I thought Operation Slap Shot was an extremely interesting organized crime betting ring bust that was so interesting because it involved state troopers, professional athletes, and the mob. I will be posting articles on the bust to hopefully spring some discussion: Who thinks Wayne Gretzky was involved? How did the NJ State Trooper get away with this for so long? Do you believe this ring paid protection/street tax to Philly LCN? Was this ring supervised by either Anthony Staino or Mousie? Do any local South Jersey posters here have any inside info on this betting ring?

Ice Capades
Why Philly's mob and hockey team have a crush on one another.

by Brendan McGarvey

Underworld
When the Flyers won the Stanley Cup in 1974 and 1975, a generation of South Philly kids who'd grow up to run the local Mafia spent countless hours playing street hockey in alleys, parking lots and playgrounds. Like many other Philadelphians, they proudly sported the local hockey team's orange-and-white jersey and lined the parade route when they won it all.

ORANGE AND BLACK EYE: Just like fans who recently packed the Wachovia Center, local mobsters were longtime Flyers backers who admired the likes of Rick Tocchet.
ORANGE AND BLACK EYE: Just like fans who recently packed the Wachovia Center, local mobsters were longtime Flyers backers who admired the likes of Rick Tocchet.
Photo By: Michael T. Regan


The teenage wannabes admired the physical style of play that earned the team its "Broad Street Bullies" moniker. They often talked about the bloody brawls on ice and the men who fought them: young, tough guys from small Canadian towns who were willing to lose teeth, scrape skin, bruise fists and rip jerseys just for the hell of it. To them, the goals scored seemed secondary to getting paid decent money to toil in such a violent realm.

The future gangsters, it seemed, respected physical and financial power, even at a young age.

So when Joey Merlino and his crew began hanging out at the South Philly sports bar Legends, they ate up the opportunity to meet and drink with their team's current-day heroes, including tough guy Rick Tocchet, who was known as much for his ability to fight as for his ability to score.

As New Jersey officials continue investigating a gambling ring allegedly run by a state trooper and Tocchet, the current assistant coach of the NHL's Phoenix Coyotes, it comes as no surprise that much attention's being paid to possible mob ties.

But both law enforcement officials and local mobsters say it ain't so—to a point.

While Tocchet and another Flyer sometimes socialized with Merlino, a close associate of the imprisoned mobster tells City Paper that "Joey didn't hang with them to go into business with them. He liked them and they liked him. Did Joey bet on hockey? Yeah. Joey bet on anything that moved. But he never involved people like Tocchet because they was his friends."

Seven years ago, before Merlino went to jail on a federal racketeering conviction, he told City Paper that he lost a lot of money on the Flyers. He claimed that never would have been the case if he had inside information.

"Never happened," Merlino said. "Never asked those guys anything."

In the mid-1990s, Merlino befriended several other professional baseball, football and hockey players. He claimed only to have met Flyers team captain Eric Lindros two or three times, but two underworld sources now claim they palled around more frequently than that.

"Merlino's younger sister went on two or three dates with Lindros," says an ex-girlfriend of a former high-ranking Philly mobster. "Lindros was around more than Joey says. They liked hanging with each other. They were both celebrities."

Apparently, Lindros wasn't the only Flyer said to like mob stories. According to two local TV sources, several players asked a local TV-sports producer in the mid-'90s to obtain a copy of the WHYY series, Mobfathers, for them. (The five-hour history of organized crime focused heavily on the local mob.) The sports producer eventually got a copy and gave it to a team employee and several players later told him they had watched the series on road trips and then lent the documentary to several Flyers who wanted to see it again.

"They loved that stuff," the sports producer said. "It was better than The Godfather. They watched it a couple of times."

As it turns out, future New Jersey State Trooper James J. Harney, was also at Legends during this era of mutual admiration. As the bartender at the establishment in the shadows of the sporting arenas, Harney was in the mix with high-profile athletes, young mobsters and sports fans.

Today, he's in the mix when it comes to the countless stories about Operation Slap Shot, the investigation that uncovered the alleged Tocchet/Harney gambling ring, and speculation about hockey legend Wayne Gretzky's involvement, on front pages across the U.S. and Canada.

The investigation is far from over and more names of current and former NHL players who bet on professional football games and other sports—but not hockey—may emerge.

The embattled State Police are red-faced that one of their own, Harney, allegedly took bets and helped run the gambling ring. He not only did so while on duty, but on a cell phone inside his patrol car, investigators say. Sources add that Harney is not the only trooper under investigation; at least one of Harney's supervisors has been questioned by the state Attorney General's office after allegedly turning a blind eye to Harney's gambling operation.

Meanwhile, the FBI and various Pennsylvania law-enforcement agencies are more than a little miffed that they weren't included in the investigation.

"The New Jersey State Police were looking into one of their own, and they're embarrassed," one local law enforcement source says. "So they shut everybody else out. Now we're being told, don't hurt the investigation into mob connections but don't offer any help either, unless Jersey officially requests our help."

For their part, New Jersey investigators are looking into ties between the gambling ring and reputed Philly crime family underboss Anthony Staino, imprisoned former underboss, Joseph "Mousy" Massimino and an unnamed mob associate who took over Massimino's South Philly and South Jersey bookmaking operations when Mousie went to jail two years ago. (He pleaded guilty to New Jersey state charges of illegal gambling and loan sharking.)

They may even learn, according to one local mob associate, that members of the Philadelphia Cosa Nostra may have placed bets with the Tocchet/Harney sports book but that no members were involved in running the illegal gambling operation. When asked whether the alleged ring paid "protection money," or a "street tax," to operate, the mobster refused to comment.

