beatingthebook/status/1098250601350086658?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">February 20, 2019</a></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 107%;"><u>Note</u>: Gill Alexander interviewed me about <i>Gaming the Game</i> years ago, and <a href="https://twitter.com/beatingthebook/status/1100401971226234880" target="_blank">the audio was re-posted</a> in reaction to the fallout from the ESPN piece. You will note how many items and themes
present in the February 2019 ESPN piece are discussed in the June 2011
Alexander interview of me.</span><br />
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Somewhere in our discussion, I determined that <a href="https://twitter.com/TrueHoop?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TrueHoop</a> is essentially the Carrie Mathison of NBA analysis. It'll make sense once you listen to the Full 48, I promise. Here's Henry on tanking, Donaghy, competitive balance and the state of the NBA union:<a href="https://t.co/co4mO6cTFp" target="_blank">https://t.co/co4mO6cTFp</a> <a href="https://t.co/hbPZqiPksm">pic.twitter.com/hbPZqiPksm</a></div>
— Howard Beck (@HowardBeck) <a href="https://twitter.com/HowardBeck/status/1101479040412725248?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">March 1, 2019</a></blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><u>Note</u>: Henry Abbott, founder of ESPN’s popular TrueHoop blog,
<a href="http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/24898/donaghy-scandals-ringleader-speaks" target="_blank">reviewed <i>Gaming the Game</i> for ESPN.com</a> when
it was released in 2011. </span><br />
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Hey that's great, but the Battista-Donaghy-fixing story was laid out in thorough detail in the 2011 book Gaming The Game by <a href="https://twitter.com/spgauthor?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@spgauthor</a>: <a href="https://t.co/QPPObxphql" target="_blank">https://t.co/QPPObxphql</a> <a href="https://t.co/fjMyy1ZtyR">https://t.co/fjMyy1ZtyR</a></div>
— M. Haubs (@mhaubs) <a href="https://twitter.com/mhaubs/status/1097911480266108928?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 19, 2019</a></blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><u>Note</u>: M. Haubs was formerly part of ESPN’s TrueHoop network
of blogs, and he wrote <a href="http://thepaintedarea.blogspot.com/2011/02/gaming-game-new-book-on-donaghy-scandal.html" target="_blank">a comprehensive review of <i>Gaming the Game</i></a>
when the book was published in 2011.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: small;">Adding insult to injury, I was disappointed hearing </span><a href="https://www.wakr.net/personalities/sam-bourquin/item/164234-sam-and-brad-show-podcast-02-20-19" target="_blank">Eden recently tell a radio audience</a><span style="font-size: small;"> the NBA betting scandal was “…</span><b>this big story that never really got
gigantic treatment</b><span style="font-size: small;">. There was one
very good book about the subject called </span><i>Gaming
the Game</i><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><b>told largely from one of
the guys’ perspectives, Jimmy Battista</b><span style="font-size: small;">.
But, otherwise, </span><b>there were still
these unsolved mysteries</b><span style="font-size: small;">.” Each of
the </span><b>bolded</b><span style="font-size: small;"> aspects in that very
brief quote is wildly inaccurate.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Regarding <i>Gaming the
Game</i> being “told largely…from (Battista’s) perspective,” Eden knows this is
not remotely true, in part because the book so <i>overtly</i> relies on volumes of hard data (confidential law
enforcement files, court documents, betting records, betting line data) and on
other interview subjects (Assistant U.S. Attorneys, FBI agents, various law
enforcement personnel, pro gamblers, sportsbook managers, gambling experts,
Battista allies <i>and adversaries</i>, and
others) – as explicitly detailed in the book’s source notes and in the acknowledgments
- and especially because I was interviewed by Scott extensively on many
occasions (in addition to significantly assisting him in other fashions). For those unfamiliar with me, my research
always relies first on primary source documents. The study of organized crime is replete with
poorly-sourced history and sociology, and thus my <a href="http://occlassics.blogspot.com/2009/12/quotes-from-classic-organized-crime.html" target="_blank">audiences always hear me speaking about the importance of data and of sourcing</a>. <a href="https://abington.psu.edu/story/5174/2011/02/17/abington-professors-new-book-exposes-nba-betting-scandal" target="_blank">Undergraduate and graduate students actually learn research methods in my classes</a>, and
the <a href="http://www.citadel.edu/root/criminaljustice-faculty/193-academics/schools/shss/criminaljustice/22682-sean-griffin" target="_blank">law enforcement professionals, lawyers, and accountants who attend my various training sessions</a> hear these basic points about this regardless of seminar
topic. To offer a sense of how seriously
I view this issue, the first version of my <a href="http://seanpatrickgriffin.blogspot.com/p/black-brothers-inc-violent-rise-and.html" target="_blank"><i>Black Brothers, Inc: The Violent Rise and Fall of Philadelphia’s Black Mafia</i></a> (Milo, 2005) had <a href="http://seanpatrickgriffin.blogspot.com/2017/08/notes-section-of-black-brothers-inc.html" target="_blank"><i>104 pages of endnotes in 8-pt, single-spaced font</i></a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">And regarding “unsolved mysteries,” a reading of <i>Gaming the Game</i> will demonstrate no
mysteries were solved in the ESPN article.
As <a href="https://art19.com/shows/vsin-best-bets/episodes/95b8ac95-ad40-4131-98b6-295430f20576/embed?stretch=true&type=artwork" target="_blank">I explained to Gill Alexander and his VSIN radio audience</a>, the ESPN piece is
entertaining and well-written, and thus worth a read; the issue is simply that
I sacrificed much detailing this long ago and the material is presented as
Eden’s/ESPN’s own. Gill and I agreed
that the relatively little new material, especially the reaction of NBA referees
to the scandal and ESPN’s attempt at reviewing Donaghy’s 06-07 game calls, was
interesting, but it was mere trivia compared to the bulk of the article discussing
most fundamental aspects of the complicated and significant story – all of
which had already been told in greater depth and with much-needed context.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Lastly, regarding “this big story which never got gigantic
treatment,” <i>Gaming the Game</i> received
considerable media attention and wide-spread critical acclaim (see, e.g.,
below), and the book made various best-seller lists in 2011 (see, e.g., <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424053111904265504576566651840148420?mod=_newsreel_5" target="_blank">this from the Wall Street Journal</a>):</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><u>Formal reviews of <i>Gaming the Game</i>:<o:p></o:p></u></b></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">"impeccably
researched...insightful...[Griffin's] street-wise writing sounds anything but
academic...After reading 'Gaming the Game,' you'll never watch an NBA contest
the same way again."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">Las
Vegas Review-Journal</span></i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br />
"[Griffin] straddles the line between academic and storyteller, cop and
journalist...[<i>Gaming the Game</i>] will blow your mind."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 10.0pt;"> <i>Philadelphia
Magazine</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br />
"An exhaustively researched book threatening to overturn some <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">comfortable assumptions
about the NBA's referee scandal ...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">[<i>Gaming the Game</i>]
delivers the intrigue you'd expect from <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">a true crime
thriller" <i> </i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: right;">
<i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">ESPN.com's
True Hoop</span></i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br />
"Offers a fascinating look into the Donaghy scandal ...
intriguing" <i> </i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: right;">
<i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">Philadelphia
Daily News</span></i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br />
"[This] important new book ... offers a full picture of how <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">the world of big-time
sports gambling operates" <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 10.0pt;"> <i>The Painted Area</i> (an
official ESPN.com NBA blog)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">"A book you can bet
is worth reading...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">fascinating...a complete
effort"<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">Delaware
County (PA) Daily Times</span></i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">"Few people are as
qualified as Griffin to write this book...[his] scholarly background is
evidenced in his research, which is flawless, a remarkable feat considering the
subject matter...If you've ever wanted to know how the big-money betting outfits
work, this is the book for you. If you've ever wondered about the true story
behind the Tim Donaghy scandal and how much of the truth are we being told,
this is also the book for you. Griffin gives readers the best of both worlds
with Gaming the Game. His academic background ensures that readers will get all
of the information that they need, but he is also a gifted story teller and
writes in a way that will have you glued to the pages. This is easily one of
the best books ever written about the sports betting scene and will give you a
first-hand look at the biggest scandal to ever hit the NBA."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: right;">
<i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">About.com</span></i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">"Griffin curates FBI
files, interviews, statistics and court documents, providing a narrative so
vigorous and complex that readers are practically courtside. The cast of
characters -- bookies, refs, cops, and the infamous Donaghy -- come to life
like players in a true crime novel"<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: right;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 10.0pt;"> <i>Biographie<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: right;">
<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">"a tremendous
read...fascinating...gripping...a must read for any bettor serious about the
global marketplace...by far the most believable [account of the NBA betting
scandal]"<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: right;">
<i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">Covers.com</span></i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br />
"If you've ever wondered what the REAL story was behind Tim Donaghy and
the NBA betting scandal, this is a must read...If you're interested in sports
betting, you won't be able to put [<i>Gaming the Game</i>] down"<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: right;">
<i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">Bettors
World</span></i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">"compelling [and]
many leveled...the research behind <i>Gaming the Game</i> is
impressive...Griffin’s knowledge of the crime scene in and around Philadelphia
illuminates <i>Gaming the Game</i>...He's a fluid, crisp writer and an A-1
historian of crime [who] combines an eye for human detail with the ability to
convey broad social themes." <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: right;">
<i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">Blogger
News Network</span></i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">"An outstanding read
that might make you change the way you view professional sports."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: right;">
<i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">Beyond
the Bets</span></i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br />
"A riveting story...fascinating...just a great book."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: right;">
<i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">Pregame.com</span></i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br />
"Griffin's investigation into big time gambling is fascinating...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">Highly Recommended"<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: right;">
<i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">Gambling
Book and News</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u>Other praise for
the work:</u></b><br />
<br />
"A great read...Go pick up a copy of <i>Gaming the Game</i>" - <a href="http://www.csnphilly.com/sportsnetPhiladelphia/search/broadcast/michael-barkann.htm" target="_blank">Michael Barkann</a>, <a href="http://www.csnphilly.com/" target="_blank">Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia</a> /<a href="http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/station/610-wip/" target="_blank">Sportsradio
94WIP</a><br />
<br />
“An exhaustive study…The ultimate rejection of Tim Donaghy’s lies…I highly
recommend you grab this book” – <a href="http://www.csnnw.com/pages/dwightjaynes" target="_blank">Dwight Jaynes</a>, <a href="http://www.csnnw.com/pages/main" target="_blank">Comcast SportsNet
Northwest</a><br />
<br />
“Remarkable…A must-read, especially for NBA fans…Great research…Griffin does a
great job of exposing Tim Donaghy…fascinating” – <a href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=chad%20doing&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CB4QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.chaddoing.com%2F&ei=jPWqTuyxLOW90AG9wuypDw&usg=AFQjCNHVQTL5KJ2bmfmJBEuCZBklxl2X4A&cad=rja" target="_blank">Chad Doing</a>, “<a href="http://750thegame.com/pages/blog_chad/" target="_blank">The Morning
Sports Page</a>” program on <a href="http://750thegame.com/pages/main" target="_blank">95.5FM/750AM The Game</a> (Portland)<br />
<br />
“Outstanding…You’ve got to see this book…fascinating” – “<a href="http://www.espnspartanburg.com/shows/open-mic-daily/" target="_blank">Open
Mic Daily</a>” program on <a href="http://www.espnspartanburg.com/" target="_blank">97.1FM/1400AM ESPN Radio</a> (Spartanburg)<br />
<br />
“Heavily researched, heavily footnoted…The definitive book on the NBA betting
scandal” – <a href="http://blogswithballs.com/about/speakers/john-karalis-bio/" target="_blank">John Karalis</a> (<a href="http://redsarmy.com/" target="_blank">Red’s Army</a>)<br />
<br />
“Absurdly fascinating” – <a href="http://www.1080thefan.com/Isaac-s-blog/8308297" target="_blank">Isaac
Ropp</a> of the “<a href="http://www.1080thefan.com/pages/3215755.php" target="_blank">Primetime with Isaac and Big Suke</a>” program on<a href="http://www.1080thefan.com/" target="_blank">1080 The Fan, ESPN Radio</a> (Portland)<br />
<br />
“Great stuff” – <a href="http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/personality/dom-giordano/" target="_blank">Dom Giordano</a>, <a href="http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/station/talk-radio-1210/" target="_blank">1210
WPHT The Big Talker</a>(Philadelphia)<br />
<br />
“A terrific book…I enjoyed it immensely” – <a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/thesportsrabbi" target="_blank">Joshua Halickman</a>,
“<a href="http://sportsrabbi.com/" target="_blank">The Sports Rabbi</a>”<br />
<br />
“A fascinating read” – “<a href="http://www.joxfm.com/showdj.asp?DJID=31498" target="_blank">The Opening Drive</a>” program on <a href="http://www.joxfm.com/default.asp" target="_blank">Jox 94.5FM</a>(Birmingham)<br />
<br />
“I couldn’t put this book down” – Greg Rasheed, 88.5FM/1390AM <a href="http://www.kgnu.org/index.html" target="_blank">KGNU</a> (Boulder/Denver)<br />
<br />
“A fantastic read…fascinating stuff” – <a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/MikeRichardsTSN/" target="_blank">Mike Richards</a>,
“<a href="http://www.twitter.com/MikeRichardsTSN/" target="_blank">The Mike
Richards Show</a>,” <a href="http://www.tsn2.com/radio/" target="_blank">TSN
Radio</a><br />
<br />
“Very comprehensive” – <a href="http://theprogramkc.com/Bios.aspx" target="_blank">Soren Petro</a>,”<a href="http://theprogramkc.com/" target="_blank">The Program</a>,” <a href="http://www.810whb.com/" target="_blank">Sports Radio 810 WHB</a> (Kansas City)<br />
<br />
“Really interesting…well-researched…fascinating” – <a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/adamlevitan" target="_blank">Adam Levitan</a> (<a href="http://www.metro.us/philadelphia/columnist/622635--sweet-fantasies" target="_blank">Metro columnist</a>, <a href="http://www.rotoworld.com/" target="_blank">Rotoworld</a> NFL/NBA writer)</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“A must read…Very interesting” – Pat Williams, <a href="http://tv.donbest.com/" target="_blank">Don Best TV</a><br />
<br />
“I strongly urge people to go out and get this book…really
fascinating stuff “ – <a href="http://www.gillalexander.com/" target="_blank">Gill Alexander</a> (“<a href="http://pregame.com/pregamepros/pro-bettor/bettor.aspx?id=22960" target="_blank"> The Betting Dork</a>,” <a href="http://www.pregame.com/" target="_blank">Pregame.com</a>)<br />
<br />
“Fascinating…well-written…illuminating” – <a href="http://www.artistfirst.com/crimebeat.htm" target="_blank">Crime Beat</a><br />
<br />
“Fascinating stuff” – “<a href="http://www.fan590.com/onair/primetimesports/" target="_blank">Prime Time Sports</a>” program on<a href="http://www.fan590.com/" target="_blank"> SportsNet Radio 590</a> (Toronto)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br />Sean Patrick Griffin, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09634829613521863612noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1092756431920750147.post-46655065852053401352019-03-21T08:04:00.000-04:002019-03-23T09:14:24.246-04:00My comments on the ESPN the Magazine piece about Tim Donaghy and the 2003-07 NBA betting scandal - Part I<span style="font-family: inherit;">As someone who has spent hundreds of hours researching the
NBA betting scandal over a decade, including the publishing of <a href="http://nbascandal.blogspot.com/p/gaming-game-story-behind-nba-betting.html" target="_blank">a critically-acclaimed and best-selling book</a> on the subject, I have informed
thoughts on the recent <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">ESPN the Magazine</i>
article<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">,</i> <a href="http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/25980368/how-former-ref-tim-donaghy-conspired-fix-nba-games" target="_blank">“How former ref Tim Donaghy conspired to fix NBA games”</a> by Scott Eden.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rather than humoring repeated media
inquiries, I am opting instead to post here for everyone to conveniently reference.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I offer my insights in two sections: (1) a
substantive critique of the article’s content (below); and (2) a commentary on my
involvement with, and reaction to, the piece <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">(<a href="https://seanpatrickgriffin.blogspot.com/2019/03/my-comments-on-espn-magazine-piece.html" target="_blank">here</a>).</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: yellow; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><u>Disclaimer</u>: Starting in July 2017, I assisted Scott
Eden extensively on the piece, but never knew what he was writing and saw the
article – in any fashion - for the first time only after it was published.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong><span style="background: white; color: #48494a; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Some
comments on matters of substance</span></strong><strong><span style="background: white; color: red; font-size: 10.0pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 107%;">1</span></strong><strong><span style="background: white; color: #48494a; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> (in order of significance, not in
order of appearance):<o:p></o:p></span></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong><span style="background: white; color: #48494a; font-weight: normal;">1. <u>Eden wrongly states the FBI and NBA concluded Tim Donaghy didn’t
fix games</u> (</span></strong><strong><span style="background: white; color: #48494a;">emphases</span></strong><strong><span style="background: white; color: #48494a; font-weight: normal;"> added):<o:p></o:p></span></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong><span style="background: white; color: #48494a; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 40.5pt; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: white; color: #48494a;">For 11 years, the official plotline
has been that Donaghy was a rogue, gambling-addicted ref who made some bets on
his own games -- and nothing more. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The
NBA conducted its own investigation and concluded that Donaghy, in fact, did
not fix games</b>.</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">and<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: 40.5pt; margin-right: 40.5pt; margin-top: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #48494a; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11.0pt;">A few weeks later,
four days after the <em><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Post</span></em> story broke, David Stern gave his first news
conference. His messaging was clear: Donaghy was a rogue. He'd acted alone.
This was an episode of gambling, yes, but almost assuredly not match-fixing.
"Indeed," Stern assured the assembled media, "as a matter of his
on-court performance, he's in the top tier of accuracy."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: 40.5pt; margin-right: 40.5pt; margin-top: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #48494a; font-size: 11.0pt;">Stern's conclusion that Donaghy did not fix games
would be validated by the federal investigation.</span></b><span style="color: #48494a; font-size: 11.0pt;"> Donaghy, in August 2007, and Martino, in April 2008, would
plead guilty to two charges: conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to
transmit gambling information. Battista would cut a deal, pleading guilty in
April 2008 only to the charge of transmission of gambling information. Martino
would receive a year and Donaghy and Battista 15 months each in federal prison.
