Thursday, August 7, 2008

A former University of Toledo basketball player has been charged with point shaving, according to a federal bill of information filed in U.S. District Court in Detroit.

Sammy Villegas, who played basketball for four years at Toledo and has followed that with a professional career in his native Puerto Rico, is accused of shaving points in games during the 2004-05 and 2005-06 seasons.

The case comes a little more than a year after a Toledo football player was accused in a gambling scheme, though the charges against him were dropped. A university spokesman described the cases as isolated incidents.

Villegas, a guard who finished his college career in 2006, also paid another player in the point-shaving ring, prosecutors said. That player was not named in the bill of information, which was filed June 30.

Gambling scandals have occasionally hit college basketball programs since the days when then-powerhouse City College of New York was hit with accusations against three players in 1951. Scandals rocked Arizona State and Northwestern a decade ago.

Villegas was charged with conspiracy to influence sports contests by bribery and received money and other gifts in exchange for fixing games, prosecutors said.

The charges were first reported yesterday by WUPW-TV in Toledo.

Prosecutors also didn't name who paid the players. Villegas traveled to Michigan several times to meet with another participant in the scheme, court documents said.

He intentionally missed two free throws in a 78-62 win against Central Michigan on Feb. 4, 2006, prosecutors said. The box score shows Villegas hit a three-pointer and missed two free throws.

-- From News Services