"Sometimes it is just what it is," he says. "A guy may be a bartender and may know connected guys. That doesn't mean he's in business with them."

STATE POLICE INVESTIGATION INTO GAMBLING RING YIELDS PROFESSIONAL SPORTS TIES
"OPERATION SLAP SHOT" UNCOVERS NHL LINK
West Trenton, New Jersey - Attorney General Zulima Farber and New Jersey State Police Superintendent Colonel Rick Fuentes announced that an investigation dubbed "Operation Slap Shot" concluded with the arrest of a veteran New Jersey State Trooper and two others for operating a multi-million dollar sports bookmaking enterprise.

"These arrests clearly demonstrate that the New Jersey State Police and the Division of Criminal Justice will aggressively pursue allegations of official misconduct and corruption," said Attorney General Farber.

The investigation began in late October 2005, when members of the New Jersey State Police Organized Crime Bureau uncovered information indicating that Trooper James J. Harney; an eight-year veteran was a partner in the bookmaking ring, operating not only in the South Jersey and Philadelphia area, but also beyond the borders of New Jersey.

As the investigation unfolded it expanded to include former Philadelphia Flyer and current Phoenix Coyotes' assistant coach Richard Tocchet. Mr. Tocchet was identified as Harney's alleged partner and financier. Additionally, the investigation alleges Swedesboro resident James A. Ulmer, served as a "sitter" who funneled wagers to Harney.

The State Police investigation paints a picture of a highly organized sport betting system, which in a forty day period processed more than 1000 wagers exceeding 1.7 million dollars on professional and collegiate sporting events. Many of the rings clientele included past and present professional athletes and celebrities who are being interviewed as part of the ongoing investigation.

Beyond the bookmaking and corruption charges the investigation has revealed alleged ties to the Bruno-Scarfo Crime Family of La Cosa Nostra, operating in Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey.

"Operation Slap Shot not only dismantles a major sports betting operation, but sends a definitive message that we will not allow any member to tarnish the above reproach reputation of the New Jersey State Police. We want to ensure that the citizens of New Jersey maintain their confidence in the services we provide and the integrity of each New Jersey State Trooper," said Fuentes.

The investigation to date has resulted in yesterday's arrests of both Harney and Ulmer for Bookmaking, Money Laundering and Conspiracy, as well as the execution of search warrants at multiple locations. As part of the investigation, the Division of Criminal Justice has employed the criminal provisions of New Jersey's racketeering and money laundering statutes to seize the proceeds of the alleged illegal gambling activity. The Division of Criminal Justice has filed an Order To Seize and Restrain Property with the Superior Court. The order seeks various assets owned and/or maintained by Harney and Ulmer, including back accounts, Harney's Mount Laurel residence, and personal late-model automobiles. The investigation will be submitted to a State Grand Jury for review and potential indictment.

Charged suspects full names and addresses are as follows:

Richard Tocchet, 41, Phoenix, Arizona - (Promoting gambling, money laundering, conspiracy)
James Harney, 40, Marlton, NJ - (Official Misconduct, promoting gambling, money laundering, conspiracy)
James A. Ulmer, 40, Swedesboro, NJ - (Promoting gambling, money laundering, conspiracy)
A complaint summons has been served on Richard Tocchet of Phoenix, Arizona. Tocchet is expected to come to New Jersey to answer charges.

Wayne Gretzky's wife and about a half-dozen NHL players allegedly placed bets -- but not on hockey -- with a nationwide sports gambling ring financed by Phoenix Coyotes assistant coach Rick Tocchet, authorities said Tuesday.

Janet Jones
Stephen Shugerman/Getty Images
Two law enforcement sources told the AP that Janet Jones, who is Wayne Gretzky's wife, placed bets with the gambling ring.
At the request of NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, Tocchet did not attend the Coyotes' game against the Blackhawks on Tuesday night. In a statement, the Coyotes said Tocchet "was flying back East this evening to address the allegations in a meeting with Bettman."

Lt. Col. Frank Rodgers of the New Jersey State Police told ESPN2's Cold Pizza that he did not know if or when Tocchet would turn himself into police.

"My understanding is he'll contact us today ... We look forward to speaking to him in depth on the matter," Rodgers said Wednesday morning.

Phoenix lost 3-1 without Tocchet.

Gretzky, hockey's greatest player, is in his first season coaching the Coyotes and is a part-owner of the team.

Gretzky's wife, actress Janet Jones, was among those implicated, two law enforcement officials told The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity because no bettors have been publicly identified.

New Jersey State Police Superintendent Col. Rick Fuentes said a four-month undercover investigation dubbed "Operation Slap Shot" into the New Jersey-based ring discovered the processing of more than 1,000 wagers, exceeding $1.7 million total, in a 40-day period. The bets were placed on professional and college sports, mostly football and basketball. Fuentes declined to identify the NHL players who made wagers but said none bet on hockey.
Rodgers, deputy superintendent of investigations with the New Jersey State Police, confirmed to TSN of Canada that "12 NHL players or people closely associated with NHL clubs" -- including a team owner and a member of one coaching staff, a tally Rodgers said was in addition to Tocchet-- placed bets with the ring. He would not say whether any of the bettors with ties to the NHL bet on hockey.

The investigation also revealed alleged ties to the Bruno-Scarfo crime family in Philadelphia and southern New Jersey, authorities said.

Operation Slap Shot
AP/Mel Evans
An eight-month undercover investigation into the ring discovered the processing of more than 1,000 wagers, exceeding $1.7 million, on professional and college sports.
John Hagerty, spokesman for the New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice, told ESPN.com's Scott Burnside that those being investigated for making bets through the ring are "all over the country and Canada as well."