But while Donaghy would admit to betting on his own games in his plea
agreement, he would not admit to fixing games.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong><span style="background: white; color: #48494a; font-weight: normal;">These matters are so consequential and problematic I have posted </span></strong><a href="http://seanpatrickgriffin.blogspot.com/2019/02/on-fbi-and-nba-concluding-tim-donaghy.html" target="_blank"><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">a lengthy, stand-alone commentary on them</span></a><strong><span style="background: white; color: #48494a; font-weight: normal;">.<o:p></o:p></span></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong><span style="background: white; color: #48494a; font-weight: normal;">2. <u>Eden wrongly characterizes the December 2006 meeting between the
three co-conspirators as a “bribe” offered by pro gambler Battista to referee
Donaghy</u> (</span></strong><strong><span style="background: white; color: #48494a;">emphasis</span></strong><strong><span style="background: white; color: #48494a; font-weight: normal;"> added):<o:p></o:p></span></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong><span style="background: white; color: #48494a; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong><span style="background: white; color: #48494a; font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></strong><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #48494a;">The bribe was
only two dimes</span></b><span style="background: white; color: #48494a;">, $2,000 per game -- an outrageous
bargain. If the pick won, the ref got his two dimes. If the pick missed, the
ref owed nothing; Battista would eat the loss.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: white; color: #48494a;">I’m assuming most readers didn’t
catch – or thought nothing of - this, but words matter, especially in a
complicated story of historical significance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I first heard Eden describe the conspiracy this way in a call from him shortly
before publication, and my efforts to disabuse Scott of his curious misunderstanding
were unfortunately unsuccessful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/bribery" target="_blank"><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The legal definition of bribery</span></a><span style="background: white; color: #333333;"> includes the following key
criteria (<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">emphasis</b> added): <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: white; color: #333333;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit;">Bribery refers to the offering,
giving, soliciting, or receiving of any item of value as a means of <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">influencing the actions of an individual</b>…Proof
of bribery requires demonstrating a ‘quid pro quo’ relationship in which <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">the recipient directly alters behavior</b>
in exchange for the gift.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: white; color: #333333;">Please recall Donaghy was betting
on games he officiated for years before he convened with Battista to discuss <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">continuing his behavior</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="background: white; color: #48494a;">Martino
(who cooperated with the government) and Battitsa (who did not), each
independently described the meeting and the agreement as mutual between Donaghy
and Battista.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The federal government –
following Donaghy’s proffer sessions and plea agreement - did, too, which is
why prosecutors </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">wrote Donaghy “has never taken the position that he was anything
other than a willing participant in the scheme with Battista and Martino, and,
before them, with Jack Concannon.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: inherit; mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #48494a; font-family: inherit;">This is why Judge Carol Bagley Amon
stated of the conspiracy (<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">emphasis</b>
added):<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="background: white; color: #48494a; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">In December of 2006, defendants James Battista and Thomas
Martino approached Donaghy and informed him that they were aware that he had
been placing bets on NBA games, including games he had
refereed. Battista <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">proposed
an arrangement</b> whereby Donaghy would provide picks on NBA games to
Battista through Martino. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #48494a; font-family: inherit;">As she sentenced him, Amon added
Donaghy was “more culpable” than either of his co-conspirators.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<strong><span style="background: white; color: #48494a; font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;">3. <u>Eden prominently quotes perjurer Tommy Martino on the preeminent matter
of Donaghy fixing games without explaining this is “Martino version 4.0”</u>:<o:p></o:p></span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="background: white; color: #48494a; font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></strong></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<strong><span style="background: white; color: #48494a; font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;">ESPN.com highlights a Martino quote thusly:<o:p></o:p></span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="background: white; color: #48494a; font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></strong></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="background: white; color: #1d1e1f; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 107%;">"By six points either way. That's what he told me." </span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><cite><span style="background: white; color: #a5a6a7;">Tommy Martino on
how much Donaghy said he could influence an NBA game</span></cite><strong><span style="background: white; color: #48494a; font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></span></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<strong><span style="background: white; color: #48494a; font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></strong>
<strong><span style="background: white; color: #48494a; font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;">For those unaware, in the decade-plus since the scandal, Tommy Martino
has never come close to making such a bold claim – not to the FBI (during his
proffer sessions when his freedom was at stake) and not to the media (through
his attorneys or in the context of Donaghy exploiting Martino while Donaghy was
hyping his book).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Context Eden either
does not know or ignored matters greatly here.<o:p></o:p></span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="background: white; color: #48494a; font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></strong></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong><span style="background: white; color: #48494a; font-weight: normal;">I am certainly no fan or defender of Tim Donaghy; I have chronicled his
unreal off-court antics </span></strong><a href="https://nbascandal.blogspot.com/p/gaming-game-story-behind-nba-betting.html" target="_blank"><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">in print</span></a><strong><span style="background: white; color: #48494a; font-weight: normal;"> and </span></strong><a href="https://nbascandal.blogspot.com/2011/05/why-i-never-attempted-interviewing-tim.html" target="_blank"><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">on the web</span></a><strong><span style="background: white; color: #48494a; font-weight: normal;">, and </span></strong><a href="http://donaghypersonalfouls.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">have debunked his myriad demonstrable falsehoods</span></a><strong><span style="background: white; color: #48494a; font-weight: normal;"> hundreds of
times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, there is little reason
to believe this whopper of a Martino quote.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Here is the context Eden deprived his readers.<o:p></o:p></span></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong><span style="background: white; color: #48494a; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong><span style="background: white; color: #48494a; font-weight: normal;">I sarcastically refer to “Martino 4.0” above because this is at least the
4<sup>th</sup> different version of this co-conspirator’s statements on the
scandal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Martino 1.0 lied to the federal
grand jury, which resulted in him being charged with perjury.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In response to the outcome of version 1.0,
Martino 2.0 cooperated with the government, and during proffer sessions with
authorities offered his most valid, supportable version of events to date.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Martino 2.0 </span></strong><a href="https://nbascandal.blogspot.com/p/criminal-justice-specific-timeline-for.html" target="_blank"><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">then pleaded guilty to wire fraud, with authorities dropping theremaining charges (two for perjury, and one for transmitting wagering information – in consideration of his cooperation)</span></a><strong><span style="background: white; color: #48494a; font-weight: normal;">.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After he was released from prison, Martino 3.0
reunited with his old friend Donaghy (himself then a recently-released con),
and </span></strong><a href="https://nbascandal.blogspot.com/2011/05/former-nba-referee-tim-donaghys.html" target="_blank"><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">took to better aligning his version of events with Donaghy’s</span></a><strong><span style="background: white; color: #48494a; font-weight: normal;">.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because media folks were lazy and because
they didn’t have access to Martino’s confidential FBI statements, few realized
Martino 3.0 was arguing (perhaps for personal and/or financial reasons) against
Martino 2.0 on the preeminent matter of Donaghy fixing games.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Returning to the recent ESPN piece, we now
get Martino 4.0 incredibly telling Eden not only that he knew Donaghy was
fixing games but that Donaghy spoke with him about by how many points he could
influence a game and that certain games (blowouts) were unfixable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Eden does not tell his readers any of the
above about Martino’s ever-evolving versions, nor that Martino 4.0 is actively
involved in a business venture which would benefit greatly from Martino and the
scandal being discussed again (the venture, of course, would benefit from some
new sensational claim generating attention, such as Martino now offering a
damning quote for the first time).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instead,
the Martino narratives are offered as factual and the money quote is actually
highlighted as a pop-out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is wholly
unsurprising that when asked by Eden on when Donaghy allegedly uttered the
unbelievable quote, Martino can’t say:<o:p></o:p></span></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong><span style="background: white; color: #48494a; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="background: white; color: #48494a; font-family: inherit;">It took a second for me to
comprehend what Martino was telling me. "When did he tell you this?"
I asked. Martino couldn't remember, not exactly. "During all this
s---," he said.<strong><span style="font-weight: normal;"> <o:p></o:p></span></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<strong><u><span style="background: white; color: #48494a; font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;">4. On the curious case of retired FBI Supervisory Special Agent Phil
Scala<o:p></o:p></span></u></strong></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong><span style="background: white; color: #48494a; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></strong></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong><span style="background: white; color: #48494a; font-weight: normal;">Scala is quoted on the pre-eminent issues of (1) whether the FBI
“concluded” Donaghy didn’t fix games, and Scala (as he did when I interviewed
him approximately 10 years ago for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gaming
the Game: The Story Behind the NBA Betting Scandal and the Gambler Who Made It
Happen</i> [Barricade, 2011]) once more explained the FBI and US Attorney’s
Office refused to agree to a plea deal unless Donaghy acknowledged his on-court
performance was necessarily affected by his bets on games he officiated (i.e.,
the feds <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">never came close</i> to
concluding Donaghy didn’t fix games); and (2) why federal authorities accepted
they were not going to be able to conclusively <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">prove</i> Donaghy was fixing games (please see </span></strong><a href="http://seanpatrickgriffin.blogspot.com/2019/02/on-fbi-and-nba-concluding-tim-donaghy.html" target="_blank"><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">here</span></a><strong><span style="background: white; color: #48494a; font-weight: normal;"> for my assessment of this).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Predictably,
for those unfamiliar with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gaming the Game</i>,
this Scala quote in the ESPN article re: Donaghy fixing games was especially remarkable:<o:p></o:p></span></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong><span style="background: white; color: #48494a; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="background: white; color: #48494a; font-family: inherit;">"Donaghy says he never threw a
game," Scala told me. "But you know what? That never really flew with
us." According to Scala, his and the FBI's position has always been that
Donaghy's deals with Concannon and Battista irrevocably "tainted" his
capacity for officiating, even if only subconsciously. (This notion even found
its way into the Pedowitz report itself.) Scala recalls that he and Donaghy
went around and around on the issue. "I said to him, 'Listen, don't tell
me that you have some independent, decision-making ability in your mind's
computer that's going to be unbiased, because that's not going to f---ing
happen. All those gray-area decisions you have to make, Tim? Because you're
betting on the game, your judgment is off -- and you threw the game.'"<strong><span style="font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></span></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong><span style="background: white; color: #48494a; font-weight: normal;">The quote was considered so newsworthy that in </span></strong><a href="https://official.nba.com/nba-response-espn-tim-donaghy-story/" target="_blank"><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">its formal statement on the matter the NBA wrote</span></a><strong><span style="background: white; color: #48494a; font-weight: normal;">:<o:p></o:p></span></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong><span style="background: white; color: #48494a; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The ESPN Article includes several quotes from named and
unnamed individuals. But these statements conflict with other evidence in
the record and in many cases are based on speculation. For example:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: 1.0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">• ESPN quotes Phil Scala, a retired FBI agent who was part
of the government’s investigation, as saying Donaghy’s claim that he did not
manipulate games “never really flew with us.” But in 2009, Scala wrote a
foreword to a book authored by Donaghy in which Scala characterized Donaghy’s
cooperation as “unconditionally truthful” and stated that Donaghy “confess[ed]
his sins, [took] full responsibility for his actions, pa[id] his debt to society,
and [found] the humility to completely display his past vices.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong><span style="background: white; color: #48494a; font-weight: normal;">Many interested parties were confused by Scala’s seemingly conflicting
stances re: Donaghy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For example, after
reading the NBA’s statement, </span></strong><a href="https://nba.nbcsports.com/2019/02/22/nba-emphasizes-its-investigation-never-concluded-tim-donaghy-didnt-fix-games/" target="_blank"><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Dan Feldman of NBCSports.com asked a question</span></a><span style="background: white; color: #48494a;"> many have posed to me over the years (<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">emphasis</b> added):<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: white; color: #48494a;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: white; color: black;">…the league raises one question that
seems particularly relevant: <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Why did
former FBI agent Phil Scala vouch for Donaghy’s honesty then express doubt over
Donaghy’s claim he didn’t fix games?</b></span><span style="background: white; color: #48494a;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong><span style="background: white; color: #48494a; font-weight: normal;">Again, timing and context matter, and each is lacking in the ESPN piece.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I interviewed him for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gaming the Game</i>, Scala explained why he
initially believed Donaghy back in 2007</span></strong><strong><span style="background: white; color: #48494a; font-weight: normal;">:<o:p></o:p></span></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong><span style="background: white; color: #48494a; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">You always try to corroborate, but there are other things, but
there are other things you can’t corroborate that are “he-said-she said”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When you sign someone up, until something’s
proven to be a lie, you gotta go with the person who signs the agreement.</span><span style="color: red; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">2</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong><span style="background: white; color: #48494a; font-weight: normal;">The Scala foreword to Donaghy’s book (which importantly focuses
exclusively on the FBI probe and on Donaghy’s cooperation, and which makes no
assessment of Donaghy’s book or related claims) is technically accurate in
that, as far as Scala knew (or at least wanted to believe) Donaghy had
cooperated with authorities in good faith.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>As noted above and elsewhere, Scala (and his colleagues) had already
disagreed with Donaghy on the preeminent issue of game outcome influencing,
starting with Donaghy’s plea negotiations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In 2007, rather than viewing Donaghy as a manipulative hustler and liar,
Scala was humoring that Donaghy may somehow not have been <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">consciously</i> fixing games.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
is largely why the government’s plea deal included tortured language stating </span></strong>Donaghy
acknowledged that he “compromised his objectivity as a referee because of his
personal financial interest in the outcome of NBA games, and that
this personal interest might have subconsciously affected his on-court
performance.” <strong><span style="background: white; color: #48494a; font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></span></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong><span style="background: white; color: #48494a; font-weight: normal;">Please recall the FBI could not rely on the words of government
cooperator Tommy Martino (who only flipped after perjuring himself before the
grand jury) and had no access to the third co-conspirator, pro gambler Jimmy
Battista.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just as, if not more, significantly,
the FBI didn’t have access to Battista’s electronic betting records and never
researched betting line data.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Collectively,
then, there were little means available to assess the validity of Donaghy’s
claims.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is true Scala’s colleagues
didn’t share his confidence in Donaghy’s sincerity (and didn’t particularly
care for the manner in which Scala personally dealt with Donaghy), but Scala had
no factual basis (beyond the statements emanating from perjurer Martino’s
proffer sessions) to conclude Donaghy was spouting outright falsehoods.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What little Scala knew about the logistics of
the scandal as of the 2007 Donaghy plea deal largely remained when Donaghy
concluded his federal prison sentence and published his 2009 book.</span></strong><strong><span style="background: white; color: red; font-size: 10.0pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 107%;">3</span></strong><strong><span style="background: white; color: #48494a; font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></span></strong></span><br />
<strong><span style="background: white; color: red; font-family: inherit; font-size: 10.0pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></strong></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong><span style="background: white; color: #48494a; font-weight: normal;">Interested parties (such as Dan Feldman) may be shocked to learn that <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">since 2009</span> Scala has mocked or outright
debunked these key Donaghy claims: (1) </span></strong><a href="http://seanpatrickgriffin.blogspot.com/2019/02/on-fbi-and-nba-concluding-tim-donaghy.html" target="_blank"><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">the FBI concluded Donaghy didn’t fix games</span></a><strong><span style="background: white; color: #48494a; font-weight: normal;">; (2) </span></strong><a href="http://nbascandal.blogspot.com/p/gaming-game-story-behind-nba-betting.html" target="_blank"><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Scala (indeed, the FBI as an institution!) supports Donaghy’s version of events</span></a><strong><span style="background: white; color: #48494a; font-weight: normal;">; (3) </span></strong><a href="https://nbascandal.blogspot.com/2011/02/on-mob-and-nba-betting-scandal.html" target="_blank"><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“the mob” extorted him/forced him to bet on his own games/beat him in prison</span></a><strong><span style="background: white; color: #48494a; font-weight: normal;">; and (4) </span></strong><a href="https://www.philly.com/philly/hp/sports/20091210_Do_you_believe_disgraced_ref_Donaghy_.html" target="_blank"><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">the FBI planned to arrest other NBA referees (based on Donaghy’s insights) but the prosecuting US Attorney’s Office decided against it for political reasons</span></a><strong><span style="background: white; color: #48494a; font-weight: normal;">.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong><span style="background: white; color: #48494a; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></strong></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong><span style="background: white; color: #48494a; font-weight: normal;">Unfortunately, the majority of
the media have somehow missed practically all of this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong><span style="background: white; color: #48494a; font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<strong><span style="background: white; color: #48494a; font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;">spg<o:p></o:p></span></strong></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: white; color: red; line-height: 107%;">1. </span><span style="background: white; line-height: 107%;">This
brief list is far from exhaustive (e.g., I am described in the article as
a former Philadelphia Police detective; I was a police officer).<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: white; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: white; color: red; line-height: 107%;">2. </span><span style="background: white; line-height: 107%;">Scala added, "</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">You gotta go with the cooperator’s sincerity in things that are painful to him</span>, and there were a lot of things Donaghy told us that we felt he was being honest about." <span style="background: white; line-height: 107%;">Scala
was referencing Donaghy’s (shrewd, self-serving, and ingratiating) statements
about causing harm to his family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Donaghy’s
savvy tactics of (1) claiming gambling addiction and (2) expressing sorrow for
causing grief to his family - which collectively serve to distract from his
actions and to shield him from a more caustic grilling when presenting </span><a href="http://donaghypersonalfouls.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="background: white; line-height: 107%;">his many demonstrable falsehoods</span></a><span style="background: white; line-height: 107%;"> -
have become Donaghy staples, starting with </span><a href="http://nbascandal.blogspot.com/2011/02/on-donaghys-media-appearances-part-two.html" target="_blank"><span style="background: white; line-height: 107%;">his post-prison 2009 media appearances</span></a><span style="background: white; line-height: 107%;">.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: white; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: white; color: red; line-height: 107%;">3</span><span style="background: white; line-height: 107%;">. I
am only focusing on Scala because he is featured in the ESPN piece (which then
resulted in the NBA commenting on Scala).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I sense, however, many if not most journalists and news readers are
unaware Scala knows far less about the case than the agents, Harris (lead) and
Conrad, who conducted the probe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Comically, given Scala’s inflated role in the media about all this,
Scala discusses this himself in the foreword to Donaghy’s (<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_Hlk3771248"></a><a href="http://donaghypersonalfouls.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk3771248;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">factually-challenged</span></span><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk3771248;"></span></a><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk3771248;"></span>)
book.</span><strong><span style="background: white; color: #48494a; font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></span></strong></span></div>
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<br />Sean Patrick Griffin, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09634829613521863612noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1092756431920750147.post-31841518549946185202019-02-28T04:50:00.000-05:002019-02-28T06:21:22.863-05:00On the FBI and the NBA "concluding" Tim Donaghy didn't fix games<br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Let me first say…I CAN’T BELIEVE WE ARE STILL HAVING THIS
DISCUSSION (a full decade on, no less).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Listen to me. I’m
begging you. <i>Please listen to me:</i> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The FBI has never “concluded” Tim Donaghy didn’t fix games.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Neither has the NBA.<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">What prompts my tone and attitude about this are these passages
in the recent <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/25980368/how-former-ref-tim-donaghy-conspired-fix-nba-games">ESPN
the Magazine<span style="font-style: normal;"> piece</span></a></i> (<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">emphases</b> added):<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background: white; color: #48494a;">For 11 years, the official plotline
has been that Donaghy was a rogue, gambling-addicted ref who made some bets on
his own games -- and nothing more. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The
NBA conducted its own investigation and concluded that Donaghy, in fact, did
not fix games</b>.</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">and<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #48494a;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A few weeks later,
four days after the <em>Post</em> story broke, David Stern gave his first news
conference. His messaging was clear: Donaghy was a rogue. He'd acted alone.
