Trooper: Tocchet a partner in betting James Harney pleaded guilty and said the ex-Flyer took wagers and profits.
By Joel Bewley and Jennifer Moroz INQUIRER STAFF WRITERS
POSTED: August 04, 2006
Former NHL star Rick Tocchet was an equal partner in the multimillion-dollar sports-betting ring led by a former New Jersey state trooper, the disgraced lawman asserted yesterday in pleading guilty.
Tocchet took wagers and cash from bettors and would cover losses, said James Harney, 40, of Mount Laurel. When bettors lost, Tocchet would be given "a bag of cash" for his share of the profits.
In exchange for a prison term of seven years or less, Harney, who was a trooper for eight years, agreed to testify against Tocchet and a Gloucester County man alleged to have helped the ring.
Harney pleaded guilty to conspiracy, promoting gambling and official misconduct. A charge of money laundering was dropped. Had he gone to trial, Harney could have faced 25 years behind bars.
"He will cooperate with the State of New Jersey," Deputy Attorney General Mark Eliades told state Superior Court Judge Thomas S. Smith Jr. at the hearing at the Burlington County Courthouse in Mount Holly.
Harney's sentencing was scheduled for Oct. 27. He has already been "debriefed in full several times," state Division of Criminal Justice Director Gregory A. Paw said after the proceeding.
As part of the deal, Harney must forfeit more than $700,000 in property, cash, watches and plasma televisions. He had been on unpaid suspension from his $74,500 post since being arrested in February with Tocchet, 42, and James Ulmer, 41, of Swedesboro. Harney resigned from the force Wednesday.
"This case was, from the start, about taking down a corrupt police officer," Attorney General Zulima Farber said after the hearing.
Harney did not make a statement, but answered questions about the operation posed by his attorney, Craig Mitnick. He admitted taking a bet while patrolling the New Jersey Turnpike.
"He was a traitor," State Police Lt. Col. Frank E. Rodgers said afterward.
State police began the probe, Operation Slapshot, in October when the ring was uncovered during an unrelated investigation, Farber said.
Tocchet and Harney met in the 1990s when Harney served drinks at a sports bar near the stadium complex in South Philadelphia. They started the ring in 2001.
It grew into a multimillion-dollar operation that took action on college and professional football and basketball games.
In one 40-day period, the ring processed more than $1.5 million in Super Bowl and college bowl bets, Harney said. That amount was typical for that time of year, he said.
Harney said he would take between five and seven bets a day for at least $1,000. Tocchet and Ulmer would bring in similar amounts, he said.
Tocchet also placed wagers for himself, Harney said. He forwarded money to Harney periodically, "but he would keep his part of the proceeds," Harney said.
Organized crime played no role in the operation, he said, contrary to what investigators indicated after the arrests.
Harney and Mitnick would not answer questions after the hearing about who had placed bets with the ring.
Sources have said bettors included former Flyer Jeremy Roenick and actress Janet Jones, who is married to Phoenix Coyotes coach Wayne Gretzky. Tocchet is on indefinite leave as Gretzky's assistant coach.
Harney's case, like those against Tocchet and Ulmer, had not been presented to a grand jury. They are charged with promoting gambling, money laundering and conspiracy, offenses that carry up to 10-year prison terms upon conviction.
Farber would not say whether the state was seeking plea bargains from the codefendants.
Kevin Marino, who represents Tocchet, said no deal had been discussed. He accused Harney of trying to save himself and expects Tocchet will be vindicated.
"A person who was facing 25 years in jail is now facing seven years. That's a big difference," Marino said. "His part of the bargain is to cooperate and to implicate Rick Tocchet."
Edwin Jacobs Jr., who represents Ulmer, said he had been in talks with state officials.
"Clearly there was a lot of gambling going on here, and I think the question is where everybody fits in the food chain," Jacobs said. "We're in discussions with the attorney general, and hopefully there will be a meeting of the minds as to how much or how little my client was involved."
Two other troopers have been suspended without pay for allegedly knowing about the ring but failing to report it.
Sgt. Michael Kaiser, an administrative officer in a Garden State Parkway barracks with 21 years on the force, has declined to comment.
The name of the other trooper, Erik Ruczynski, 36, of Florence, was made public yesterday.
Ruczynski, who worked out of the Moorestown barracks and joined the force with Harney in 1997, said: "I have no knowledge of the whole Harney situation."
Contact staff writer Joel Bewley at 609-261-0900 or jbewley@phillynews.com.