Lt. Gerald Lewis of the New Jersey State Police public information office told ESPN.com that other athletes, some retired and some active, would be interviewed, but he wouldn't say how many are connected to the NHL.

Lewis said the interest in talking to the people who were placing bets is to determine whether there was an illegality on the part of the bettors and to try to learn more about the scope of the betting operation.

He said the NHL had not been contacted during the investigation even though the league has a security arm that tries to educate players about possible legal problems. He said the state police were under no obligation to share their information with the league before the laying of charges.

Lewis said he would hope "that at some point [the NHL] would investigate."

The developments came at a sensitive time for the NHL, which is trying to win back fans after a season-long lockout and just days before many of the league's best players will showcase their talent at the Torino Olympics.

"We understand that Mr. Tocchet's conduct in no way involved betting on hockey," NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said. "And, while betting on football or other sports may be the pervasive issue, it in no way justifies poor judgment or otherwise alleged inappropriate conduct."

Speaking after the league's general managers adjourned their meeting Tuesday, Bettman said, "I have retained Robert Cleary, who is a former U.S. attorney for New Jersey, to do an internal investigation for us, and I'll be meeting with him first thing tomorrow morning.

"In response to the allegations against Coyotes associate coach Rick Tocchet, and consistent with club policy, the Phoenix Coyotes organization declines further comment on the situation until definitive information becomes available," team president and COO Douglas Moss said in a statement. "The focus of the Coyotes organization is to continue our drive for a playoff position."

Tocchet was served with a criminal complaint Monday and was expected to travel from his Arizona home to answer charges of promoting gambling, money laundering and conspiracy, Fuentes said. A criminal complaint informs Tocchet of authorities' intention to charge him formally and the need for him to arrange to travel to New Jersey for formal charging or face arrest.

Hagerty said that all the charges are in the second degree and that all carry a maximum 10-year sentence.

Earlier Tuesday, Gretzky had said Tocchet would be on the bench for the Coyotes' home game against Chicago and it would be "business as usual." But Bettman changed that plan, summoning Tocchet to a meeting in New York City.

"Everyone in the world is innocent until proven guilty," Gretzky said. "He's a great guy and a good friend. He's just going through a tough time right now, obviously, and we've got to let it run its course. It's a situation that's obviously a concern for the organization at this point.

"The sad thing about this whole scenario is that Rick is a wonderful person and a great guy, so I hope everything works out in his favor. It's hard because I love the guy. He's a great guy, you know. I just hope it all works out for him," Gretzky said.

Gretzky said his wife was in California. The two talked, he said, but she did not speak about any involvement she might have had.

"We didn't get into it other than she was concerned about Rick and she felt it was a tough situation with him," Gretzky said, "and she would sit down at some point and answer questions that everybody has for her and be her own person."

Gretzky said "absolutely not" when asked whether she had placed bets for him.

"I'm standing here trying to answer questions, and it's not even me this is about," Gretzky said to reporters. "It's the frustrating, hard part for me, but I understand. I'm a big boy, and you guys have a responsibility and a job to do, and that's fine."

Except for trips to Las Vegas, Gretzky said, he's no gambler.

Tocchet acknowledged that a New Jersey state trooper arrested in connection with the gambling ring case is his friend. Tocchet said he would cooperate with the investigation but didn't answer when asked whether he'd surrender to authorities.

Authorities said Tocchet and state police trooper James Harney were partners in the operation, with the ex-NHL forward providing the financing.

"Tocchet received illegal sports bets from wagers and funneled money back to New Jersey," Fuentes said.

Tocchet, one of three associate coaches on the Coyotes' staff, took over the head coaching duties for 10 days in December while Gretzky was with his dying mother.

Tocchet, who is 41, played 18 years with six teams, including three seasons with the Coyotes from 1997 to 2000. He is one of only four players in NHL history to collect 400 goals and 2,000 penalty minutes.

Tocchet was a fan favorite during his two stints with the Philadelphia Flyers (1984-92, 2000-02). Star Flyers center Peter Forsberg on Tuesday described Tocchet as "a good guy, a funny guy."

"I think everybody is surprised," Forsberg said. "It's definitely not good for the sport to hear something like that."

Flyers forward Simon Gagne played briefly with Tocchet in Philadelphia and called him "one of the best guys I knew."

Harney, 40, was arrested Monday and has been suspended from the force. The eight-year police veteran was charged in an arrest warrant with official misconduct, promoting gambling, money laundering and conspiracy. Another man accused of taking bets is James Ulmer, 40, who was charged with promoting gambling, money laundering and conspiracy.

Harney and Ulmer were free after posting 10 percent of their bail. Harney had $100,000 bail; Ulmer had $50,000 bail. The two men were expected to be arraigned in New Jersey state Superior Court in Burlington County within two weeks.

Craig Mitnick, a lawyer representing Harney, said his client hadn't decided whether to contest the charges in court.

The police investigation into the ring started in October 2005 after authorities received a tip claiming that Harney was performing sports wagering from his Marlton home and that he was taking phone calls during his patrol job based out of the agency's Moorestown station, Fuentes said.

Fuentes did not disclose the bettors' names and said charges against more individuals were possible. He described one of them as a "movie celebrity."

Starting Monday night, authorities seized property from Harney and Ulmer. State police seized $27,000 in currency, "voluminous" amounts of sports betting information and bank accounts worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, Fuentes said.

A search of Harney's house recovered more than $250,000 worth of Rolex watches and nine plasma-screen televisions, including two from his bathroom.