This was an episode of gambling, yes, but almost assuredly not match-fixing.
"Indeed," Stern assured the assembled media, "as a matter of his
on-court performance, he's in the top tier of accuracy."<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: 40.5pt; margin-right: 40.5pt; margin-top: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #48494a;">Stern's conclusion that Donaghy did not fix games
would be validated by the federal investigation.</span></b><span style="color: #48494a;"> Donaghy, in August 2007, and Martino, in April 2008, would
plead guilty to two charges: conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to
transmit gambling information. Battista would cut a deal, pleading guilty in
April 2008 only to the charge of transmission of gambling information. Martino
would receive a year and Donaghy and Battista 15 months each in federal prison.
But while Donaghy would admit to betting on his own games in his plea
agreement, he would not admit to fixing games.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This is only the latest (albeit a rather high profile and
widely-disseminated) version of this simplistic ahistorical version of events,
which began long ago with lazy reporting before being <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQOdqxyFdaU">hyped in self-serving
fashion by Donaghy</a> (and the vicious cycle was complete when still <a href="https://nbascandal.blogspot.com/2011/02/on-tim-donaghys-media-appearances-part.html">more
lazy reporting promoted Donaghy’s nonsensical and demonstrably-false claims</a>).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Here, again, for clarity and before my comments, are the relevant
statements on the matter (in chronological order of appearance):<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Federal
government court filings:<o:p></o:p></span></span></u></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background: white; color: #242424;"><a href="https://www.justice.gov/archive/usao/nye/pr/2007/2007aug15.html">“Donaghy
compromised his objectivity as a referee because of his personal financial
interest in the outcome of NBA games."</a></span><span style="background: white; color: #48494a;"> </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">(Donaghy
plea agreement, August 2007)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/04/sports/basketball/04refs.html">“There
is no evidence that Donaghy ever intentionally made a particular ruling during
a game in order to increase the likelihood that his gambling pick would be
correct.”</a> (Donaghy sentencing memo, May 2008)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="https://www.nba.com/media/PedowitzReport.pdf"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Donaghy has acknowledged
that he “compromised his objectivity as<o:p></o:p></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="https://www.nba.com/media/PedowitzReport.pdf">a referee
because of his personal financial interest in the outcome of NBA games, and
that this <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">personal interest might have
subconsciously affected his on-court performance</b>.”</a></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> (Donaghy
sentencing memo, May 2008, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">emphasis</b>
added)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://www.nba.com/media/PedowitzReport.pdf"><span style="color: windowtext;">The
NBA’s “Pedowitz Report” (October 2008)</span></a>:<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></b></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Donaghy has denied intentionally making calls designed to
manipulate games, and the government has said that it found “no evidence that
Donaghy ever intentionally made a particular ruling during a game in order to
increase the likelihood that his gambling pick would be correct.” Based on our
review, and with the information we have available, we are unable to contradict
the government’s conclusion. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">and<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">We have no reason to doubt the thoroughness of the
government’s investigation on which it based its conclusion. We
believe that the government would have been naturally skeptical of
Donaghy’s assertion that he did not go beyond exploiting “inside” information
and did not intentionally make calls to influence the outcome of games. Before <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">concluding that there was no evidence that
Donaghy intentionally made incorrect calls</b>, the government
investigators doubtless questioned Donaghy carefully about the specific
non-public information on which he based his picks, and his conduct while
officiating those sixteen games. Because the NBA provided video of games that
Donaghy officiated, the government also would have had the
opportunity to review these games and to cross-examine Donaghy ― and assess the
logic of his explanations and his demeanor. While we do not know what
Donaghy told the government, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">he clearly
convinced them that he had not manipulated these games</b>. (<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">emphases</b> added)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">and<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It seems plausible to us that Donaghy may not have manipulated
games. He likely had concerns about being detected. Because there were two
other referees on the floor, it was inherently risky for him to make <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">an intentionally incorrect call</b> or
non-call without being questioned or overruled by his crewmates. (emphasis
added)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Tim
Donaghy, following his stint in federal prison, reflecting on his plea
agreement’s tacitly-damning wording:<o:p></o:p></span></span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://www.philly.com/philly/hp/sports/20091211_Donaghy_reiterates_he_never_threw_games.html">“To
this day, I don’t understand what ‘subconsciously’ meant.”</a> (December 2009)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Retired FBI SSA Scala:<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://www.philly.com/philly/hp/news_update/20091207_Ex-referee_Donaghy_insists_bets_didn_t_influence_calls.html">“Watching
the tapes, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">we could see that there was
never something outlandish where you could see a foul or he omitted a foul</b>
because he wanted to see a certain team win.”</a> (December 2009, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">emphasis</b> added)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">As quoted in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="https://nbascandal.blogspot.com/p/gaming-game-story-behind-nba-betting.html">Gaming
the Game</a></i> re federal authorities refusing to a plea deal with Donaghy during
the summer of 2007 unless he admitted his bets <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">necessarily</i> impacted his officiating (February 2011):<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 40.5pt; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">…there was one considerable area of dissension between Donaghy
and his federal handlers. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Included in
the charging document was a line which read, “Donaghy also compromised his objectivity
as a referee because of his personal financial interest in the outcome of NBA
games.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Donaghy had insisted to
authorities that he knew so much “inside information” that he didn’t need to throw
or manipulate games.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Phil Scala says he
and his colleagues told Donaghy that even if this was true, “Once you bet on a
game you’re officiating, your judgment is impaired.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When your judgment is impaired, your decision
making is damaged.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Donaghy did not want
to concede this line of reasoning, says Scala.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>“We went back and forth with that a hundred times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He didn’t want to make that admission.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He would say, ‘You don’t know how easy it
was, blah, blah, blah’.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Thus, Scala’s comments in the recent ESPN piece are not all that
new or remarkable:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 40.5pt; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">…Scala, the FBI agent who pursued the case, has
doubts. "Donaghy says he never threw a game," Scala told me.
"But you know what? That never really flew with us." According to
Scala, his and the FBI's position has always been that Donaghy's deals with
Concannon and Battista irrevocably "tainted" his capacity for
officiating, even if only subconsciously. (This notion even found its way into
the Pedowitz report itself.) Scala recalls that he and Donaghy went around and
around on the issue. "I said to him, 'Listen, don't tell me that you have
some independent, decision-making ability in your mind's computer that's going
to be unbiased, because that's not going to f---ing happen. All those gray-area
decisions you have to make, Tim? Because you're betting on the game, your
judgment is off -- and you threw the game.'"</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">As I explained in detail in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://nbascandal.blogspot.com/p/gaming-game-story-behind-nba-betting.html">Gaming
the Game</a></i> and elsewhere, there were several reasons FBI case agents Harris
and Conrad – who for starters were: (1) based in New York; and (2) part of an organized
crime squad now being tasked with repeatedly traveling to the suburbs of Philly
to pursue a white-collar gambling case – soon (with Scala supervising) settled
on not more seriously pursuing the matter of whether Donaghy fixed games.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Importantly, please first recall the FBI didn’t
have access to the offshore betting records and didn’t research betting line
activity.<span style="color: red;">1</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also recall pro gambler
Battista didn’t cooperate with the government and fellow co-conspirator Martino
perjured himself before the grand jury and was thus a tainted source.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then recall Donaghy, in addition to adamantly
stating he didn’t fix games, claimed to not remember which games he bet nor
which sides, etc.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, <a href="http://nbascandal.blogspot.com/2009/12/60-minutes-on-donaghys-betting-success.html">just
stop and consider all of that for a moment and ask yourself how FBI agents were
supposed to assess whether Donaghy fixed games</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What games?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And, without betting info, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">even if</i>
you had specific games in mind, what would you assess without knowing on which
side he bet?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Against what evidence would
you compare your findings and/or his assertions?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Please note I haven’t yet mentioned the problems of having
FBI agents subjectively watching game tapes looking for dubious calls (also
realize agents were looking for <a href="https://nbascandal.blogspot.com/2011/02/donaghy-on-not-making-incorrect-calls.html">incorrect
calls</a>, not for technically-correct but relatively unusual ones called
strategically – please revisit Scala’s comments above); you don’t have to get
to that point to realize there was no way federal authorities could confidently
believe much less <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">conclude</i> Donaghy
was fixing games.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They knew this, too,
and once Donaghy acquiesced to acknowledging his on-court performance may have
been at least subconsciously affected by his bets, they were (in my view, properly)
satisfied to close up shop on the Tim Donaghy/NBA betting scandal and get back
to the real work in NYC of dealing with organized crime.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><a href="http://nbascandal.blogspot.com/2011/02/on-tim-donaghys-media-appearances-part.html">Donaghy
would shrewdly go on to exploit the naivete and ignorance of the media</a> (see,
especially, <a href="http://nbascandal.blogspot.com/2009/12/60-minutes-on-donaghys-betting-success.html">the
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">60 Minutes</i> disgrace</a>) along with much
of the public, using the ambiguous and tortured (however tacitly-damning) wording
in the government filings to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQOdqxyFdaU">boldly and repeatedly proclaim
some version of “The FBI did a thorough investigation and concluded I didn’t fix
games/make calls in a game to advance my bets/fix games”</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">As I was penning this post, <a href="https://official.nba.com/nba-response-espn-tim-donaghy-story/">the NBA
issued a formal release in response to the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">ESPN
the Magazine</i> piece</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In it,
incredibly (for reasons the public will find very interesting at some point),
the NBA explicitly states:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="background: rgb(248, 248, 248);"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Unfortunately, it is replete with
errors, beginning with its statement that the Pedowitz Report “concluded that
Donaghy, in fact, did not fix games.” The Pedowitz Report made no such
conclusion. Rather, the investigation found no basis to disagree with the
finding of the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office that “[t]here is no evidence
that Donaghy ever intentionally made a particular ruling during a game in order
to increase the likelihood that his gambling pick would be correct.” ESPN
ignores this important distinction.<span style="color: red;">2</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: #f8f8f8; color: black;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The official statement resulted in
headlines like this one from NBC Sports: <a href="https://nba.nbcsports.com/2019/02/22/nba-emphasizes-its-investigation-never-concluded-tim-donaghy-didnt-fix-games/">“NBA
Emphasizes Its Investigation Never Concluded Tim Donaghy Didn’t Fix Games”</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: #f8f8f8; color: black;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: #f8f8f8;">Reaction to the league's statement among many serious NBA betting scandal followers was some combination of shock and confusion</span>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Folks like me have been banging this drum for a decade – indeed, <a href="https://art19.com/shows/vsin-best-bets/episodes/95b8ac95-ad40-4131-98b6-295430f20576/embed?stretch=true&type=artwork">I
just made this point on VSIN with Gill Alexander days ago</a>. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In this regard, here is a <a href="https://nbascandal.blogspot.com/2010/05/another-newsworthy-appearance-for.html">blog
post I wrote on May 11, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">20</i></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: red;">10</span></i></b></a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can sense by my sarcasm it was already a
major source of frustration with me by then (the embedded links are to other
dated posts of mine on the subject):<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 40.5pt; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Another newsworthy appearance for former NBA referee
Tim Donaghy. He appeared on <a href="http://www.955thegame.com/index.php">95.5 The Game</a> (Portland) on
5/10/10, where the hosts of the <a href="http://www.955thegame.com/pages/6030220.php">Morning Sports Page</a> had
the audacity to reference analysis and official records in their insightful <a href="http://www.955thegame.com/play_window.php?audioType=Episode&audioId=4641728">interview</a>.<br />
<br />
Dozens of other sports radio hosts around the country are apparently not aware
they are allowed to do a modicum of research and to ask follow-up
questions. Among other things, the MSP hosts properly pointed out that <a href="http://nbascandal.blogspot.com/2009/12/60-minutes-on-donaghys-betting-success.html">the
FBI never "concluded" Donaghy didn't fix games</a>, and that there is
no supporting evidence for his claim that he won 70% to 80% of his bets.
Donaghy, himself, says he can't reproduce his betting propositions (sides,
lines, outcomes), so how could the FBI "confirm" anything re:
Donaghy's betting success rate? <a href="http://nbascandal.blogspot.com/2009/12/cbs-60-minutes-donaghy-preview-part-i.html">The
FBI doesn't even pretend to know how many games he bet</a> much less what
the propositions and their results were.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">To my knowledge, however, and as always I welcome any information to the
contrary, the 2/22/19 statement is the first time (publicly or privately) the
NBA has officially taken this position.<span style="color: red;">3</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Indeed, from what I have reviewed off and on since 2011 (especially
throughout the many hearings and depositions in the various legalization of sports
gambling-related matters), the NBA stuck to their guns making far more definitive
stances re Donaghy never fixing a game, etc.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>At a minimum, the NBA was perfectly comfortable – for a decade – allowing
the myths to persist of the FBI and the NBA each independently concluding Tim
Donaghy didn’t fix games.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Having gone through the focus of the above, namely whether or not
the FBI and/or NBA ever concluded Tim Donaghy didn’t fix games (one last
reminder - <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">they didn’t</i>), I wish to
end thusly:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Despite the tacitly-damning language in his plea deal and despite
the repeated comments of former FBI SSA Scala and other federal officials who
worked the case, Tim Donaghy insists he didn’t fix games.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Well…</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">his co-conspirators<o:p></o:p></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">pro gamblers (including several who profited from
the scheme)<o:p></o:p></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">electronic betting records<o:p></o:p></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">betting line data</span></span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">all say otherwise.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">spg<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: red;">1</span> For those new to my work on the NBA betting scandal, please
know perhaps my lone criticism of the FBI’s probe into whether games were fixed
or not is that they never considered assessing betting line data. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These data are publicly available and easy to
find (as opposed to electronic betting records, which would have required
considerable investigation and search warrants). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ideally, in my view, the agents should have
first done an assessment of line movement on Donaghy’s games in the ’06-07
season and compared them to all other games (as is done in the Appendix of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="https://nbascandal.blogspot.com/p/gaming-game-story-behind-nba-betting.html">Gaming
the Game</a></i>).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The agents would have
required only a modicum of sports gambling knowledge to easily see the absurd (and
telling) betting patterns on Donaghy’s games.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Once in possession of these objective data, they could have then pressed
Donaghy on his key assertions, namely that he (1) relied on inside information
to win his bets (as opposed to manipulating game outcomes with his officiating),
and that he thus (2) wagered on games officiated by others and was just as
successful in those bets as he was in those he officiated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unfortunately, the FBI didn’t do this and,
without any objective data and without gambler Battista’s cooperation or electronic
betting records, had little to no means to vet these crucial Donaghy
assertions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of note, it is true that
when co-conspirator Tommy Martino decided to cooperate with the government he
debunked these key Donaghy claims.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Problematically,
Martino had perjured himself before the grand jury (which is partly why he flipped)
and thus the FBI/USAO relying on his words on any matter of consequence would
have been imprudent.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: red;">2</span> In its recent statement on the ESPN the Magazine article, the
NBA continues to place great emphasis on its Pedowitz Report, <a href="https://official.nba.com/nba-response-espn-tim-donaghy-story/">noting</a>
the following in support of its findings (<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">emphasis</b>
added): <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 40.5pt; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background: #f8f8f8; color: black;">The Tim Donaghy matter concluded
over a decade ago with a full investigation by the federal government,
Donaghy’s termination from the NBA, and his conviction for criminal acts.
At the same time, at the request of the NBA, former prosecutor Larry Pedowitz
conducted an independent investigation of Donaghy’s misconduct and issued
publicly a 133-page report. This report was based on an extensive review
of game data and video <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">as well as
approximately 200 interviews, thousands of pages of documents</b>, and consultation
with various gambling and data experts.</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://nbascandal.blogspot.com/2009/12/prelude-to-my-formal-analysis-of-nbas.html"><span style="mso-field-code: " HYPERLINK \0022https\:\/\/nbascandal\.blogspot\.com\/2009\/12\/prelude-to-my-formal-analysis-of-nbas\.html\0022 ";">As
I noted soon</span> after the Pedowitz Report was released</a>, the report was
destined to be superficial for a few vital reasons. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not included among the interview subjects were
each of the scandal’s key figures – Donaghy and his co-conspirators; and the federal
government refused to share non-public information with the Pedowitz team.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Interested parties should also see my <a href="https://nbascandal.blogspot.com/2010/01/some-suggested-research-for-nba.html">“Some
Suggested Research for the NBA”</a> (an extended version of this appears in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="https://nbascandal.blogspot.com/p/gaming-game-story-behind-nba-betting.html">Gaming
the Game</a></i>).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: red;">3</span> This is why <a href="https://nbascandal.blogspot.com/2016/12/a-couple-of-comments-on-david-sterns.html">I
viewed it as so noteworthy</a> when, in 2016, former NBA Commissioner David
Stern was quoted about the Pedowitz Report saying, “…our own analysis didn’t
come to any particular conclusion.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Speaking of Stern, please recall that while still in his
position he was asked (at a press conference during the 2011 NBA All-Star Weekend)
about the findings presented in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gaming
the Game</i>, <a href="http://nbascandal.blogspot.com/2011/02/nba-commissioner-david-sterns-comments.html">resulting
in this exchange</a>:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://twitter.com/truehoop?lang=en">Henry Abbott</a>,
then the host of the <a href="http://www.espn.com/blog/truehoop">TrueHoop blog
network for ESPN</a>:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 40.5pt; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I don't know if you've seen this new book about the
Donaghy scandal, but having read it myself, three of the four conspirators have
said something on the record to somebody, and they are unanimous - the fourth,
by the way, is Donaghy himself - and they are unanimous that he was really good
at winning bets on games he officiated, really bad at winning bets on any other
games, and he was gambling on games since 2003 until he left the league and the
report that he looked at 16 games. How confident can we be that there are not
fixed games in the NBA?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Stern’s answer (<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">emphases</b>
added):<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 40.5pt; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I have not read the new book or seen it yet, although
I'm happy with each All-Star Weekend or Finals to present an opportunity <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">for a convicted felon to issue yet another
tome on his misdeeds</b>. So we'll see if there's anything new suggested,
Mr. Pedowitz will be asked to continue to review it as we have with each one
that has been published, because we want to make sure that we get to the bottom
of it all. But right now, I don't have any more information other than <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">I know you always confirm your sources; so
I commend you to confirming the convicted felon's sources</b>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After reading Stern’s
dodge (and insult) of an answer, I posted the following:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 40.5pt; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">As I have taken pains to point out explicitly in <a href="http://nbascandal.blogspot.com/p/gaming-game-story-behind-nba-betting.html">Gaming
the Game</a>, and others have already been quick to note (see, e.g., <a href="http://nbascandal.blogspot.com/2011/02/gaming-game-reviews.html">here</a>),
my new book would have been completed in the Spring of 2008 if the research
simply entailed interviewing pro gambler Jimmy Battista (as my wife and kids
will attest!). Thus, I am glad Stern at least noted that he had not seen
the book, because anyone who reads GTG will easily understand this
project absolutely consumed me for almost 3 years such that <a href="http://live.psu.edu/story/51345">little of the book rests solely on
Battista's words</a>.<br />
<br />
Readers may wish to know that although <a href="http://nbascandal.blogspot.com/2009/12/prelude-to-my-formal-analysis-of-nbas.html">Larry
Pedowitz</a> was gracious enough to humor my inquiries, the <a href="http://www.nba.com/">NBA</a> and the <a href="http://www.nbra.net/">National Basketball Referees Association</a> (NBRA)
each refused to entertain my correspondence on several occasions. Given
the correspondence and how much I was doing in this area of inquiry, it is difficult
for me to believe the Commissioner didn't at least have a rough idea of what I
had discovered in the course of interviewing federal law enforcement officials,
pro gamblers (beyond Battista) and others, in addition to reviewing
confidential FBI files, court documents, betting records and other objective
betting data. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">To my knowledge, as of February 2019 neither the NBA nor the
NBRA has ever publicly discussed the book’s findings.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A synopsis of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gaming
the Game</i>, along with dozens of review comments, can be found <a href="https://nbascandal.blogspot.com/p/gaming-game-story-behind-nba-betting.html">here</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://nbascandal.blogspot.com/p/gaming-game-story-behind-nba-betting.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="266" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-uLnVyo3O0nO4ycR8ULTC9mxWpv_JAC5XO-X9n2Ouj6sMdOyG8n9mOOgmKpeM-MN8xe7KcMKuA36HUuKiUpzwEZP3koFSu5yLDN4lJHp_YdWbDlf5FWJ1x5YjMerWpUNvTrQGRX7tAOf8/s320/GamingtheGame_cover.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">My years of extensive research on the NBA betting scandal, including
and especially beyond what is detailed in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="https://nbascandal.blogspot.com/p/gaming-game-story-behind-nba-betting.html">Gaming
the Game</a></i>, are chronicled and archived <a href="https://nbascandal.blogspot.com/">here</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />Sean Patrick Griffin, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09634829613521863612noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1092756431920750147.post-8399227108276151562019-02-24T10:43:00.000-05:002019-02-25T03:52:05.725-05:00Legendary Investigative Reporter and Obit Writer Jim Nicholson Dies at 76<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Anyone who has read any of my books on Philadelphia’s Black
Mafia knows the name Jim Nicholson. James
D. Nicholson’s crucial roles investigating and exposing the murderous syndicate
in the early to mid-1970s are always discussed, and my acknowledgment sections
always highlight his invaluable assistance to my work.</div>
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When I first began my research into PBM in the early 1990s,
I reached out to Nicholson in the hopes he could suggest leads and perhaps that
he had old news clippings. Little did I
know the sort of person Jim was, which meant from the very beginning – when he had
never heard of me, a young aspiring scholar – he couldn’t have been more
helpful re sharing his files along with his street and law enforcement sources. This quickly developed into a mentorship
which soon, despite our age difference, became a friendship which lasted more
than 20 years. There wasn’t a thing I
wrote of consequence that “Brother Nicholson” (as he half-jokingly liked to call
himself) didn’t see first for his assessment, and there wasn’t a topic –
personal of professional – about which I didn’t value his opinion. He remained interested and interesting
straight through the last time I spoke with him, and you couldn’t find someone
who was more helpful or more supportive.</div>
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I’ve been humbled and fortunate over the years to address
high school and college students about career advice and the like.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each of those audiences heard the name Jim Nicholson,
and those students will tell you they also heard me say I hope and try to be as
thoughtful and giving as he was.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He set the
standard as a mentor, as a colleague, and as a friend. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Rest in peace, Brother Nicholson. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And one last time: Thank you, Jim.<o:p></o:p></div>
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spg </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqgQyC-R8oeDpSf_BtHTFCQHw8Mj40p0FEht1rVn2yQHIwozPGYfQ1EKPOb3FSfea0uRAFcyA-t9Y0hVaHqVRzNxTjN0kIOKAhUVYtEgWK5-Q14bQFHUt0L4u5XzU1fMnAEWpreY2Kl9iW/s1600/PBMToday2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="586" data-original-width="426" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqgQyC-R8oeDpSf_BtHTFCQHw8Mj40p0FEht1rVn2yQHIwozPGYfQ1EKPOb3FSfea0uRAFcyA-t9Y0hVaHqVRzNxTjN0kIOKAhUVYtEgWK5-Q14bQFHUt0L4u5XzU1fMnAEWpreY2Kl9iW/s320/PBMToday2.JPG" width="232" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cover of Nicholson's history-making feature on Philly's Black Mafia <br />
in the Philadelphia Inquirer's TODAY section pullout, Summer 1973</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="590" data-original-width="423" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9GPz7CqVND2zRxWHoIEqSUdRwEaguweVwXiM8smUzsXh-8aHb-3Ieu9gOketitpUb23B0iZwb31JCUElzlHShElMlKpy7MNAVaW_iU6hVsIuWL8pZRygYx5oIaERT1HtHpftLc4MWLOHU/s320/phillymagcover2.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="229" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cover of Philadelphia Magazine November 1973 featuring Nicholson's latest work on the underworld </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBjI4dexOZtyZUH8ksUxkOm7aCom13uwvdroXyBIXxA8lgR4veBgTNXUWlZKdh5GkDzvNdoiztgID7SzFfOtoTu9uG9bL0Aut0sFHAjna3FfDGb8jeYvR3FcUXgu_CS2wJ_nfZ93gZB2aM/s1600/Late+19732.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="439" data-original-width="568" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBjI4dexOZtyZUH8ksUxkOm7aCom13uwvdroXyBIXxA8lgR4veBgTNXUWlZKdh5GkDzvNdoiztgID7SzFfOtoTu9uG9bL0Aut0sFHAjna3FfDGb8jeYvR3FcUXgu_CS2wJ_nfZ93gZB2aM/s320/Late+19732.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More Nicholson in the Inquirer, late 1973</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Sample Nicholson articles on the Black Mafia from his days at the <i>Philadelphia Bulletin</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNlEsNAKs0cjz32eiEsvpOpdPk9lwulw5kdgoYU_AaXdmo0FISlDgoBcn4E7v-mNvZfkmWFl0roLr1a7xqUk8wtqeLGkHLZSyt_PwFU0M1G_tmqxHkxB8E8issVuQYcYc9tU7qCyQgIufX/s1600/Bulletin+831762.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="568" data-original-width="439" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNlEsNAKs0cjz32eiEsvpOpdPk9lwulw5kdgoYU_AaXdmo0FISlDgoBcn4E7v-mNvZfkmWFl0roLr1a7xqUk8wtqeLGkHLZSyt_PwFU0M1G_tmqxHkxB8E8issVuQYcYc9tU7qCyQgIufX/s320/Bulletin+831762.JPG" width="247" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD2Sff6VMi7bL56GclbDgiAYrSo1S9S63Fbj-dwKBI4IXno26AFcIO8CkLqlsjGtY0B0uGIacCD9SztkryZeUW5VkBObrHSeVB-f3TJ-jOP1m7eJhMCtx6uBbe-TVJh_RivL8RQa8TQBPi/s1600/Bulletin+126762.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="439" data-original-width="568" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD2Sff6VMi7bL56GclbDgiAYrSo1S9S63Fbj-dwKBI4IXno26AFcIO8CkLqlsjGtY0B0uGIacCD9SztkryZeUW5VkBObrHSeVB-f3TJ-jOP1m7eJhMCtx6uBbe-TVJh_RivL8RQa8TQBPi/s320/Bulletin+126762.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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For those new to Nicholson's path-breaking work on the Philly underworld, he was advised to arm himself by law enforcement, resulting in this (in Jim's words) vainglorious picture in the early to mid-1970s. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBBBL5IyZuZvlKWnk_GdLYbkmilToRLB-CFMdHv3b_1BdQy0b0Cuxbt9d45LoduNzxWSRfYPdXU3CZMeoNEMxHiwzC3jUzCrTn5B9jv51015hH7JAs3lqspJQIzZXn9VVXrRWJo43gHJrq/s1600/nicholson.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1041" data-original-width="727" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBBBL5IyZuZvlKWnk_GdLYbkmilToRLB-CFMdHv3b_1BdQy0b0Cuxbt9d45LoduNzxWSRfYPdXU3CZMeoNEMxHiwzC3jUzCrTn5B9jv51015hH7JAs3lqspJQIzZXn9VVXrRWJo43gHJrq/s320/nicholson.JPG" width="223" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpM2wxc0cVzXNBdiLArg3uuo8Iu1qn2c6A-owjZ95eWTyeajRmnfMnWp01lwqZj2JBKQXO_zbR7SylDjtXLPFXygJn_d2lHRVxAFVkouuXoFpLV5XL0kO6xX2M6PQb1Ltwhp-FjLCWdIB-/s1600/SPGNicholson2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="833" data-original-width="1600" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpM2wxc0cVzXNBdiLArg3uuo8Iu1qn2c6A-owjZ95eWTyeajRmnfMnWp01lwqZj2JBKQXO_zbR7SylDjtXLPFXygJn_d2lHRVxAFVkouuXoFpLV5XL0kO6xX2M6PQb1Ltwhp-FjLCWdIB-/s320/SPGNicholson2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/jim-nicholson-champion-of-the-common-man-obituary-dies-at-76/2019/02/23/dcf69714-36ff-11e9-af5b-b51b7ff322e9_story.html?utm_term=.e400df9e57af">Jim
Nicholson, champion of the common-man obituary, dies at 76</a> (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Washington Post</i> obituary, 2/23/19)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://www.gloucestercitynews.net/clearysnotebook/2019/02/james-d-nicholson-a-man-who-lived-a-fascinating-life-dead-at-the-age-of-76.html#more">James
D. Nicholson, A Man Who Lived a Fascinating Life, Dead at the Age of 76</a> (<i>Gloucester City News</i> obituary, 2/23/19)</div>
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<a href="https://www.philly.com/news/jim-nicholson-philadelphia-daily-news-obituary-20190224.html" target="_blank">Jim Nicholson, 76, legendary Daily News obituary writer and military officer</a> (<i>Philadelphia Inquirer</i> obituary, 2/24/19)</div>
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For those interested, here are links to Jim’s books:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Because-One-Else-Can-Intelligence/dp/1479206156/">Because
No One Else Can: Inside the Military Intelligence Sausage Factory</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Strengthening-Four-Pillars-Intelligence-Architecture/dp/1722423528">Strengthening
the Four Pillars: Evaluating Intelligence Architecture</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Dead-Beat-Perverse-Pleasures-Obituaries/dp/0060758767/"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Dead Beat: Lost Souls, Lucky Stiffs, and
the Perverse Pleasures of Obituaries</i> by Marilyn Johnson (which includes a
discussion of Jim’s award-winning obit work)</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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Jim is also featured throughout this documentary, <a href="https://vimeo.com/106876875" target="_blank">"Philly's Black Mafia: 'Do for Self'"</a><br />
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<br />Sean Patrick Griffin, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09634829613521863612noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1092756431920750147.post-60987726850154687962018-03-10T15:21:00.001-05:002019-12-19T05:00:13.889-05:00Black Brothers, Inc. banned by NCDPSAs someone who has signed dozens (hundreds?) of books for inmates and corrections guards and officials over the years, I was fascinated to learn <i><a href="http://seanpatrickgriffin.blogspot.com/p/black-brothers-inc-violent-rise-and.html" target="_blank">Black Brothers, Inc.: The Violent Rise and Fall of Philadelphia's Black Mafia</a></i> (<a href="http://milobooks.com/" target="_blank">Milo</a> 2005/07) appears on the January 23, 2018 <a href="http://media2.newsobserver.com/content/media/2018/1/23/BannedBookList.pdf" target="_blank">list of books banned</a> by the <a href="https://www.ncdps.gov/" target="_blank">North Carolina Department of Public Safety</a>.<br />
<br />
I haven't tracked this at all, and during a recent search also discovered <i><a href="http://seanpatrickgriffin.blogspot.com/p/black-brothers-inc-violent-rise-and.html" target="_blank">BBI</a></i> was vetted and approved by the <a href="http://www.doc.wa.gov/" target="_blank">Washington State Department of Corrections</a> despite being depicted, among other things, as advocating "violence against others and/or the overthrow of authority". I suppose this was simply loose bureaucratic wording because the <a href="http://www.doc.wa.gov/docs/publications/reports/400-RE003.pdf" target="_blank">"Committee decision" of 8/27/17 correctly notes, "Historical account does not advocate violence"</a>.<br />
<br />
<b><u>December 2019 UPDATE</u></b>:<br />
<br />
I recently learned the <a href="https://www.prisonlegalnews.org/media/publications/Kansas_DOC_-_banned_books_list.pdf" target="_blank">Kansas Department of Corrections has <i>BBI</i> on its list of banned books</a> (no reason is cited on this list).<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Black-Brothers-Inc-Violent-Philadelphias/dp/1903854369" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="682" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwy2qPxdLIs6trp-NZqMoIRYW36RTHz2RqewtPpet9ee9bow6kqgcHalRVC9QU0D-QLLB__Wy7_7z_lEL00rdwEWfmUqTZxmwS44-JiwGde3nUBdPEQtG9Ng5MkKtA3VK9YfCSL3cfooPD/s320/Black-Brothers-Inc-cover-682x1024.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<br />Sean Patrick Griffin, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09634829613521863612noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1092756431920750147.post-26634220161340341502017-11-03T15:13:00.002-04:002017-11-03T15:13:52.543-04:00Black Thought, Thomas Trotter, and Philadelphia's Black MafiaBarry Michael Cooper has a featured interview with Tariq Trotter (aka <a href="https://twitter.com/blackthought" target="_blank">Black Thought</a> of <a href="http://www.theroots.com/" target="_blank">The Roots</a>) in <i>The New York Times</i> (<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/01/fashion/mens-style/black-thought-the-roots-jimmy-fallon-the-deuce.html" target="_blank">"The Roots' Black Thought on Philadelphia Style. And His Beard," 11/1/17</a>). The piece includes the following from Trotter/Black Thought:<blockquote class="tr_bq">
My dad,
Thomas Trotter, was murdered before I was a year old. From what my family
members and those who knew him have told me, he was a good man, very kind to
my mother and very chivalrous. Opening doors for women, very respectful.
But he was also feared. My dad grew up in the Germantown section of
Philadelphia and was associated with Mosque No. 12, which was also the birthplace of Black Brothers Inc., a.k.a., the Philadelphia Black Mafia. Years later, I discovered
that my dad’s body was found near an alley in Germantown.</blockquote>
Readers of <i><a href="http://seanpatrickgriffin.blogspot.com/p/black-brothers-inc-violent-rise-and.html" target="_blank">Black Brothers, Inc. The Violent Rise of Philadelphia's Black Mafia</a></i> (Milo, 2005/07) are familiar with Thomas Trotter, and especially with the murderous syndicate and its ties to the Nation of Islam's infamous Mosque No. 12.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB9-A7tpMq9DzyRZQhRq143FKVcTcy8i4dCXfMdX-8RKPE4z9gabemAHwCd9YWMYMKODI7oKbOEXPrBcm3eDgy9obhKFIICHikFA1RlCISdvvLQAN9Gh_tI4YjIIbchjzRhERCx7JiLgvj/s1600/Black-Brothers-Inc-cover-682x1024.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="682" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB9-A7tpMq9DzyRZQhRq143FKVcTcy8i4dCXfMdX-8RKPE4z9gabemAHwCd9YWMYMKODI7oKbOEXPrBcm3eDgy9obhKFIICHikFA1RlCISdvvLQAN9Gh_tI4YjIIbchjzRhERCx7JiLgvj/s400/Black-Brothers-Inc-cover-682x1024.jpg" title="https://www.amazon.com/Black-Brothers-Inc-Violent-Philadelphias/dp/1903854369" width="266" /></a></div>
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Sean Patrick Griffin, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09634829613521863612noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1092756431920750147.post-5966691774114947352017-08-02T08:03:00.000-04:002017-08-02T08:07:16.051-04:00Notes section of Black Brothers, Inc. 2005 edition<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Readers of the 2007 version of <a href="http://seanpatrickgriffin.blogspot.com/p/black-brothers-inc-violent-rise-and.html" style="box-sizing: border-box;" target="_blank"><em style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Black Brothers,Inc.: The Violent Rise and Fall of Philadelphia’s Black Mafia</span></em></a> (<a href="http://milobooks.com/" style="box-sizing: border-box;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Milo Books</span></a>) see this commentary in the notes
section (p. 301):<o:p></o:p></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="box-sizing: border-box;">
The first edition of <em style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Black Brothers, Inc.</span></em> included
104 pages of endnotes. This, as I suspected it might, became the source
of considerable conversation – good and bad! Plenty of readers were enamored
with the legwork behind, and the handiness of, the notes. However, there
were apparently more folks annoyed by their impact on the read, not to mention
the added bulk. As a result, I have included only those notes needed to
appropriately credit sources <em style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">explicitly
quoted in the narrative</span></em>. This has only been done if the
citation is an author or media outlet (i.e., not an interview, a court
document, or a law enforcement document). Other notes have been edited out
entirely. Thus, if readers are interested in the documents or other
information left out of this edition’s notes, the 2005 version should be
consulted.</blockquote>
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I have long debated simply posting the notes section online for all to
reference and download at their convenience. Fearing this may invite
considerable and often unreasonable requests for further information, I
refrained. However, for a host of reasons, I think the benefits of
posting them now outweigh the potential costs. Here, then, is the infamous
Notes section (all 104 pages of them, in 8-pt single-spaced font, no less!):</div>
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<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;"><a href="http://seanpatrickgriffin.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/BBI2005AuthorsNoteandAcknowledgments.pdf" style="box-sizing: border-box;" target="_blank">BBI2005AuthorsNoteandAcknowledgments</a></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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[**The notes align with both versions (2005 and 2007) in that the chapter
narratives are the same; of course the new, additional material offered in the
2007 edition has its own vast trove of source materials beyond what is offered
here.**]<o:p></o:p></div>
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Assuming readers of this blog post have never read <a href="http://seanpatrickgriffin.blogspot.com/p/black-brothers-inc-violent-rise-and.html" style="box-sizing: border-box;" target="_blank"><em style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Black Brothers, Inc.</span></em></a>,
here (2005, p. 340) is what I had to say about the challenge of writing a
mainstream book which could appeal to a broad readership and yet maintain
academic standards (and thus permit historians and sociologists to rely upon it
when conducting research):<o:p></o:p></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="box-sizing: border-box;">
Much of the literature on
organized crime in the United States falls into two all but mutually distinct
camps. One camp consists of very popular, especially readable, books
whose credibility is all but impossible to assess because there is no effort
made to provide the reader with the sources for the book’s claims. Many
of these books could aptly be labeled “based on a true story”, though they are
not identified as such and the reader has no way of determining what is fact
and what is fiction. Often times, these tomes are based exclusively on
the words of gangsters and/or law enforcement officials, who are each prone to
self-aggrandizing and worse. In the other camp of literature there
resides a wealth of solid, if not sensational, academic books written in a far
more technical style – bereft of the non-essentials such as quotes by actors,
vivid depictions of historical events, etc. For the investigative
reporter, the historian, and other like-minded researchers, these books are
invaluable because the reader can quite easily track down the sources of
information used by the author. Thus, these arbiters of accuracy can
replicate the study by assessing the documents for themselves and so on.