In 1,144 NHL regular-season games, Tocchet had 440 goals, 512 assists and 2,972 penalty minutes with Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Los Angeles, Boston, Washington and Phoenix. Tocchet won a Stanley Cup with the Penguins in 1992 and appeared in the Stanley Cup finals with Philadelphia in 1987. He appeared in four NHL All-Star Games: in 1989, 1990, 1991 and 1993.

The NHL veteran, who -- according to The Philadelphia Inquirer -- listed "The Godfather" as his favorite movie in the Flyers' 2000-01 media guide, was hired by the Avalanche as an assistant coach in 2003.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

On Thin Ice
Posted December 20, 2007 by Seamus McGraw
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Rick Tocchet, the former Philadelphia Flyers All-Star right winger, spent eighteen years in the National Hockey League, thanks to the rare combination of a scorer’s touch and an enforcer’s mentality. In the mid-1980s, he and teammate Dave Brown were known as the Bruise Brothers, and Tocchet forever endeared himself to tough-guy Flyers fans for playing the majority of a game in March 1992 with a broken jaw. He scored two goals, including the game winner.
It’s been more than a year since Tocchet, serving as an assistant head coach on former teammate Wayne Gretzky’s staff with the Phoenix Coyotes, set foot on the ice. Tocchet is on voluntary leave from the team after he was accused of playing a major role in a New Jersey-based gambling ring that allegedly involved a state trooper; Gretzky’s wife, actress Janet Jones; and, perhaps, organized crime.
The allegation that Tocchet placed bets for Jones triggered a media frenzy, but authorities later conceded that they had yet to turn up any evidence of Mob involvement in the ring or of wrongdoing by Gretzky’s wife or any of the other bettors. Meanwhile, Jones and Gretzky threatened the state with a $50 million defamation suit.
But today, as evidence collected during an investigation dubbed “Operation Slapshot” that began in October 2005 is being heard by a grand jury, there seem to be fewer goals made than attempted. Only two of three key suspects—state trooper James Harney and James Ulmer, who both pleaded guilty last year—are awaiting sentencing. Harney and Ulmer (the latter being the bagman, the person designated to collect money for higher-ups) claim the former Flyers star was a founding member of the ring, but Tocchet insists he’s done nothing wrong, and despite being charged with promoting gambling, he has yet to be indicted by the grand jury.
Tocchet and his attorney, Kevin Marino, have declined to speak about the case. And while the 42-year-old hockey star reportedly is willing to negotiate with authorities in hopes of having the charges dropped or reduced so that he can return to the ice, so far neither the police nor prosecutors have been receptive. State officials say privately that they have ample evidence against Tocchet. “I wish all my cases had this kind of physical proof and corroborative evidence,” says one state official familiar with the investigation. (The adjudication of the gambling charge—which apparently involves betting only on football and basketball, not hockey—has knowledgeable sources speaking on the condition of anonymity.)
But lost in the controversy surrounding Tocchet’s alleged role in the ring is a much more challenging matter for state police and other officials: Harney, an eight-year state police veteran, managed to run a lucrative gambling ring practically under their noses without being detected. Authorities say there is little question that Harney was the ring’s key player on the street, a job for which he was singularly well suited.
By all accounts, Harney met the characters who would later figure prominently in this probe nearly a decade ago when he worked as a bartender at Legends, then a popular South Philly sports bar. While there, the future trooper and budding bookie rubbed shoulders with a clientele that included famous athletes, Tocchet among them, and more than a few infamous characters, including Anthony Staino, a reputed underboss in the Philadelphia Mob.
Staino, through his attorney, Gregory Pagano, has denied any connection to Harney’s alleged gambling operation. Pagano says, “Anthony’s a businessman and a gentleman and I don’t know him to be anything else.” Neither Harney nor Ulmer have acknowledged any Mob ties to their operation.
But investigators are not so sure.
“Look, there’s no way in the environment that we live in that anybody would be allowed to run a book the size that they were running without paying…someone,” says one law enforcement official closely tied to the probe. So far, however, authorities say they haven’t been able to prove the ring had a connection to organized crime. “We have them interacting with a number of people who are the types of folks that they would have to compensate for doing that,” the source says. “But they have not admitted that, and that’s not the type of stuff that you would intercept normally, so somebody has to roll over to give that up and that hasn’t happened yet. But the bottom line is this was a big, big-time book, and nobody runs a book in somebody else’s neighborhood without paying the appropriate tribute.”
Authorities insist that Harney, 41, developed a close relationship with Tocchet just before the player was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1992. He also became close to James Ulmer, who would later plead guilty to promoting gambling and who had perhaps already begun to take small-time bets. But it wasn’t until several years later, after Harney had joined the state police in 1997, authorities say, that the ring began to operate in earnest.
As a trooper, James Harney was undistinguished. But as a bookie, he was a stunning success. By the time of his arrest in February 2006, he had amassed a significant fortune. He owned a spacious home in Marlton and had bought a townhouse in Mount Laurel for his estranged wife and their twin sons. He owned luxury cars, nine plasma televisions, and a collection of Rolex watches conservatively estimated to be worth a quarter of a million dollars—formidable holdings for a trooper earning $74,500 a year on the books. He also apparently accomplished almost all of that in his spare time, at least according to his attorney, Craig Mitnick. “Jimmy Harney was a New Jersey trooper acting outside his duties as a trooper,” Mitnick says. “I believe [he] indicates that on one occasion while he was in uniform…a bet was either placed or taken.”
Others dispute that, adding that Harney often took bets while in uniform. What is astonishing is that despite Harney’s apparent wealth and willingness to flaunt it, few if any of his colleagues at the troubled Troop D barracks in Moorestown or elsewhere became suspicious about the source of his prosperity.
In the weeks after Harney’s arrest, state police investigators questioned more than 40 of his fellow troopers, and yet, according to court records and authorities familiar with the investigation, they believe that only two of the troopers had been aware of Harney’s extracurricular activities. Sergeant Michael Kaiser, a 21-year state police veteran who had been assigned to the Garden State Parkway barracks, was suspended after authorities alleged that he knew about Harney’s activities. Trooper Erik Ruczynski, also from the Parkway barracks, was suspended after police announced that they had evidence he discussed gambling with Harney. Neither man has been charged with being a member of the ring, and authorities say that no such charge is likely.
The other troopers’ apparent lack of curiosity about Harney may be particularly striking to civilians, but one insider says, “You have guys who fall off the reservation, but other guys don’t want to be a rat, so to speak. You know, the brotherhood is the brotherhood, especially in South Jersey.”
In fact, it was only after confidential informants approached the state police in the spring of 2005 with a tip about Ulmer that anyone suspected anything at all. Even then, say sources familiar with the probe, the police didn’t immediately focus on Harney. “It was confidential informants that we had that put us on to Ulmer,” says one source, and that in turn quickly led them back to Harney, and from him to Tocchet.
It took four months of wiretaps and other surveillance, but investigators ultimately concluded that they had uncovered a major gambling ring. In the 40 days leading up to last year’s Super Bowl, authorities contend, the ring processed about 1,000 illegal bets worth some $1.7 million. It was a formidable bust. But it also created a public relations problem, say some sources, because a state trooper from an already troubled barracks was at its center.
Tocchet, who was by then working for the Coyotes with Gretzky, insists that he was not a member of Harney’s gambling crew, but authorities and Harney paint a different picture. They insist that not only was he an equal partner in the operation, he also financed it and made significant profits from illegal bets that he funneled to New Jersey.
As it turned out, according to a former state official involved in internal discussions of the case, Tocchet’s high-profile connections in the sports world provided the state police with a public relations bonanza that they deftly exploited. First, the investigation became officially dubbed Operation Slapshot, even though there were no allegations then or now that Tocchet or any member of the ring collected bets on professional hockey games. Instead, according to state officials, the ring seems to have focused on football, both college and pro, and other sports.
“The state police did a very good job early on…of putting information out there regarding the sexy aspects of the investigation—for example, Tocchet and Gretzky and his wife, and all the other would-be bettors, which obviously gave it new legs,” the former official says. “The theory was, let’s focus the attention on all of these high-profile people. It was purely a move by state police at the time to minimize their exposure.”
State officials dispute that, insisting that they made no effort to either downplay the significance of Harney’s involvement or highlight the alleged involvement of celebrities.
All the same, when state officials, including state police superintendent Colonel Rick Fuentes and then state Attorney General Zulima Farber, announced at a joint press conference in February 2006 that they had cracked the big-time gambling ring, it triggered a firestorm of international headlines, almost all of them focused on the celebrities.
In an effort to beat back some of that publicity, the National Hockey League appointed Robert Cleary, the former U.S. attorney for New Jersey who prosecuted Unabomber Ted Kaczynski, to head its own probe into the allegations against Tocchet and, by association, professional hockey. Cleary, who has said that he would wait until the state wrapped up its investigation before commenting publicly, did not return repeated telephone calls.
The truth is, the state’s probe has so far yielded no evidence that any of the big names—Gretzky, Jones, or others, including Phoenix Coyotes center Jeremy Roenick, who may have placed bets with Harney—had any direct involvement in the ring’s operation. For the moment, though, none of them are talking about the case. Although Gretzky’s attorney, Ron Fujikawa, has not returned repeated telephone calls, Gretzky maintains that he had no involvement at all and never even put a bet down. And while authorities say that they have tapes of a conversation between Gretzky and Tocchet in which Gretzky expresses concern about the potential legal problems posed by his wife’s gambling with the ring, they concede that there’s no evidence that Gretzky tried to impede the probe.
Authorities admit that they don’t even have any evidence to suggest that anyone other than Tocchet, Harney, and Ulmer committed a crime. Even if, as alleged, Jones and others did place wagers with the ring, they are not in legal jeopardy, state officials acknowledge, because betting through a bookie is not a crime in New Jersey.
As one high-ranking state official puts it, “although a person taking those calls was involved in criminal activity, the person placing the calls, whether they be a player or anybody else, wasn’t necessarily committing a state violation. But those actions on their part are material to the prosecution of the people running the operation.”
And those bettors, authorities say, have been or will be subpoenaed to appear before the grand jury.
For two of the key players in the ring, when the grand jury concludes its work and the case goes to trial is a moot point. Last August, Harney, who faces up to seven years in prison, pleaded guilty to promoting gambling and official misconduct—despite his continued assertion that he conducted most of his illegal activity while he was off the clock. In an apologetic letter to state police brass, which has also been posted at his lawyer’s website, Harney confesses that his “personal judgment has been severely flawed” and adds that he is grief-stricken over “the humiliation and disgrace that I have caused to the Division of State Police.”
According to his attorney, Harney has pledged to cooperate with authorities and has been providing key support for the state’s assertion that Tocchet was a full partner in the gambling operation.
Ulmer also has pleaded guilty to promoting gambling, admitting that he served as a “sitter” who funneled bets to the ring. He too is cooperating with the state probe. When he is finally sentenced, he can expect to face a period behind bars “somewhere in the several-months range,” says his lawyer, Edwin Jacobs.
Tocchet, however, has not reached any accord with the prosecutors and continues to deny through his attorney that he was a partner in the betting ring, though he has been charged with promoting gambling and transporting up to $75,000 worth of illegal gambling proceeds.
In the meantime, Tocchet has been on an unpaid leave of absence from his lucrative position with the Coyotes since his name first surfaced in connection with the probe, and although technically his leave is voluntary, there is little chance that he will be able to return to work unless he’s exonerated.
There’s no telling how long it might take, authorities concede, before the grand jury concludes its work. In short, they say, it could be months, perhaps even years, before more indictments are handed down. Or before some people get a free skate.