Unfortunately, such books can make for dreadful reading, and audiences are
therefore commonly left with a losing pair of options when picking an organized
crime read: sensational but dubious vs. accurate but lumbering. This
brief discourse is presented to defend the endnoting throughout <em style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Black Brothers, Inc.</span></em> (or <em style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Superbad</span></em> to give this book its
UK title). While every effort has been made to strip the book of academic
prose, I want the reader to have confidence in the veracity of this complex
historical account.</blockquote>
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Sean Patrick Griffin, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09634829613521863612noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1092756431920750147.post-4706058904794534862017-01-03T09:45:00.000-05:002017-01-03T15:21:38.703-05:00New film "Gold" and the infamous Bre-X mining scandal<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
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The first time I caught the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdLXPv5NsA4" target="_blank">trailer</a> for the new Matthew McConaughey movie “<a href="https://www.facebook.com/GoldTheMovie/" target="_blank">Gold</a>” it was wildly obvious to me it was based - however loosely - on one of the most compelling crimes or criminal conspiracies about which I have ever written.<o:p></o:p><br />
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I became very familiar with the Bre-X machinations when my friend and mentor Alan A. Block and I were vigorously researching <a href="http://seanpatrickgriffin.blogspot.com/2008/04/penny-stock-fraudfirst-jersey.html" target="_blank">the penny-stock fraud phenomenon </a>which took off (again) in the 1980s and 1990s. The scams were predominantly based in specific geographic regions within the U.S., and our focus was on Pennsylvania and especially on New Jersey, home to <a href="http://seanpatrickgriffin.net/robert-e-brennan-released-fro/" target="_blank">Robert E. Brennan</a>’s First Jersey Securities. In short, as to how Bre-X, a Canadian mining stock, factored considerably into our work, please consider:<o:p></o:p><br />
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In the United States the historical lineage of penny-stock dealers goes back to the nineteenth century gold and silver mines of the American west, in particular to the Colorado gold rush in the 1880s.<span style="color: red; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">1</span> Prospectors had little capital and turned to selling shares to finance their ventures. Those unable to lure more substantial investments sold shares for as little as a penny. Penny-stock mining frauds operated in other countries as well. For instance, in 1888 a Welsh gold-mining firm swindled investors after a phony ore test in “the presence of certain notable personages.”<span style="color: red; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">2</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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On the heels of the nineteenth century miners came the oil and gas promoters. Oil, like precious metals, made people more than a little money crazy and by 1918 towns like Fort Worth, Texas, were home to motley armies of “lease sharks, grafters and grabbers, operators, speculators, and gamblers.”<span style="color: red; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">3</span> In the western mecca of Los Angeles, the Department of Justice figured that stock swindlers hawking oil securities of one kind or another, many for little more than $1, were making about $100,000 a week in 1923.<span style="color: red; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">4</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Up until the stock market crash in 1929 and the subsequent Depression, stock swindling in general was an American pastime, and there was nothing fundamentally different about penny-stock frauds than other security swindles. <span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Sean Patrick Griffin and Alan A. Block, "PennyWise: Accounting for Fraud in the Penny-Stock Industry," in Henry N. Pontell and David Shichor (eds.) Contemporary Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice: Essays in Honor of Gilbert Geis (Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 2000), p. 99. </span> <br />
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Though Alan and I (together and independently) have written explicitly about Bre-X in various publications, none of that is particularly helpful here. However, as a tidy primer to the unreal case study - which, like many “white-collar” crimes, did not <i>begin</i> as a criminal conspiracy, here is the formal entry written by Hongming Cheng for the complex scandal as it appears in the <a href="http://sin.thecthulhu.com/library/investigation/forensic/Encyclopedia_of_White-Collar_And_Corporate_Crime.pdf" target="_blank"><b><i>Encyclopedia of White-Collar and Corporate Crime</i></b></a> (London: Sage, 2005, edited by Lawrence M. Salinger, pp. 109-110):<o:p></o:p><br />
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BRE-X MINERALS LTD. was a small Canadian gold exploration company that committed the world's biggest mineral stock fraud in history. Bre-X became the star of investors in the gold industry after it announced a major gold deposit discovery, perhaps the largest ever discovered, in properties it was mining in the Busang area on the island of Borneo in East Kalimantan, Indonesia. It was later dis- covered that little, if any, gold was actually found in these properties. Some people, including insiders, became quite wealthy from the stock-play. The Bre-X fraud has been the subject of at least six books published about the scandal. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The Bre-X tale began in 1993, when David Walsh, a veteran stock promoter, traveled to Indonesia and met John B. Felderhof, a well-known geologist, who convinced Walsh to bet his company on Busang. In August 1993, Bre-X began to explore in the Busang area, and was reporting favorable drill results. By early 1997, it claimed to have proven the existence of 71 million ounces of gold, worth about $25 billion, and estimated that there was at least 200 million ounces present at Busang. As a result, the Bre-X stock rose so high that it qualified for inclusion in the TSE 300, which caused index funds and all portfolios tracking the index to purchase the stock. To produce such a huge deposit, the Indonesia government required that Bre-X share some of the fortunate excess with the people of Indonesia, and with Barrick, a firm tied to Indonesian leader Suharto's ambitious daughter Siti Rukmana. <o:p></o:p></div>
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But Barrick could not negotiate a deal acceptable to all parties. With Suharto's close confidant Mohamad "Bob" Hasan stepping in with the deal, the American firm Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold was eventually selected as Bre-X's partner in the Busang project. Freeport first undertook its own due-diligence drilling and reported that its analyses of seven core samples "indicate insignificant amounts of gold." That news came one week after the announced death of Bre-X's chief geologist Michael de Guzman, who reportedly fell to his death from a helicopter while traveling to Busang to meet with Freeport's due diligence team to discuss Freeport's assay results. Forensic Investigative Associates conducted an independent investigation into the scam and concluded that the company had "improved" the samples from the time they were collected until they were turned over to a down-river lab for analysis. Forensic Associates believed Walsh (and the other Canadian employees) did not know about the samples. The next day, the $6 billion (Canadian) Bre-X stock lost almost all of its value. <o:p></o:p></div>
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An independent company, Strathcona Mineral Consultants, was commissioned to conduct an independent study of the situation. After their study, Strathcona concluded that "an economic gold deposit has not been identified in the South East Zone of the Busang property, and is unlikely to be." <o:p></o:p></div>
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Prior to the disclosure of the truth, Walsh and Felderhof sold large amounts of their personal stock in Bre-X, reaping millions of dollars for their own benefit and at the expense of Bre-X investors, who lost about $3 billion when the scam was revealed in the spring of 1997. This incident caused a massive shattering of investor confidence and tarnished the reputation of the securities industry. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1092756431920750147" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a>Anyone wishing to research the scandal in earnest needs to start with the work of Diane Francis, author of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/BRE-X-Inside-Story-Diane-Francis/dp/1550139134/" target="_blank"><b><i>Bre-X: The Inside Story</i></b></a> [Note: I am aware of other efforts but they don’t measure up in my opinion].<o:p></o:p><br />
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1092756431920750147" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1092756431920750147" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1092756431920750147" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.amazon.com/BRE-X-Inside-Story-Diane-Francis/dp/1550139134/" target="_blank"><img alt="" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgriH3pUGgKbu2Wl0mSxdg-IxNpiWMGJ5jHJ_C1qO4FX3IbZaevGSdju7Eu1ROpkzgTs8dj6Yx7MwRaFtt23E8bENDA8-QR52K5Zqd2TdsiKKWFbm7oMgkwlzvZPultRB9TRwu6SCU_OMeq/s320/Francis+Bre-X.jpg" title="" width="207" /></a></div>
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Oh, one last (and trivial) thing – that research introduced me to one of my favorite lines, for which there are multiple variations:</div>
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“A gold mine is a hole in the ground with a liar at the top.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><u><span style="color: red;">Notes:<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
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<span style="color: red;">1.</span> North American Securities Administrators Association, <u>The NASAA Report on Fraud and Abuse in the Penny Stock Industry</u>, submitted to the Subcommittee on Telecommunications and Finance, Committee on Energy and Commerce, U.S. House of Representatives, September 1989, p. 23.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="color: red; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">2.</span> Kenneth Gooding, “Lured to ruin by fool’s gold,” <u>Financial Times</u>, April 19/April 20 1997, p. 1.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="color: red; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">3.</span> Roger M. Olien and Diana Davids Olien, <u>Easy Money: Oil Promoters and Investors in the Jazz Age</u> (Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press, 1990), p. 74.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="color: red; mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua";">4.</span> Jules Tygiel, <u>The Great Los Angeles Swindle: Oil, Stocks, and Scandal During the Roaring Twenties</u> (New York: Oxford University Press, 1994), p. 36.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Sean Patrick Griffin, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09634829613521863612noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1092756431920750147.post-18678469280827249462016-12-25T11:02:00.003-05:002016-12-26T16:05:04.553-05:00A couple of comments on David Stern's quotes re: the 2003-07 NBA Betting Scandal<br />
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The former NBA Commissioner <a href="https://athlonsports.com/stern" target="_blank">is featured in an interview by Nathan Rush for Athlon Sports (published 12/20/16)</a>.</div>
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I am primarily interested in this exchange (<i>emphases</i> mine):</div>
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<strong><span style="border: 1pt none; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; padding: 0in;">How did former referee Tim Donaghy’s conviction of illegally betting on games that he officiated influence your opinion on gambling in sports</span></strong></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Interestingly enough, I viewed the Donaghy thing as a black swan because </span><i style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">the Las Vegas infrastructure didn’t pick it up</i><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">, and even </span><i style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">our post-event analysis didn’t come to any particular conclusion</i><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">. But it did influence me in the context of coming to better understand what Las Vegas does, and how that might be amplified to help all sports leagues that are concerned about betting.</span></blockquote>
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1. “…the Las Vegas infrastructure didn’t pick it up.” This is only partly true at best. For the 2003-04, 04-05, and 05-06 NBA seasons, it is likely the case most if not all Las Vegas sportsbooks were unaware of Donaghy’s on-court behavior which resulted in his off-court betting success on games he officiated. However, by or during the 2006-07 season all sorts of sportsbooks – in Las Vegas and offshore – were aware of the action on games officiated by Donaghy. As I detail in <i><a href="http://nbascandal.blogspot.com/p/gaming-game-story-behind-nba-betting.html" target="_blank">Gaming the Game: The Story Behind the NBA Betting Scandal and the Gambler Who Made It Happen</a></i> (Barricade, 2011), the remarkable betting line movement alone on Donaghy-officiated games raised red flags among many parties including sportsbooks.<o:p></o:p></div>
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2. “…our post-event analysis didn’t come to any particular conclusion.” This topic could consume hours and fill a small book. For starters, the public has never been privy to what the NBA studied or learned. The NBA’s much-publicized “Pedowitz Report” was fatally-flawed from the start (see, e.g., <a href="http://nbascandal.blogspot.com/2009/12/prelude-to-my-formal-analysis-of-nbas.html" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="http://nbascandal.blogspot.com/2010/01/some-suggested-research-for-nba.html" target="_blank">here</a>), largely because they were denied access to all sorts of interview subjects and data. There was also a confidential assessment conducted for the NBA the public has never seen. Furthermore, many NBA betting scandal investigators have always maintained the league was never going to conduct - much less accept - a study which concluded the NBA knew or should have known about Donaghy’s on-court actions to further his bets. They argue such a conclusion would have resulted in significant litigation by many injured parties (e.g., owners, teams’ shareholders, general managers, coaches and staffs, players, ticket-holders).<o:p></o:p></div>
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Some may recall David Stern was asked specifically about <i><a href="http://nbascandal.blogspot.com/p/gaming-game-story-behind-nba-betting.html" target="_blank">Gaming the Game</a></i> while he was commissioner, and that situation is detailed <a href="http://nbascandal.blogspot.com/2011/02/nba-commissioner-david-sterns-comments.html" target="_blank">here</a> [Note: what I posted in February 2011 remains true today – the NBA and the NBRA have never spoken with me about my findings].<o:p></o:p></div>
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Sean Patrick Griffin, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09634829613521863612noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1092756431920750147.post-5645369550744123062016-06-11T17:37:00.002-04:002016-06-12T05:15:13.932-04:00Muhammad Ali and Philadelphia's Black Mafia<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", "Bitstream Charter", Times, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;">
[Note: Because my website remains in shambles following server failures, I will post here (for the first time since 2011) until those issues are resolved]</div>
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Since Muhammad Ali's death days ago I have been debating whether to address this - and if so, when. Reading various accounts mention Ali's relationship with the legendary hustler Major Coxson, some of which make unsupported allegations against Ali and many of which are superficial (in addition to others which ignore the consequential ties between the two), makes me think it is best to pen something now in the hopes of correcting the historical record in a timely fashion.<span data-mce-style="color: #ff0000;" style="color: red;"><strong>^</strong></span></div>
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On June 4th, for example, the <a data-mce-href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/04/opinion/muhammad-ali-worshipped-misunderstood-exploited.html" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/04/opinion/muhammad-ali-worshipped-misunderstood-exploited.html" target="_blank"><em>New York Times</em> had a commentary</a> which included this line: "Ali sometimes fell in with the wrong crowd, including his friend Major Coxson, a politician and gangster in Cherry Hill, N.J., who was killed in a 1973 mob hit." [Also, e.g., see <a data-mce-href="http://thephiladelphiacitizen.org/muhammad-ali-philadelphia-story/" href="http://thephiladelphiacitizen.org/muhammad-ali-philadelphia-story/" target="_blank">here</a>.]</div>
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I would be very interested in knowing how many <em>Times</em> readers <strong><em>had a clue</em></strong> what was being discussed. <strong>Who was Coxson? How close a friend was Coxson to Ali? What mob? What mob hit? Was Ali, himself, ever a target, and/or was he otherwise involved in that edgy and violent scene?</strong></div>
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The answers to those compelling questions fill many pages of <a data-mce-href="http://seanpatrickgriffin.net/black-brothers-inc/" href="http://seanpatrickgriffin.net/black-brothers-inc/" target="_blank">my work on Philadelphia's Black Mafia</a> over the past 20 years, and I have been asked many times about the boxing legend's involvement: with Coxson; with Philadelphia's underworld; and with the leader of the Nation of Islam's infamous Temple 12, Jeremiah Shabazz (a man <a data-mce-href="http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/the-day-muhammad-ali-punched-me" href="http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/the-day-muhammad-ali-punched-me" target="_blank"><em>The New Yorker</em> said this week</a> was "not someone you'd ever wish to offend" - <strong>did readers ever pause to wonder why?</strong>). Unfortunately for someone trying to get a concise read on this complex and controversial history, these issues are all inter-related and thus require considerable explanation.</div>
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In 1958, Philadelphia-born Jeremiah Shabazz (formerly known as Jeremiah Pugh), was promoted to Minister of the Nation of Islam's Temple 15 in Atlanta and soon became the NOI's Minister of the Deep South, responsible for Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and South Carolina. In 1961, Shabazz was asked to help the NOI's Minister in Miami, Ishmael Sabakhan, court Cassius Clay to the Nation of Islam. As Shabazz said of the early meetings with Clay/Ali,:</div>
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...he didn't have any problems with our claim that the white man was evil. Sometimes he'd ask questions like, 'Wait a minute, how about a baby? A baby is born white. How is it the devil?' And I'd explain, if a lion gives birth, it can't give birth to anything except a lion...This was in 1961 when a lot of outright injustice was going on. You could see it...And the thing that really got Cassius was when we began to explain that, for someone to do this to other human beings, they can't be what they thought they were. They can't be God's people and mistreat other people the way white folks were doing.¹</blockquote>
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Clay began attending NOI meetings somewhat frequently and surreptitiously and attempted to keep his conversion a secret. As David Remnick wrote, "(Ali) was well aware that the few white people who did know something about the Nation of Islam saw it as a frightening sect, radical Muslims with a separatist agenda and a criminal membership."² As is now widely known, Ali publicly disclosed what had by then become obvious on February 26, 1964, the day following his momentous victory over Sonny Liston in Miami.</div>
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Jeremiah Shabazz returned to Philadelphia to head Temple 12 in April 1964, and by then was one of NOI leader Elijah Muhammad's closest advisors. With the help of Ali, who often traveled with Shabazz during recruitment and enlightenment drives along with speaking at special events, Temple 12 boomed under his leadership (by the end of the decade, membership was estimated at 10,000).</div>
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<img alt="Jeremiah Shabazz early 1970s 292x400" class="size-medium wp-image-823 aligncenter" data-mce-src="http://seanpatrickgriffin.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Jeremiah-Shabazz-early-1970s-292x400-1-219x300.jpg" src="http://seanpatrickgriffin.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Jeremiah-Shabazz-early-1970s-292x400-1-219x300.jpg" height="300" style="display: block; height: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 100%;" width="219" /></div>
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<img alt="Mainmosque3" class="size-medium wp-image-824 aligncenter" data-mce-src="http://seanpatrickgriffin.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Mainmosque3-258x300.jpg" src="http://seanpatrickgriffin.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Mainmosque3-258x300.jpg" height="300" style="display: block; height: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 100%;" width="258" />As Temple 12 thrived, a powerful crime syndicate calling itself the Black Mafia was forming with some of the city's most dangerous and feared among its founders. Of particular relevance to the Ali-Philly underworld-Coxson circumstances, most of the Black Mafia's leaders and heavyweights were major players in Temple 12 under Shabazz. In fact, Temple 12's Fruit of Islam - the paramilitary guard responsible for protecting Shabazz and the mosques, among other duties - was full of Black Mafia thugs with lengthy and violent criminal records.</div>