Trooper accused of bets resigns James Harney, 40, apologized on his attorney's Web site. Bet-ring defendant resigns as trooper

By Joel Bewley INQUIRER STAFF WRITER
POSTED: August 03, 2006
A New Jersey state trooper who is expected to plead guilty today to running a booming sports-betting ring allegedly financed by NHL star Rick Tocchet resigned yesterday, saying he had disgraced the force and himself.

James Harney, 40, of Mount Laurel, an eight-year veteran accused of sometimes taking bets while patrolling the New Jersey Turnpike, posted the letter of resignation on his attorney's Web site.

"The disgrace which I have placed upon the division, myself and my family will remain with me forever," he wrote.

Harney was arrested in February with Tocchet, a former Philadelphia Flyer, and another South Jersey man after a four-month investigation called Operation Slapshot.

They are accused of running a multimillion-dollar operation that took bets on college and professional football and basketball games.

Harney's statement did not specifically address the charges against him, which include promoting gambling, money laundering, conspiracy and official misconduct.

He said the state police force was filled with good officers, and he urged people to judge him as an individual, not as a trooper.

"I am truly sorry for the humiliation and disgrace that I have caused to the Division of State Police," Harney wrote. "The scar that I have placed upon the division is inexcusable and was never contemplated by me."

Neither state police officials nor the state Attorney General's Office would comment on Harney's letter.

The ring processed $1.7 million in wagers in 40 days just before the arrests, police have said.

Sources have said bettors included former Flyer Jeremy Roenick and actress Janet Jones, the wife of Phoenix Coyotes coach Wayne Gretzky.

Tocchet, 40, is on leave from his job as Gretzky's assistant.

Harney and Tocchet met years ago while Tocchet played for the Flyers and Harney served drinks at a popular sports bar near the South Philadelphia stadium complex, police have said.

Along with Harney and Tocchet, police charged James Ulmer of Swedesboro, alleging he helped take bets.

The charges have not been presented to a grand jury, state police have said. There has been no indication that Tocchet and Ulmer were considering accepting plea bargains.

Details of Harney's plea agreement have not been released. If convicted at trial, he could have been sentenced to at least 20 years behind bars.

Tocchet and Ulmer could each face a decade in prison if convicted.

At least one other trooper has been suspended for knowing of the betting ring.

Contact staff writer Joel Bewley

at 609-261-0900 or jbewley@phillynews.com.

Six more troopers heard on wiretaps (Gretzky Gambling Investigation)
NorthJersey.com ^ | 02.11.06 | MITCHEL MADDUX
Posted on 2/12/2006, 1:02:41 AM by Coleus

Investigators suspect that at least six New Jersey state troopers were recorded on wiretaps, calling in bets to a bookmaking ring allegedly run by a National Hockey League coach and another trooper, a source familiar with the probe said Friday.

The state police also suspended a trooper for allegedly failing to report the illegal betting ring to his superiors, a law enforcement official said. Michael Kaiser, a sergeant assigned to the Garden State Parkway, was suspended late Thursday for violating the agency's rules. He was not charged with any crimes, officials said.

State police investigators are now trying to determine the identities of troopers suspected of betting with the ring and gauging their level of involvement with the bookmaking operation, the source said. Personal gambling habits have created problems for New Jersey troopers before. Gambling was identified as a contributing factor in as many as 50 internal state police investigations of troopers who broke the agency's rules in 2005, the source said.

Some of those cases involved troopers who faced bankruptcy, mounting debts and court judgments -- as well as marital or other relationship difficulties -- linked to gambling, the source said. One such case occurred in 2004, the source said, when a loan shark walked into the Bloomfield barracks and spoke with a supervisor about a trooper who owed him money. The loan shark allegedly told the supervisor that the trooper owed him $140,000, the source said.

The trooper left the agency soon after the incident, the source said. Capt. Al Della Fave, a state police spokesman, said Friday night that he could not immediately confirm or deny any information about the Bloomfield incident because he had no access to agency files after hours. Della Fave said he did not believe gambling problems were an underlying factor in as many as 50 of the agency's internal investigations. The state police announced the existence of the bookmaking operation on Tuesday, saying it ran a sophisticated system that handled bets on collegiate and professional football and basketball.

Authorities said the gambling ring was allegedly operated by James Harney, a trooper assigned to the New Jersey Turnpike, and Rick Tocchet, an associate coach of the NHL's Phoenix Coyotes, the ring's alleged financier. In one 40-day period, more than 1,000 wagers, totaling more than $1.7 million, were placed by clients nationwide, officials said. Some clients allegedly placed their bets by calling Harney's cellphone while he patrolled the turnpike in his police cruiser, officials said.

David Jones, president of the State Troopers Fraternal Association, said the probe did not begin with a focus on hockey players or state police. "This was never about the NHL and the New Jersey State Police," Jones said. "This is the result of a pure, unadulterated gambling investigation." Investigators recorded hockey superstar Wayne Gretzky discussing the probe with Tocchet, speculating that his wife would evade prosecution, a person with knowledge of the probe has said.

However, nothing in the conversation with Tocchet suggests that Gretzky tried to obstruct the criminal probe, which allegedly uncovered numerous sports bets placed by his wife, Janet Jones, the person said. Existence of the wiretapped phone conversation between Gretzky, who is the Coyotes' managing partner and head coach, and Tocchet was confirmed by two sources familiar with the investigation. Gretzky seemed concerned about his wife and was "commiserating" with Tocchet during the wiretapped call, the source said. The two hockey coaches allegedly speculated that investigators would never prosecute a gambling ring that involved a trooper, the source said.

State police detectives also want to interview Jones, an actress, about her alleged bets, sources said. Jones was recorded on many occasions by the wiretap, sources said. The state police investigation, however, was not focused on targeting professional hockey players, the source said. "The state police were more interested in taking out this trooper than in going after some NHL players," the source said.

Gretzky will reportedly fly to Turin, Italy, on Sunday in his capacity as the executive director of the Canadian men's hockey team. There, he plans to hold a media conference to clarify his position regarding the gambling ring, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported Friday.

he cop, the jock, the bets

"Jimmy Dimples," they called him at the south Philadelphia watering hole. At least the women did. Bartender James Harney had a bodybuilder's physique, a model's face, designer clothes and a goal.

BY THE GAZETTE (MONTREAL)FEBRUARY 13, 2006


"Jimmy Dimples," they called him at the south Philadelphia watering hole. At least the women did. Bartender James Harney had a bodybuilder's physique, a model's face, designer clothes and a goal.

He wanted to be a New Jersey state trooper.

Richard Tocchet had a nickname, too. To legions of pro hockey fans and players around the continent, he was simply "Toc," a fitting one-syllable moniker for an athlete known for his endurance and grit.

At first glance, the two men shared little in common. But the sports star and the cop crossed paths at least five years ago, when their careers were heading in different directions.

Last week, their fates became irrevocably entwined.

The state police accused Harney and Tocchet of being partners in a sports betting ring that took millions of dollars worth of wagers from professional athletes and celebrities. They said the ring had ties to organized crime figures in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. And they said the gamblers included National Hockey League players and the wife of its most revered star, Wayne Gretzky.

"Nobody bet on their own games," state police Superintendent Rick Fuentes said in announcing the charges.

But investigators were sparse with other details, saying they were still identifying and questioning bettors. The probe took investigators to at least four states and showed signs it could blossom into the largest gambling scandal to hit professional sports in years.

The NHL hired a former federal prosecutor to conduct an internal probe. Gretzky, now the coach of the Phoenix Coyotes, denied any knowledge of the gambling ring.

Gretzky's denial was supported by new information yesterday that a police wiretap of him discussing the case with Tocchet and asking how his wife's involvement could be covered up was made last Monday, after the investigation came to light.

By week's end, Harney, Tocchet and the third defendant in the case, James Ulmer, hired attorneys who came out swinging. They portrayed the operation as harmless wagers among friends.

Police were pursuing the theory that Tocchet financed the operation, recruited the gamblers among wealthy athletes and made his own bets. Ulmer is believed to have collected and funnelled the cash to Harney, and the trooper allegedly placed the bets with an established bookie.

In one six-week span, police said, the ring processed more than 1,000 wagers worth a total of $1.7 million.

The state police dubbed their case "Operation Slap Shot," although few would argue it needed a slick nickname to get attention. It already had all the ingredients necessary for a media frenzy.

Millionaire athletes in a league struggling to rebound. The beautiful wife of hockey's greatest player allegedly throwing down five-figure bets like a grandmother dropping change into the nickel slots. A bar tender-turned-trooper-turned-Rolex-wearing-bookie. And, of course, the mob.

By the time the ring allegedly started, Harney appeared to be living out his dream. He had joined the state police in 1997, when he was 32, and his first posting was in Bridgeton, deep in south Jersey.

Four years later he won a transfer to the Moorestown barracks, a 15-minute drive from the Marlton, N.J. home where he lived with his wife.

Court records show Tocchet lived in Voorhees, N.J., where the Philadelphia Flyers have their practice facility.

Philadelphia was the club that drafted him in 1983 and the team where he built his reputation as a winger who could score as easily as drop his gloves. Tocchet ranks among only four NHL players to record 300 goals and 2,000 penalty minutes in their careers.

But the game he had played so well for so long was starting to slip away by the time Tocchet returned to Philadelphia, after stints with five other teams, in 2000. He spent much of the next season battling injuries. It was his longest absence from the ice in his career. He retired the following year at 38 and returned to Arizona to work with his friend Gretzky.

When he met Harney is unclear, though State Police have said their friendship started at Legends, a well-known south Philadelphia sports bar. The bar, which has since been renamed, sits in a Holiday Inn just outside the gates of the sprawling stadium complex where the city's four professional sports teams play.

Harney worked there for about three years in the mid-1990s, when Legends was a convenient and regular destination for Philly athletes. He was so popular, especially among the women, that his co workers gave him a nickname - "Jimmy Dimples."

"He was handsome and had this great personality," said Trish Fortuna, a bartender who worked with Harney. "When he passed the state trooper's test, we were really excited for him. That's all he had talked about for years."

Legends became legendary for attracting more than just athletes. Law-enforcement sources say it was also a regular hangout for members of the Philadelphia-south Jersey organized crime family and its then-underboss, Joseph "Skinny Joey" Merlino. That wasn't a surprise to organized-crime investigators. Most wiseguys like celebrities, and like to be seen with them, they say. And in the age of The Sopranos, the feeling is often reciprocal. Because of its clientele, Legends also drew its share of beautiful women.

The state police have not identified which mobsters were involved or how the mob fits into the case, except to say Tocchet and Harney oversaw "a highly organized sports betting system" and with "alleged ties to the Bruno-Scarfo crime family of La Costra Nostra."