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An ultra-violent group formed in the early to mid-1960s, Philadelphia's Black Mafia's primary enterprise was extortion, almost exclusively of illicit entrepreneurs like drug dealers and nightclubs which permitted/embraced dubious activities such as gambling and prostitution (i.e., persons who would not report the Black Mafia shakedowns to authorities). In time, the group (which also pilfered significant government funds ostensibly designed to stop gang warfare) was overseeing entire sections of the city and venturing into extorting legitimate businesses; in short they were engaged in all sorts of mayhem throughout the city, its suburbs, South Jersey, and Delaware. There is far too much to write about Philly's Black Mafia in that regard here, but for the reader unfamiliar with the murderous group it is instructive to note they killed dozens of people - targets and often those with them at the time of slayings (typically family members). Victims, targets, and - especially - witnesses of the group's multifarious misdeeds were properly frightened and thus didn't report most crimes, furthering the syndicate's street legend and reach.</div>
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The Black Mafia devised financial hustles and committed assorted acts of violence along the Eastern seaboard, accounting for some of the region's most notorious crimes to date including the January 1973 Hanafi slayings. The Hanafi incident in Washington, DC (DC's largest mass murder, which included the drowning of four children ranging from nine days to 22 months old) involved a feud between the Nation of Islam and its former national secretary (known then as Ernest 2X McGee), Hamaas Abdul Khaalis, who since leaving the Black Muslim movement had loudly rejected the NOI, generally, and Elijah Muhammad, specifically. Eight Black Mafia members were sent from Philly's Temple 12 to kill Khaalis over a vitriolic letter he had sent to all 56 NOI mosques, but Khaalis wasn't home and the hit squad killed seven others (including the babies) instead.</div>
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<img alt="Baby carried out after Hanafi slayings (2)" class="aligncenter wp-image-828 size-medium" data-mce-src="http://seanpatrickgriffin.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Baby-carried-out-after-Hanafi-slayings-2-300x252.jpg" src="http://seanpatrickgriffin.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Baby-carried-out-after-Hanafi-slayings-2-300x252.jpg" height="252" style="display: block; height: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 100%;" width="300" /></div>
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<img alt="DN 12073 (3)" class="aligncenter wp-image-782 size-medium" data-mce-src="http://seanpatrickgriffin.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/DN-12073-3-300x115.jpg" src="http://seanpatrickgriffin.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/DN-12073-3-300x115.jpg" height="115" style="display: block; height: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 100%;" width="300" /><img alt="DN 81673 (4)" class="aligncenter wp-image-783 size-medium" data-mce-src="http://seanpatrickgriffin.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/DN-81673-4-300x98.jpg" src="http://seanpatrickgriffin.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/DN-81673-4-300x98.jpg" height="98" style="display: block; height: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 100%;" width="300" /><img alt="Inq 12673 (3)" class="aligncenter wp-image-784 size-medium" data-mce-src="http://seanpatrickgriffin.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Inq-12673-3-300x57.jpg" src="http://seanpatrickgriffin.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Inq-12673-3-300x57.jpg" height="57" style="display: block; height: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 100%;" width="300" />Of note, it was Khaalis who converted UCLA basketball star and NBA rookie Lew Alcindor to Sunni Islam, and to practicing a strand founded by Abu Hanafa (hence the followers were called Hanafi Muslims). Alcindor of course became Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and in those days he feuded with Ali openly. Abdul-Jabbar was quoted as saying, "They visited me. I was taken to dinner by one of their ministers and Cassius Clay.” His use of Ali’s former name was not inconsequential, and signified the bitter divisions within America’s various Muslim sects back then. “I’ll call him Cassius Clay or Cassius X,” said Abdul-Jabbar, “but not by the name of the prophet. He is not a Muslim.”³ Interestingly, the Hanafi slayings took place in a mansion donated to Khaalis by Abdul-Jabbar, who received police protection for a time following the murders. [Authorities never officially concluded who ordered the slayings, and neither Elijah Muhammad or Jeremiah Shabazz was implicated in the crimes.]</div>
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<img alt="NYT Jabbar (3)" class="wp-image-787 aligncenter" data-mce-src="http://seanpatrickgriffin.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/NYT-Jabbar-3-300x172.jpg" src="http://seanpatrickgriffin.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/NYT-Jabbar-3-300x172.jpg" height="209" style="display: block; height: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 100%;" width="364" /><img alt="Inq 12173 (3)" class="wp-image-786 aligncenter" data-mce-src="http://seanpatrickgriffin.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Inq-12173-3-300x91.jpg" src="http://seanpatrickgriffin.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Inq-12173-3-300x91.jpg" height="143" style="display: block; height: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 100%;" width="472" /></div>
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This verbose backdrop offers a sense of the heady times and especially of the tensions. <strong>So, who was Major Coxson, and what was Ali's role in his life and career, resulting in the recent <em>New York Times</em> mention and others?</strong></div>
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Major Benjamin Coxson was born in 1928 and moved from Western Pennsylvania to North Philadelphia in 1942. His life in Philadelphia was one filled with smiles, flamboyance, suspicion, and arrests. A career con man, Coxson's impressive criminal record by 1970 included 17 arrests for thefts and frauds, involved one stint in federal prison, and yet no crimes of violence. Perhaps it was for the latter reason he was permitted to be a mainstay on the city social scene where he was involved (formally or otherwise) in bars and nightclubs, popular with politicians (with whom he openly was seen and for whom he campaigned) and sports figures and gangland figures of all stripes. He was described as having a wide, toothy smile, and the mention of his name often drew chuckles from those who knew him. Law enforcement intelligence and surveillance reports described Coxson routinely hanging with Black Mafia members and affiliates, along with his "drug apartments" which were used alternately as safe houses and by celebrities for various purposes. Despite being a drug financier and the middleman between disparate organized crime syndicates (in Philly and New York), The Maje, as he was often called, was a fixture in the media and commonly graced covers of local publications. Major Coxson's close friendship with Muhammad Ali was a prime reason for the coverage.</div>
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Major Coxson first met Muhammad Ali in 1968 when the boxer was in Philadelphia raising funds for a neighborhood organization called the Black Coalition, whose board included close Coxson friends and Ali's friend and mentor, Jeremiah Shabazz. Coxson and Ali would be in each other's company frequently over the next several years, and their relationship was often mentioned in the press. For example, it was reported that Coxson became Ali's agent in October 1969, and Ali purchased Coxson's lavish home in the Overbrook section of Philadelphia in 1970. <a data-mce-href="http://www.courierpostonline.com/story/news/local/south-jersey/2016/06/04/cherry-hill-played-big-role-muhammad-alis-life/85366084/" href="http://www.courierpostonline.com/story/news/local/south-jersey/2016/06/04/cherry-hill-played-big-role-muhammad-alis-life/85366084/" target="_blank">According to Ali</a>, when he was deciding to relocate from Chicago to somewhere closer to New York City, he chose Philly in part because of Coxson's pitch, joking "The Major made me move to Philadelphia." <img alt="Ali Coxson (3)" class="size-medium wp-image-790 aligncenter" data-mce-src="http://seanpatrickgriffin.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Ali-Coxson-3-300x39.jpg" src="http://seanpatrickgriffin.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Ali-Coxson-3-300x39.jpg" height="39" style="display: block; height: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 100%;" width="300" /></div>
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<img alt="Ali home (3)" class="wp-image-792 aligncenter" data-mce-src="http://seanpatrickgriffin.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Ali-home-3-300x99.jpg" src="http://seanpatrickgriffin.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Ali-home-3-300x99.jpg" height="82" style="display: block; height: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 100%;" width="249" /></div>
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Ali then moved roughly a year later when he purchased another home from Coxson, this time in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. In fact, when he sold his Spanish-style home on Winding Drive in Cherry Hill to Ali, Coxson simply moved a few blocks away to Barbara Drive and the two became neighbors. Some may recall Coxson's 1972-3 campaign for Mayor of Camden, New Jersey.</div>
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<img alt="CampaignDN12472 (3)" class="size-medium wp-image-793 aligncenter" data-mce-src="http://seanpatrickgriffin.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/CampaignDN12472-3-300x186.jpg" src="http://seanpatrickgriffin.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/CampaignDN12472-3-300x186.jpg" height="186" style="display: block; height: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 100%;" width="300" /></div>
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<img alt="CampaignInq5473 (3)" class="size-medium wp-image-794 aligncenter" data-mce-src="http://seanpatrickgriffin.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/CampaignInq5473-3-300x46.jpg" src="http://seanpatrickgriffin.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/CampaignInq5473-3-300x46.jpg" height="46" style="display: block; height: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 100%;" width="300" />The mayoral run, announced in January 1972, began publicly with a grand party at the area's largest nightclub, the Latin Casino in Cherry Hill, with Muhammad Ali in attendance and the 2300 guests treated to performances by The Supremes and the Temptations. Coxson was fond of saying, “Muhammad Ali will add a real punch to the campaign.” Unfortunately for Coxson, starting in March 1972 the IRS began confiscating his fleet of luxury vehicles because he owed $135,000 in back taxes.</div>
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<img alt="DN IRS cars (3)" class="size-medium wp-image-777 aligncenter" data-mce-src="http://seanpatrickgriffin.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/DN-IRS-cars-3-300x39.jpg" src="http://seanpatrickgriffin.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/DN-IRS-cars-3-300x39.jpg" height="39" style="display: block; height: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 100%;" width="300" /></div>
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Coxson responded by purchasing a tandem bicycle and placing his chauffeur, Quinzelle Champagne, in the rear for a great publicity stunt.</div>
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<img alt="Major Coxson rides a tandem bicycle with his chauffeur, Quinzelle Champagne, in front of Coxson's campaign headquarters in 1972 (his fleet of vehicles had been seized by the IRS)." class="wp-image-771 aligncenter" data-mce-src="http://seanpatrickgriffin.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Coxson-tandem-bicycle-300x244.jpg" src="http://seanpatrickgriffin.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Coxson-tandem-bicycle-300x244.jpg" height="353" style="display: block; height: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 100%;" width="433" /></div>
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<img alt="Philadelphia Daily News coverage of Muhammad Ali's donation of a bullet-proof limousine to Major Coxson, December 19, 1972 " class="wp-image-773 aligncenter" data-mce-src="http://seanpatrickgriffin.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Ali-car-campaign-3-300x52.jpg" src="http://seanpatrickgriffin.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Ali-car-campaign-3-300x52.jpg" height="73" style="display: block; height: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 100%;" width="423" /></div>
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Ultimately, Muhammad Ali donated a silver Rolls Royce for Coxson to use, and the boxing star was a mainstay throughout the campaign. For instance, in June 1972, moments after his defeat of Jerry Quarry in Las Vegas, Ali dedicated the victory "to the next mayor of Camden, New Jersey, Major Coxson." Furthermore, the February 1973 grand opening of a hardware store in the Germantown section of Philadelphia featured Ali and “the incomparable Major Coxan [sic].” On March 31, Ali mugged for the cameras with Coxson at ringside before his bout with Ken Norton in San Diego, and told the assembled media that Coxson was his “unpaid financial adviser.” Six days before the May 8 election, Ali joined Major Coxson at his “victory” party.4</div>
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<img alt="Ali Coxson campaign" class="size-medium wp-image-825 aligncenter" data-mce-src="http://seanpatrickgriffin.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Ali-Coxson-campaign-268x300.jpg" src="http://seanpatrickgriffin.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Ali-Coxson-campaign-268x300.jpg" height="300" style="display: block; height: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 100%;" width="268" /></div>
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Among the many great quotes uttered by Coxson during the months of considerable campaign press attention, was this, offered in response to the constant questions about his criminal background and associations: "I'm no priest, but I'm not the devil, either. In New Jersey, most office holders start as politicians and wind up being arrested. I thought I'd reverse the trend."5 As a too-perfect ending to the mayoral campaign, Coxson lost the May 1973 race in a landslide to Angelo Errichetti...who proved Coxson right about New Jersey office holders starting as politicians and winding up being arrested when <a data-mce-href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/29/nyregion/angelo-j-errichetti-camden-mayor-convicted-in-abscam-case-dies-at-84.html" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/29/nyregion/angelo-j-errichetti-camden-mayor-convicted-in-abscam-case-dies-at-84.html" target="_blank">Errichetti was arrested and convicted for his role in ABSCAM</a>. [Note: <a data-mce-href="http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2013/12/real-life_camden_mayor_portrayed_in_american_hustle_film_was_complex_character.html" href="http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2013/12/real-life_camden_mayor_portrayed_in_american_hustle_film_was_complex_character.html" target="_blank">Errichetti was portrayed by Jeremy Renner in the 2013 film <em>American Hustle</em></a>]</div>
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Not long before Coxson lost the election, a $1 million heroin shipment from the Gambino Crime Family in New York to the Black Mafia was stolen. The Gambinos offered Coxson $300,000 to locate the stolen narcotics and/or the persons responsible. Coxson accepted the deal, and enlisted his Black Mafia pals as subcontractors, so to speak, whereby broker Coxson would only keep $100,000 of the agreement. For reasons that remain unclear, the Black Mafia executed the two men believed responsible for the theft and their bodies were discovered on May 1, 1973. The Gambinos, realizing they would not recoup the drugs or the expected funds and that such high-profile murders would bring law enforcement attention, stiffed Coxson, arguing the services provided weren't what they requested. Problematically for Coxson, the Black Mafia still expected the promised $200,000. Coxson spent weeks unsuccessfully trying to come up with the cash; the clock was ticking on The Maje's life.</div>
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In the early morning hours of June 8, 1973, four Black Mafia members visited Coxson's futuristic-looking home in an upscale leafy section of Cherry Hill (about a ten-minute walk from Ali's house, the one he purchased from Coxson). Coxson lived with his common-law wife and her three children. All five occupants were bound with hands and feet behind them (neckties were used), and as the executions were about to begin one child was able to escape - though still bound with neckties, he hopped to a neighbor's home. The remaining four victims were each shot in the head and left for dead by the hit squad. When police arrived, they found Major Coxson dead, kneeling next to his bed bound and gagged and shot three times in the head at close range. His partner survived, though was left blinded, as did her one son who remained in the home. Her daughter died of her wounds four days later.<br />
<img alt="Coxson Slain Bulletin" class="wp-image-803 aligncenter" data-mce-src="http://seanpatrickgriffin.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Coxson-Slain-Bulletin-300x204.jpg" src="http://seanpatrickgriffin.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Coxson-Slain-Bulletin-300x204.jpg" height="329" style="display: block; height: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 100%;" width="484" /></div>
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<img alt="Coxson Ali Bulletin (2)" class="size-medium wp-image-806 aligncenter" data-mce-src="http://seanpatrickgriffin.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Coxson-Ali-Bulletin-2-147x300.jpg" src="http://seanpatrickgriffin.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Coxson-Ali-Bulletin-2-147x300.jpg" height="300" style="display: block; height: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 100%;" width="147" /></div>
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Because of his close relationship with Coxson, law enforcement officials initially feared for Muhammad Ali's safety. Ali, however, said concerns for his safety were simply rumors “probably [started by] some white man who doesn’t like me because I got two Rolls Royces, a $200,000 house, and I talk too much for a nigger.”6 Incredibly, Ali immediately began distancing himself from Coxson, and stated among other things, “Coxson was a good associate of mine, not a true friend. The Koran preaches that only a Muslim can be true friends with another Muslim, and Coxson was not a Muslim.”7</div>
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<img alt="Contract on Ali (3)" class="wp-image-807 aligncenter" data-mce-src="http://seanpatrickgriffin.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Contract-on-Ali-3-300x183.jpg" src="http://seanpatrickgriffin.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Contract-on-Ali-3-300x183.jpg" height="120" style="display: block; height: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 100%;" width="197" /></div>
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<img alt="Ali on MBC death (3)" class="size-medium wp-image-808 aligncenter" data-mce-src="http://seanpatrickgriffin.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Ali-on-MBC-death-3-300x38.jpg" src="http://seanpatrickgriffin.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Ali-on-MBC-death-3-300x38.jpg" height="38" style="display: block; height: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 100%;" width="300" /></div>
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At the time of his death, Coxson was the target of several criminal investigations, involving tax evasion, possession of stolen or counterfeit credit cards, narcotics trafficking, and involvement in a Pennsylvania-New Jersey car ring, and was on the verge of being indicted according to authorities. The Coxson slayings (in part because of Coxson's stature and in part because of his close ties to Muhammad Ali) were national news and again placed Philly's Temple 12 in the spotlight. When Jeremiah Shabazz was asked about the role of Black Mafia hit men in his mosque, he originally said he'd prefer to not address the matter, and later stated, "Some of the alleged Black Mafia members came out of my temple but I would no more accept responsibility than the Catholic priests would accept responsibility for the Mafia."8 Because of the Hanafi and the Coxson slayings, two Black Mafia leaders were placed on the FBI's Most Wanted List in December 1973 [Note: in addition to <a data-mce-href="http://seanpatrickgriffin.net/black-brothers-inc/" href="http://seanpatrickgriffin.net/black-brothers-inc/" target="_blank">my written work on these matters</a>, both incidents are further examined in <a data-mce-href="http://seanpatrickgriffin.net/philly-black-mafia-do-for-self/" href="http://seanpatrickgriffin.net/philly-black-mafia-do-for-self/" target="_blank">this television show</a>].</div>
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<img alt="HarveyChristianMostWanted" class="size-medium wp-image-809 aligncenter" data-mce-src="http://seanpatrickgriffin.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/HarveyChristianMostWanted-300x247.jpg" src="http://seanpatrickgriffin.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/HarveyChristianMostWanted-300x247.jpg" height="247" style="display: block; height: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 100%;" width="300" /></div>
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<img alt="Inq 12773 (3)" class="aligncenter wp-image-827 size-tb_small" data-mce-src="http://seanpatrickgriffin.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Inq-12773-3-195x66.jpg" src="http://seanpatrickgriffin.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Inq-12773-3-195x66.jpg" height="66" style="display: block; height: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 100%;" width="195" /></div>
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Following the February 1975 death of NOI leader Elijah Muhammad, his son, Wallace Muhammad, began a series of reforms called "The Second Resurrection" which included purging the criminal element from the NOI and, most controversially, integrating whites into the mosques; the Black Muslim movement fragmented with various sects and leaders evolving. Muhammad Ali opted to follow Wallace and embraced a more inclusive form of Islam. Interestingly, Jeremiah Shabazz was demoted by Wallace Muhammad from his perch at Temple 12 (then commonly known as the "Hit Mosque" and the "Hoodlum Mosque" because of the many high profile Black Mafia activities) as part of the reform movement.</div>
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<img alt="DN 21176 (3)" class="size-medium wp-image-810 aligncenter" data-mce-src="http://seanpatrickgriffin.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/DN-21176-3-300x68.jpg" src="http://seanpatrickgriffin.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/DN-21176-3-300x68.jpg" height="68" style="display: block; height: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 100%;" width="300" /><img alt="Inq 21376 (3)" class="wp-image-811 aligncenter" data-mce-src="http://seanpatrickgriffin.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Inq-21376-3-300x195.jpg" src="http://seanpatrickgriffin.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Inq-21376-3-300x195.jpg" height="124" style="display: block; height: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 100%;" width="191" /><img alt="Bulletin 21676 (3)" class="wp-image-812 aligncenter" data-mce-src="http://seanpatrickgriffin.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Bulletin-21676-3-300x47.jpg" src="http://seanpatrickgriffin.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Bulletin-21676-3-300x47.jpg" height="58" style="display: block; height: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 100%;" width="370" /></div>
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Jeremiah Shabazz became part of Muhammad Ali's entourage, where he would remain for years. Unlike Ali, Shabazz <a data-mce-href="http://articles.philly.com/1998-01-09/news/25748818_1_cassius-clay-ali-aide-nation-of-islam-minister" href="http://articles.philly.com/1998-01-09/news/25748818_1_cassius-clay-ali-aide-nation-of-islam-minister" target="_blank">"disagreed with Wallace...(and) thought the work with black people in this country needed to be done in a different way," according to a family member years later</a>. Importantly, Shabazz was still considered by the FBI through the mid-1980s as a major narcotics trafficker who was using the boxing and concert scenes as fronts for his underworld enterprises, as FOIA documents disclosed many years later. For example, here is what an FBI teletype dated May 2, 1984 stated:</div>
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Jeremiah Shabazz is a major black organized crime figure in the Philadelphia area who associates with both black OC figures and Philadelphia’s LCN [La Cosa Nostra]. In addition, he maintains a high profile in the Philadelphia area through his image as a religious leader and through his contact with Don King Productions and major entertainment stars, when in fact, he is a narcotics trafficker who utilizes both his religious background and business associates as a cover for his illegal activities.</blockquote>
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Another related teletype contained this:</div>
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<img alt="284b (3)" class=" wp-image-817 aligncenter" data-mce-src="http://seanpatrickgriffin.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/284b-3-620x237.jpg" src="http://seanpatrickgriffin.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/284b-3-620x237.jpg" height="209" style="display: block; height: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 100%;" width="548" /></blockquote>
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Additionally:</div>
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<img alt="584c (3)" class=" wp-image-818 aligncenter" data-mce-src="http://seanpatrickgriffin.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/584c-3-1-940x170.jpg" src="http://seanpatrickgriffin.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/584c-3-1-940x170.jpg" height="101" style="display: block; height: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 100%;" width="556" /></div>
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The FBI's strategy in this aspect of their large investigation was to develop a case against Shabazz strong enough to ensure his cooperation. The FBI wrote, “Once Shabazz supplies the one quarter ounce, [the FBI’s field office in] Newark will approach him for his cooperation in continued investigation of drug matters and organized crime activity.” Specifically, the FBI believed that if Shabazz agreed to cooperate, he “very likely could provide information … [concerning] Black Muslim trafficking in heroin and cocaine in the Philadelphia area [and] narcotics dealing between the Black Muslims and the … LCN organization in the Philadelphia/Atlantic City area.” The FBI's long-planned/negotiated heroin buy took place on December 1. 1984, but Shabazz was never charged in the drug conspiracy case. The FBI does not comment on whether individuals have cooperated and we are left to speculate regarding the case's resolution re: Shabazz (a review of the voluminous Shabazz FBI FOIA file is instructive; several other targets were successfully prosecuted as a result of the multi-jurisdictional probe).</div>
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During the Shabazz-related federal narcotics investigation, authorities caught wind of extortion efforts in Philadelphia regarding the Jackson's 1984 Victory Tour.</div>
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<img alt="584c (5)" class=" wp-image-819 aligncenter" data-mce-src="http://seanpatrickgriffin.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/584c-5-1-940x496.jpg" src="http://seanpatrickgriffin.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/584c-5-1-940x496.jpg" height="264" style="display: block; height: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 100%;" width="500" /></div>
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The details remain murky but the press conference describing the resolution of whatever behind-the-scenes troubles is telling. Jeremiah Shabazz and Don King (<a data-mce-href="http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/trouble-in-paradise-19840315" href="http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/trouble-in-paradise-19840315" target="_blank">the tour's promoter</a>) agreed to terms with a popular, longtime Philadelphia disc jockey and activist named <a data-mce-href="http://articles.philly.com/2005-06-19/news/25438772_1_civil-rights-goode-racial-tensions" href="http://articles.philly.com/2005-06-19/news/25438772_1_civil-rights-goode-racial-tensions" target="_blank">Georgie Woods</a>. When Woods announced that he had agreed to terms with the Jacksons he did so accompanied by his “spiritual adviser,” Shamsud-din Ali. Importantly, Shamsud-din Ali, who took over Temple 12 following the demotion of Jeremiah Shabazz, was a Black Mafia leader formerly known as Clarence Fowler. Fowler (who was a captain in the FOI under Shabazz at the time) was convicted of a 1970 murder and served a few years in prison before his conviction was overturned by a divided Pennsylvania Supreme Court (a re-trial was ruled out by officials when the key witness against him refused to participate, supposedly after being visited by Black Mafia henchmen); he returned to the streets as Shamsud-din Ali. [Please see <strong><span data-mce-style="color: #ff0000;" style="color: red;">*</span></strong> below for more relevant information and context re: Shamsud-din Ali]</div>
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So...</div>
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It is certainly the case Muhammad Ali was very close with two individuals - Major Coxson and Jeremiah Shabazz<span data-mce-style="color: #ff0000;" style="color: red;"><b>#</b></span> - who were wholly immersed in the social system of Philadelphia's Black Mafia. Critics of Ali make a fair point when they argue his high-profile embrace of Coxson and of Shabazz enhanced their credibility within certain circles - confusing and intimidating people - possibly even resulting in victimization of which Ali may never have been aware. However, I'll end with something I first attempted to address back in 1999 because it remains true to this day (which is important given all I have reviewed and learned since), and it matters in light of all I have written above:</div>
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<em><strong><br /></strong></em></div>
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<em><strong>While Muhammad Ali certainly traveled with an interesting and dangerous crowd in Philadelphia and South Jersey, there remains no suggestion, let alone evidence, of any wrongdoing on Ali's part. Examinations of surveillance records and other intelligence documents, many of which include analyses specifically of the boxing legend, do not reveal a single item relating to dubious activities by Ali.</strong></em></div>
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spg</div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #ff0000;" style="color: red;"><strong><br /></strong></span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #ff0000;" style="color: red;"><strong>^</strong></span> Unless stated otherwise, all commentary and supporting evidence can be found in Sean Patrick Griffin, <a data-mce-href="http://seanpatrickgriffin.net/black-brothers-inc/" href="http://seanpatrickgriffin.net/black-brothers-inc/" target="_blank"><em>Black Brothers, Inc.: The Violent Rise and Fall of Philadelphia's Black Mafia</em></a> (Leicester, UK: Milo, 2007). Please note that although they make for choppy reading and an even more amateurish look I have included the images from press coverage to demonstrate how widely-known most of this was at the time the various events transpired.</div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #ff0000;" style="color: red;"><strong>#</strong> </span>Jeremiah Shabazz <a data-mce-href="http://articles.philly.com/1998-01-09/news/25748818_1_cassius-clay-ali-aide-nation-of-islam-minister" href="http://articles.philly.com/1998-01-09/news/25748818_1_cassius-clay-ali-aide-nation-of-islam-minister" target="_blank">passed away in 1998</a> at the age of 70.</div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #ff0000;" style="color: red;"><strong>*</strong></span> Immediately following Clarence Fowler's 1976 release from prison (now as Shamsud-din Ali) informants described Shamsud-din continuing the Black Mafia extortion racket, and in the late 1990s he became the subject of a massive federal narcotics investigation when wholesalers for <a data-mce-href="http://articles.philly.com/2003-12-21/news/25471183_1_rap-group-drug-ring-drug-dealer" href="http://articles.philly.com/2003-12-21/news/25471183_1_rap-group-drug-ring-drug-dealer" target="_blank">a drug-dealing rap group</a> (with Black Mafia origins) named RAM Squad discussed his alleged role on wiretaps. That probe involved an overheard conversation of Shamsud-din asking a drug wholesaler for $5,000, explaining he needed the money to give to a longtime aide to Philadelphia Mayor John Street. The revelation spawned a separate and distinct investigation into municipal corruption that involved "pay-to-play" shakedowns and "no-show" jobs; it was discovered Shamsud-din was a major power broker in municipal contracting and <a data-mce-href="http://mycitypaper.com/articles/062796/article027.shtml" href="http://mycitypaper.com/articles/062796/article027.shtml" target="_blank">his stature was acknowledged by politicians</a> and by violent entrepreneurs, alike. Concerning the latter, Dawud Bey (son of founding Black Mafia member Roosevelt "Spooks" Fitzgerald) was recorded complaining to another prominent drug dealer that Shamsud-din was "walking with kings and we're out here hustling." Bey was likely referring to Shamsud-din's prominence in city politics, which included things like meeting President Bill Clinton during a visit with Mayor Street. The drug investigation led to the convictions and/or guilty pleas of 37 people, and the corruption probe resulted in another 20 persons pleading guilty or being convicted at trial, including the City Treasurer. In 2005, <a data-mce-href="http://articles.philly.com/2005-09-20/news/25429827_1_ali-racketeering-muslim-community" href="http://articles.philly.com/2005-09-20/news/25429827_1_ali-racketeering-muslim-community" target="_blank">Shamsud-din was convicted of 22 counts of various racketeering and fraud charges and was sentenced to seven years and three months in prison</a>; he was released from federal prison in December 2013.</div>
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As is so often the case with this history, there is a degrees-of-separation worth noting considering the genesis of this post, namely Muhammad Ali's involvement in the Black Mafia's social networks. Among those convicted in the corruption probe with Shamsud-din was his daughter, Lakiha "Kiki" Spicer, <a data-mce-href="http://articles.philly.com/2004-10-31/news/25390545_1_muslim-school-fbi-wiretap-tapes" href="http://articles.philly.com/2004-10-31/news/25390545_1_muslim-school-fbi-wiretap-tapes" target="_blank">who was found guilty (along with her mother and Shamsud-din's wife, Faridah Ali, formerly Rita Spicer) in October 2004 for her role in a "ghost teacher" scam</a>. Incredibly, Kiki (after dating a RAM Squad member and drug dealer named Tommy Hill - birth name John Wilson - <a data-mce-href="http://articles.philly.com/2011-12-05/news/30477976_1_philadelphia-shooting-shooting-death-tommy-hill" href="http://articles.philly.com/2011-12-05/news/30477976_1_philadelphia-shooting-shooting-death-tommy-hill" target="_blank">who was later killed in 2011</a> when it was disclosed he had cooperated with authorities) <a data-mce-href="http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/phillygossip/Mike_Tysons_new_bride_is_former_federal_felon_from_Philly.html" href="http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/phillygossip/Mike_Tysons_new_bride_is_former_federal_felon_from_Philly.html" target="_blank">went on to marry boxing great Mike Tyson in June 2009</a>. She met Tyson when she was 18 years old because of Shamsud-din's relationship with Don King and thus she often attended boxing events. <a data-mce-href="http://nypost.com/2012/07/22/tyson-third-marriage-helped-him-turn-life-around/" href="http://nypost.com/2012/07/22/tyson-third-marriage-helped-him-turn-life-around/" target="_blank">Said Don King to Mike Tyson about dating Shamsud-din Ali's daughter</a>, "Stay away from her. Don't go talking to that girl. Leave these people alone. These are not people to mess with." Despite Don King's warning, Kiki, <a data-mce-href="http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/boxing/story/2012-03-20/kiki-tyson-on-mike-he-was-larger-than-life/53678518/1" href="http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/boxing/story/2012-03-20/kiki-tyson-on-mike-he-was-larger-than-life/53678518/1" target="_blank">who discovered she was pregnant with Tyson's child a week before she entered federal prison in April 2008 </a>(she was released on October 30, 2008), wedded Tyson and the couple have two children together.</div>
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1. Thomas Hauser, <em>Muhammad Ali: His Life and Times</em> (New York: Touchstone, 1991), p.93.</div>
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2. David Remnick, <em>King of the World</em> (New York: Random House, 1988), p. 135.</div>
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3. Bruce Keidan, “Police Protection Fails to Lessen Faith in Religion,” <em>Philadelphia Inquirer</em>, February 13, 1973.</div>
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4. Griffin, <em><a data-mce-href="http://seanpatrickgriffin.net/black-brothers-inc/" href="http://seanpatrickgriffin.net/black-brothers-inc/" target="_blank">Black Brothers, Inc.</a></em>, p. 105.</div>
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5. Donald Janson, "Camden Mayoral Hopeful Runs a Flamboyant Race," <em>New York Times</em>, April 7, 1973, p. 77.</div>
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6. "Muhammad Ali Next? He Blames Crank for Rumors," <em>Philadelphia Inquirer</em>, June 15, 1973.</div>
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7. James Nicholson, "The Underworld on the Brink of War: Part I - The Muslim Mob Gets It On," <em>Philadelphia Magazine</em>, November 1973, p. 220.</div>
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8. Les Payne, "The Man Who Drew Cassius Clay to Islam," <em>Newsday</em>, February 16, 1997, p. G06.</div>
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Sean Patrick Griffin, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09634829613521863612noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1092756431920750147.post-31364155150725127862011-09-21T07:41:00.000-04:002017-07-13T07:45:29.613-04:00The media and crime rate reporting<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/NA-BN372A_CRIME_G_20110919192706.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/NA-BN372A_CRIME_G_20110919192706.jpg" height="311" width="400" /></a></div>
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It is difficult to do this succinctly, so please pardon me for the length of what follows. Nevertheless, I wanted a ready-made, comprehensive list of examples to cite as this discussion continues.<br />
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News followers may have noticed that the annual <a href="http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2010/crime-in-the-u.s.-2010">FBI Uniform Crime Report</a> (UCR) was <a href="http://www.fbi.gov/news/pressrel/press-releases/fbi-releases-2010-crime-statistics">released this week</a>. This year's UCR shows that violent crime decreased for the fourth straight year, while property crime declined for the eighth straight year. To many in the media, for whom the leading if not exclusive explanation of "street"crimes (as opposed to organized and so-called white-collar crimes) is poverty, these declines in the midst of a severe economic crisis are confounding. That is, these reporters and commentators - with some willing accomplices in academia - continue to report that "experts" keep expecting rises in crime because, after all, they believe and argue, people steal and commit acts of violence first and foremost as a result of their socioeconomic status. As such, given the sky-high unemployment rate and the like, using their logic we should have begun seeing (perhaps significant) rises in crime the past few years. Thus, this week's reporting often included quotes from <a href="http://www.heinz.cmu.edu/faculty-and-research/faculty-profiles/faculty-details/index.aspx?faculty_id=9">Alfred Blumstein</a>, the J. Erik Jonsson University Professor of Urban Systems and Operations Research at <a href="http://www.cmu.edu/">Carnegie Mellon University</a>'s <a href="http://www.heinz.cmu.edu/">Heinz School of Public Policy</a>. For instance, the <i>Philadelphia Inquirer</i> <a href="http://www.philly.com/philly/news/breaking/20110919_Crime_rates_continue_to_fall__FBI_reports.html">reported</a> that Professor Blumstein said, "Everyone anticipated the recession would drive things up, and it hasn't happened." "<b><i>Everyone</i></b> anticipated..."?!! Ha! <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111904194604576580681625560112.html">Uh, no</a>. Perhaps he meant to say that "everyone" <i>predisposed to believe crime is inextricably linked to socioeconomic conditions</i> - independent of all sorts of behaviors, policies, and phenomena - "anticipated the recession" would drive the crime rate up. Others (who are data-driven!) learned long ago that a causal relationship between economic conditions and crime rates, at the macro and micro levels, is anything but clear.<br />
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Unfortunately, this rationale - though predicated more on ideology than on evidence, and wildly uninformed - is nothing new. This theme has dominated media reporting of the nation's crime rates for at least the past twenty years, and it does a disservice to the public which relies upon the media and its quoted "experts" for historical and sociological context when it comes to phenomena such as crime. It is this reporting, of course, which is used by the masses to form opinions upon which they'll lend their support (in various fashions) to initiatives (ostensibly) crafted to reduce crime. As such, I thought I'd offer a retrospective on what has passed for reporting on crime rates so that others may be informed going forward (<b>emphases</b> mine).<br />
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<b>Poor Economy = More Crime</b><br />
<br />
For starters, here is the <i>New York Times</i> coverage of what was the latest crime stat reporting:<br />
<br />
May 23, 2011, "<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/24/us/24crime.html">Steady Decline in Major Crime Baffles Experts</a>":<br />
<blockquote>
“Striking,” said <a href="http://www.heinz.cmu.edu/faculty-and-research/faculty-profiles/faculty-details/index.aspx?faculty_id=9" title="About Dr. Blumstein.">Alfred Blumstein</a>, a professor and a criminologist at the Heinz College at Carnegie Mellon University, because it came “at a time when <b>everyone anticipated it could be going up because of the recession</b>.”</blockquote>
To demonstrate how consistently the <i>New York Times</i> has reported this theme, consider the following articles, each of which was penned by Fox Butterfield back when he worked for the <i>Times </i>(much more on Butterfield's crime rate reporting appears below): <br />
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October 28, 2003, "Rate of Serious Crime Held Largely Steady Last Year, Report by F.B.I. Says":<br />
<blockquote>
For the third straight year, the rate of serious crime in the United States showed little change in 2002, dropping by a mere 1.1 percent, according to an annual count issued yesterday by the F.B.I...<b>Professor Blumstein, other experts and law enforcement officials said they were a little surprised that the crime rate did not rise last year, because there were a number of factors that might have led to an upturn. These include </b><b>a poor job market</b>, especially for young people; the diversion of police resources to fighting terrorism; budget deficits that caused cutbacks in social services and prisons; and a growth in the number of young people in their prime age for committing crime. </blockquote>
June 17, 2003, "Crime Stayed Flat in 2002, F.B.I. Study Finds":<br />
<blockquote>
Crime in the United States remained relatively unchanged in 2002, dropping by a mere two-tenths of 1 percent, a report released yesterday by the Federal Bureau of Investigation shows....2002 was the third straight year that serious violent and property crime were essentially flat after falling sharply in the 1990's. But <b>criminal justice experts warned that a number of factors could cause crime to start increasing again rapidly. Among those factors are the downturn in the economy</b>, cutbacks in police forces and the courts because of budget shortfalls, a rise in the number of inmates returning from prison and a larger number of teenagers. </blockquote>
October 29, 2002, "U.S. Crime Rate Rose 2% in 2001 After 10 Years of Decreases":<br />
<blockquote>
For the first time since 1991, serious and violent crime in the United States increased last year, the F.B.I. reported yesterday...Over all, crime rose 2.1 percent across the nation, the report said. Experts and law enforcement officials said the overall increase, after a decade of drops in the crime rate, appeared to reflect several factors:<b> a faltering economy,</b> cuts in welfare and anticrime programs, as well as <b>fewer jobs available</b>, more inmates returning home from prison, an increase in the teenage population, and police resources diverted to antiterrorism efforts. In addition, the experts said, after 10 years of decreases, in which the crime rate dropped to its lowest level since the late 1960's, it would have been hard for it to keep falling. "We all knew that the marked downward trend of crime in the 90's could not continue indefinitely," said Alfred Blumstein, a professor of statistics and criminology at Carnegie Mellon University. "The crime rate really came down very far, and one would have hoped it was an indication of improvements in society, but that didn't happen. <b>The economy is a big part of the story.</b>" </blockquote>
May 31, 2001, "U.S. Crime Figures Were Stable in '00 After 8-Year Drop":<br />
<blockquote>
The number of serious crimes in the United States remained steady last year after an eight-year decline, the longest on record, the Federal Bureau of Investigation reported yesterday. The F.B.I.'s Uniform Crime Report cited preliminary figures for 2000 showing that overall crime nationwide was virtually unchanged from 1999. By comparison, overall crime fell by 7 percent from 1998 to 1999, and had fallen by similarly large amounts consistently since 1992...Professor Blumstein suggested that one new strategy, <b>now that the economy had sputtered, would be to focus more attention on preventing young people from becoming involved in crime, especially by finding jobs for them.</b></blockquote>
A few comments that apply to many news articles discussing the crime rate is necessary. It is remarkable - and troubling - how often reporters loosely state that "expert<u><b>s</b></u>" say, X, Y, or Z, when, in fact, a single "expert" is cited in the piece (not to mention that no supporting evidence is demanded from the lone "expert"). That the mantras and themes don't change, especially when the expectations are not met as data become available, says as much about the media as it does about the "experts" they rely upon.<b> </b><br />
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<b>Incarceration Increases <i>Despite</i> Crime Decrease</b><br />
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In addition to the uncritically-accepted economy-crime causation theme, there was the more laughable trope offered by the <i>New York Times</i> and its reporter Butterfield. For years, Butterfield wrote of his confusion about the "paradox" of the prison population increasing "even as" or "despite" crime rates falling. Here are some tidy examples of how the (formerly?) influential newspaper reported on crime rates in the U.S. dating back to the 1990s, when the country began experiencing its historic crime drop (Butterfield's reporting ended in 2005, hence the most recent offered example as November 2004).<br />
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November 8, 2004, "<b>Despite Drop in Crime, An Increase in Inmates</b>":<br />
<blockquote>
The number of inmates in state and federal prisons rose 2.1 percent last year, <b>even as violent crime and property crime fell</b>, according to a study by the Justice Department released yesterday. <b>The continuing increase in the prison population, despite a drop or leveling off in the crime rate</b> in the past few years...In seeking to explain <b>the paradox of a falling crime rate but a rising prison population</b>...</blockquote>
July 26, 2004, "U.S. 'Correctional Population' Hits New High":<br />
<blockquote>
<b>The growth in what the report termed the "correctional population" </b><b>comes at a time when the crime rate nationwide has been relatively stable for several years</b>...<b>The report does not address why the number of men and women in jail and prison and on probation and parole has continued to increase</b>...</blockquote>
July 28, 2003 "Study Finds 2.6% Increase in U.S. Prison Population" (note: the subtitle for the article is "<b>More Inmates, Despite Slight Drop in Crime</b>"):<br />
<blockquote>
The nation's prison population grew 2.6 percent last year, the largest increase since 1999, according to a study by the Justice Department... <b>The jump came despite a small decline in serious crime in 2002</b>...</blockquote>
August 13, 2001, "Number of People in State Prisons Declines Slightly":<br />
<blockquote>
The number of inmates in state prisons fell in the second half of last year, the first such decline since the nation's prison boom began in 1972, says a Justice Department report released yesterday. The decline was modest, a drop of 6,200 inmates in state prisons in the last six months of 2000, or 0.5 percent of the total, the report said. But it came after the number of state prisoners rose 500 percent over the last three decades, <b>even growing each year in the 1990's as crime dropped...</b></blockquote>
August 10, 2000, "<b>Number in Prison Grows Despite Crime Reduction</b>":<br />
<blockquote>
After an eight-year drop in crime, the population of the nation's state and federal prisons grew last year at the lowest rate since 1979, 3.4 percent, the Justice Department reported yesterday...<b>the prison population has increased even as crime has declined</b>...</blockquote>
March 21, 1999, "Prison Nation":<br />
<blockquote>
<b>Despite seven straight years of falling crime</b>,<b> the number of inmates in the nation's jails and prisons climbed again last year</b>, to a record 1.8 million, the Justice Department reported. </blockquote>
March 15, 1999, "Number of Inmates Reaches Record 1.8 Million":<br />
<blockquote>
<b>The number of inmates in the nation's jails and prisons rose again last year</b>, to a record 1.8 million, <b>though crime rates have dropped for seven consecutive years</b>, the Justice Department reported yesterday...<b>Another factor driving up the number of inmates even as crime seems to be falling...</b></blockquote>
August 9, 1998, "<b>Prison Population Growing Although Crime Drops</b>":<br />
<blockquote>
<b>The nation's prison population grew by 5.2 percent in 1997</b>, according to the Justice Department, <b>even though crime has been declining for six straight years</b>...</blockquote>
January 19, 1998, "'Defying Gravity,' Inmate Population Climbs":<br />
<blockquote>
<b>Despite a decline in the crime rate over the past five years</b>, <b>the number of inmates in the nation's jails and prisons rose again in 1997</b>...<b>The continued divergence between the shrinking crime rate and the rising rate of incarceration raises a series of troublesome questions...</b></blockquote>
September 28, 1997, "<b>Crime Keeps on Falling, but Prisons Keep on Filling</b>": <br />
<blockquote>
It has become a comforting story: <b>for five straight years, crime has been falling</b>, led by a drop in murder. <b>So why is the number of inmates in prisons and jails around the nation still going up</b>? </blockquote>
January 20, 1997, "Slower Growth in Number of Prisoners":<br />
<blockquote>
The rapid growth in the number of people in the nation's jails and prisons slowed last year for the first time in a decade, according to a study released yesterday by the Justice Department, reflecting at least in part a decline in the crime rate over the past five years. <b>...the incarceration rate has continued to increase even as crime has fallen...</b></blockquote>
I'm sure there is more to chronicle about all of this (including still other examples), but that will have to do for now!Sean Patrick Griffin, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09634829613521863612noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1092756431920750147.post-45389850989803345132011-06-06T05:12:00.001-04:002011-06-06T05:12:45.438-04:00Forthcoming posts and analysis on new siteFrom this point forward, all new posts and analyses will appear @<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.seanpatrickgriffin.net/">www.seanpatrickgriffin.net</a></b><br />
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The new site allows for all sorts of things which are simply not possible on Blogger, and we have tried to incorporate all pre-existing material (from the "Actors and Activities" blog and others) into the new domain.<br />
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Thanks for your interest and support!Sean Patrick Griffin, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09634829613521863612noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1092756431920750147.post-76178647342879329702011-06-04T16:03:00.000-04:002011-06-04T16:03:20.536-04:00Gaming the Game discussed on KNBR 680/1050 The Sports Leader (San Fran)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.knbr.com/Portals/3/Jocks/razormrt.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="104" src="http://www.knbr.com/Portals/3/Jocks/razormrt.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Now that the academic year is over, I am back to entertaining interviews regarding <a href="http://nbascandal.blogspot.com/p/gaming-game-story-behind-nba-betting.html"><i>Gaming the Game</i></a>. One of the latest such appearances was with "<a href="http://www.knbr.com/ShowsSchedule/RazorandMrT/tabid/595/Default.aspx">The Razor and Mr. T</a>" on <a href="http://www.knbr.com/Default.aspx">KNBR 680/1050 <i>The Sports Leader</i></a> in San Francisco (air date 6/1/11). The podcast is streamed <a href="http://www.knbr.com/portals/3/podcasts/razormrt/0601griffin.mp3">here</a>.Sean Patrick Griffin, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09634829613521863612noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1092756431920750147.post-63262242817142762011-05-11T14:16:00.000-04:002011-05-11T14:16:15.259-04:00Las Vegas Review-Journal review of Gaming the Game<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://media.lvrj.com/designimages/rj_main_blue-v3.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="53" src="http://media.lvrj.com/designimages/rj_main_blue-v3.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />
The <a href="http://www.lvrj.com/news/book-won-t-let-nba-betting-scandal-slip-away-like-lakers-did-121621743.html">latest review</a> of <a href="http://nbascandal.blogspot.com/p/gaming-game-story-behind-nba-betting.html"><i>Gaming the Game: The Story Behind the NBA Betting Scandal and the Gambler Who Made It Happen</i></a> (Barricade, 2011) was penned by <a href="http://www.lvrj.com/blogs/smith">John L. Smith</a> and <a href="http://www.lvrj.com/news/book-won-t-let-nba-betting-scandal-slip-away-like-lakers-did-121621743.html">appears today</a> in the <a href="http://www.lvrj.com/"><i>Las Vegas Review-Journal</i></a>.<br />
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For previous reviews of <a href="http://nbascandal.blogspot.com/p/gaming-game-story-behind-nba-betting.html"><i>Gaming the Game</i></a>, please see <a href="http://nbascandal.blogspot.com/2011/02/gaming-game-reviews.html">here</a>.Sean Patrick Griffin, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09634829613521863612noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1092756431920750147.post-50058102882664088172011-04-26T07:33:00.005-04:002011-05-11T15:42:33.668-04:00Gaming the Game on PCN's "PA Books"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/41016_113667895353603_113667268686999_89669_8140304_a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/41016_113667895353603_113667268686999_89669_8140304_a.jpg" /></a></div>Some may recall that of the dozens of media interviews I entertained for <a href="http://seanpatrickgriffin.blogspot.com/p/black-brothers-inc-violent-rise-and.html"><i>Black Brothers, Inc.</i></a>, by far <a href="http://seanpatrickgriffin.blogspot.com/2008/04/posted-bbi-interview-streams.html">my favorite</a> was the one conducted by the <a href="http://www.pcntv.com/index.html">Pennsylvania Cable Network</a>'s <a href="http://www.pcntv.com/about_people.html">Brian Lockman</a> for their popular "PA Books" program. You can thus imagine my delight when I was invited to appear on the program with him to discuss <b><a href="http://nbascandal.blogspot.com/p/gaming-game-story-behind-nba-betting.html"><i>Gaming the Game: The Story Behind the NBA Betting Scandal and the Gambler Who Made It Happen</i> (Barricade, 2011)</a></b>.<br />
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The 1-hour interview <a href="http://www.pcntv.com/shows_books.html">airs for the first time on Sunday, May 1st at 9pm</a>. The program may also be viewed via live streaming video at <a href="http://www.pcntv.com/">www.pcntv.com</a>, and will be posted as a podcast on the website for one week (beginning the Monday after the initial airing). The wide-ranging interview discusses everything from the NBA betting scandal (including <a href="http://nbascandal.blogspot.com/p/my-assessments-of-tim-donaghys-claims.html">the credibility of former referee Tim Donaghy</a>) to the underworld of big-time sports gambling to the <a href="http://seanpatrickgriffin.blogspot.com/2011/04/fbi-shuts-down-internet-poker-sitesare.html">ongoing debate</a> about the legalization of sports wagering.<br />
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UPDATE: The segment is available online <a href="http://www.pcntv.com/pcnplus/pages/books_gamingthegame.html">here</a>. Sean Patrick Griffin, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09634829613521863612noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1092756431920750147.post-75894358650993740882011-04-24T06:13:00.001-04:002011-04-26T07:51:27.051-04:00FBI Shuts Down Internet Poker Sites...Are Online Sportsbooks Next?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.latimes.com/media/photo/2011-04/60934916.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="242" src="http://www.latimes.com/media/photo/2011-04/60934916.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The <i>Los Angeles Times</i> had a fascinating (and, depending on your perspective, disturbing) piece this week which <a href="http://articles.latimes.com/2011/apr/15/business/la-fi-poker-busts-20110416">began</a>:<br />
<blockquote>A thriving online poker industry catering to Americans but operating from abroad to evade U.S. gambling laws could be wiped out by criminal charges against top executives in the business. Eleven people, including the founders of the three largest poker sites open to U.S. players, were charged by a federal grand jury with bank fraud, money laundering and violating gambling laws. The government also is seeking to recover $3 billion from the companies. The FBI had shut down two of the sites, Full Tilt Poker and PokerStars, by Friday evening and were working to do the same with the third, Absolute Poker. Online visitors were greeted with a message saying, "This domain name has been seized by the F.B.I. pursuant to an Arrest Warrant," and an enumeration of federal anti-gambling statutes and penalties. An estimated 8 million to 10 million Americans play poker online for money; thousands of them earn their living on the sites, according to a players advocacy group. Congress tried to shut down the industry by enacting an anti-gambling law in 2006, but most sites found ways to work around the vaguely worded measure. </blockquote>Other coverage included <a href="http://thehill.com/blogs/hillicon-valley/technology/156655-rep-barney-frank-blasts-obama-admin-for-online-poker-crackdown">an interesting piece</a> from <i>The Hill</i>, which quotes Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) commenting on the events. Frank has long been a leading advocate for legalizing online gambling.<br />
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I was interviewed about the matter by <a href="http://www.gamblingcompliance.com/">Gambling Compliance</a>, which describes itself as "a team of legal, regulatory and finance professionals who specialise exclusively in providing high level and independent analysis of the global gaming market to our clients...The team is based in the USA and Europe and we pride ourselves on providing the most comprehensive, accurate and up to date information services coupled with cutting edge technology and world class client support."<br />
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In short, I was asked whether the arrests and the possible seizing of assets should concern offshore sportsbooks which are in very similar circumstances to the online poker sites targeted this week (based outside the U.S. though with a significant clientele [and typically at least some portion of the operation] in the States). The piece, penned by James Kilsby, is available to subscribers only, but the takeaway is as follows. My opinion, shaped in no small part by my interviews with federal law enforcement officials during the research for <a href="http://nbascandal.blogspot.com/p/gaming-game-story-behind-nba-betting.html"><i>Gaming the Game</i></a>, is that offshore sportsbooks should be very worried. For whatever reasons (perhaps the dire need for funds to help offset the government's financial woes, as some have posited), the feds have apparently taken an interest in offshore sites that everyone knew about long ago but which <a href="http://seanpatrickgriffin.blogspot.com/2011/02/offshore-sports-betting-and-law.html">were never the subject of serious enforcement scrutiny</a> until now.<br />
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Here is a Bloomberg TV interview of Kilsby, an editor for Gambling Compliance, about the momentous events:<br />
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<a href="http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xiag19_kilsby-calls-u-s-internet-poker-charges-game-changer_news" target="_blank">Kilsby Calls U.S. Internet Poker Charges `Game...</a> <i>by <a href="http://www.dailymotion.com/Bloomberg" target="_blank">Bloomberg</a></i>Sean Patrick Griffin, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09634829613521863612noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1092756431920750147.post-50207157849942804212011-04-23T09:09:00.000-04:002011-04-23T09:09:25.177-04:00Philadelphia's Black Mafia on WikipediaAs many people know, the topic of Philadelphia's Black Mafia has its own Wikipedia entry - "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Mafia">Black Mafia</a>". I probably should have publicly commented on this matter long ago, but for whatever reasons reserved my critical remarks for lesser forums. I keep (wrongly!) assuming that readers know Wikipedia is most often not a valid source of information - and even when it is, we have little reason to know this is the case. Here, then, are some comments about the entry which so often mentions <a href="http://seanpatrickgriffin.blogspot.com/p/black-brothers-inc-violent-rise-and.html">my work</a> as the basis for its content.<br />
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For starters, the entry's title, "Black Mafia," is troublesome since it suggests to some there is or was a monolithic African-American organized crime group operating throughout the U.S. Though the syndicate had operations and contacts in various cities, the majority of its significant activities took place in and around Philadelphia.<br />
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I have checked the entry intermittently for some time to see where some of the questions I receive originate. My overall sense of the entry probably mirrors what is true of the entire site, namely that it is somewhat true and somewhat properly sourced...and yet seriously flawed and wildly inaccurate (particularly depending on how long it has been since someone at least attempted to edit the piece in consideration of certain factors). As I type, the very beginning of the entry ("Overview") includes historically inaccurate (though typical street legend) commentary which is presented as fact. <br />
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Indeed, for months the Black Mafia entry included a detailed description of the group's relationship with a wholly fabricated Italian-American crime family (I am convinced to this day that one of my many former students penned the bogus material as a means of "testing" Wikipedia, since I have often joked in class about performing such a stunt out of curiosity). <br />
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I won't waste time commenting about the current, significant flaws in the entry simply because by the time I post this, they may not appear! It is Wikipedia we are discussing, after all.<br />
<br />
In closing, I should note that despite my serious concerns about the Black Mafia Wiki entry, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_NBA_betting_scandal">the site's take</a> on another of my research projects - the <a href="http://nbascandal.blogspot.com/">2003-07 NBA betting scandal</a> - is far worse! Wow. As such, I highly doubt I'll ever take the time to address its many errors, and will simply hope that interested parties consult <a href="http://nbascandal.blogspot.com/p/gaming-game-story-behind-nba-betting.html"><i>Gaming the Game: The Story Behind the NBA Betting Scandal and the Gambler Who Made It Happen</i></a> and the related blogs (see <a href="http://nbascandal.blogspot.com/">here</a> and <a href="http://donaghypersonalfouls.blogspot.com/">here</a>).Sean Patrick Griffin, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09634829613521863612noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1092756431920750147.post-52572079537818602212011-04-21T18:43:00.000-04:002011-04-21T18:43:11.287-04:00Black Brothers, Inc. on Kindle!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/512dMcK0n1L._SL500_AA266_PIkin3,BottomRight,-15,34_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/512dMcK0n1L._SL500_AA266_PIkin3,BottomRight,-15,34_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg" /></a></div>I can't guess how many people have asked me when, if ever, <a href="http://seanpatrickgriffin.blogspot.com/p/black-brothers-inc-violent-rise-and.html"><i>Black Brothers, Inc.</i></a> would be available on Amazon.com's popular Kindle. Well, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Black-Brothers-Inc-ebook/dp/B004X2HPPO/">the moment has arrived</a>! I need to thank Pete Walsh of <a href="http://www.milobooks.co.uk/">Milo Books </a>for being so proactive with this.Sean Patrick Griffin, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09634829613521863612noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1092756431920750147.post-68536484654933891902011-04-15T11:42:00.000-04:002011-04-15T11:42:12.704-04:00Billy Walters property for sale<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://s.wsj.net/public/resources/images/OB-NM848_0415Wa_D_20110413180054.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://s.wsj.net/public/resources/images/OB-NM848_0415Wa_D_20110413180054.jpg" /></a></div><a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703385404576259261181427714.html?mod=ITP_fridayjournal_3#project%3DSLIDESHOW08%26s%3DSB10001424052748703983104576262863044457904%26articleTabs%3Darticle">For a mere $29 million</a>, you can purchase one of <a href="http://seanpatrickgriffin.blogspot.com/2011/01/brief-comments-on-billy-walters-60.html">the world's most consequential sports bettor</a>'s properties (the linked <i>WSJ</i> piece includes insights into his vast enterprise).Sean Patrick Griffin, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/09634829613521863612noreply@blogger.com