But few illegal gambling operations can grow too large without drawing the scrutiny of organized-crime families, which tend to believe they have an unchallenged monopoly on sports betting.

Five years ago, Merlino and his associates were convicted of extorting payments from a betting ring started by a group of college students.

"Why pay the mob?" a prosecutor asked one of the operators at trial.

"Because you had to in order to do business," the witness replied.

How much Tocchet and Harney could have earned is unclear.

In a typical gambling operation, the betting agents charge a commission as high as 10 per cent of the bet, and keep up to 25 per cent of any losses, according to law-enforcement officials who have investigated such rings. The rest of the money goes back into the operations or to the ringleaders.

Police say Harney earned only $75,000 a year as a trooper, but amassed hundreds of thousands of dollars in bank accounts, plus two homes, a BMW and a Lincoln Navigator, and Rolex watches worth $250,000. They moved to seize his properties. The criminal complaints say the men processed 594 bets worth $1 million between Dec. 29, 2005 and Jan. 31. They allegedly handled another $700,000 worth of bets in the five days before Super Bowl XL, a frenzied week for gamblers.

A chunk of those allegedly came from the spouse of the NHL's greatest player. Law enforcement sources say Janet Jones, Gretzky's wife, was a regular gambler and placed $75,000 worth of bets on last Sunday's Super Bowl, including a winning bet on the coin toss.

Gretzky initially waffled on his knowledge of the operation. But by Thursday, after reports the wire taps caught him and Tocchet discussing his wife's gambling with the ring, he insisted he never placed a bet. Jones followed with her own press release, claiming she never placed wagers for Gretzky.

The wiretaps in the ongoing investigation also turned up several state troopers speaking to Harney, but two people close to the investigation say the conversations were not about gambling.

Tocchet was served with a summons at his home in Arizona. His neighbour there is Jeremy Roenick, another former Flyer, now with the Los Angeles Kings, who sources say placed bets through the ring. Investigators say players for the Boston Bruins and Minnesota Wild are also involved.

None of the alleged bettors has been charged. Police said the gamblers might not have broken any laws, unless, for instance, they failed to declare their winnings as income. The focus of the investigation, law-enforcement sources say, is on the operators.

Tocchet, Harney and Ulmer are scheduled to appear Feb. 21 at an arraignment in Superior Court in Burlington County, N.J. Each has been charged with conspiracy, promoting gambling and money-laundering. Harney faces an additional charge of official misconduct.

Harney's attorney, Craig Mitnick, issued a statement saying the trooper has no intention of resigning. "The allegations against him will be scrutinized and defended vigorously," Mitnick said.

Ulmer's attorney, A. Charles Peruto Jr., dismissed the accusations as "a bunch of friends betting with each other," although in a crowd where most of the friends are millionaires.

"If you take out the names of Gretzky and Tocchet, it's a run- of-the-mill, five-cent case where you go pay your fine and you leave," he said.

Despite his career, a wife and children, Harney - previously known as Jimmy Dimples - still returned from time to time to the sports bar where he once worked, his former colleagues said. As recently as a few months ago, Harney brought his twin daughters to the bar.

"If I saw him right now, I'd give him a big kiss and wish him all the luck in the world," Fortuna said. "And then I'd tell him, `I hope you didn't do the things they're saying you did. Because if you did, you blew it big time."'

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.

Last man sentenced for betting ring role James Ulmer got probation, as did an ex-Flyer. A state trooper got jail.

By Troy Graham INQUIRER STAFF WRITER
POSTED: August 25, 2007
James Ulmer, the final defendant in the sports-betting ring run by former Philadelphia Flyer Rick Tocchet and a former New Jersey State Police trooper, was sentenced in Superior Court yesterday to two years' probation.

That was essentially the same sentence given last week to Tocchet, although Ulmer could be required to serve 180 days in jail as part of his sentence. Tocchet, who pleaded guilty earlier this year to conspiracy and gambling charges, escaped jail time.

Only the former trooper, James Harney, received a prison term. A Superior Court judge in Mount Holly gave him a five-year flat sentence, which means he's likely to serve about a year before being paroled.

Harney's sentence was the toughest, his attorney said, because he committed his offenses while he was a trooper.

Prosecutors said Harney even took bets on his cell phone while on patrol.

Harney and Tocchet, who reportedly met when Tocchet played for the Flyers in the early '90s and Harney was a bartender at a hotel near the stadium complex in South Philadelphia, were considered the leaders of the multimillion-dollar ring.

Authorities said they took in $1.7 million worth of bets during a 40-day period that included the 2006 Super Bowl and college bowl games.

Ulmer, 42, of Swedesboro, admitted to bringing in bets. The judge yesterday said he would have to serve the last six months of his probation in jail, but that Ulmer could apply for reconsideration of that decision.

None of the bettors has been identified in the case, and none has been charged. But sources have said that another former Flyer, Jeremy Roenick, and the actress Janet Jones, the wife of hockey great Wayne Gretzky, were among them.

Tocchet was an assistant coach for the Phoenix Coyotes in February 2006, when charges were filed in the case.

Gretzky is the head coach of that team.

Tocchet took a leave from the team after he was charged.

Prosecutors described Tocchet and Harney as equal partners in the bookmaking venture, saying Tocchet shared in profits and covered losses.

Harney, a trooper for eight years, was the first to plead guilty and begin cooperating with investigators. He said the ring focused on college and professional football and basketball.

Tocchet's attorney stressed repeatedly that the ring did not take action on hockey games, and he said Tocchet is hoping to avoid a ban from the NHL.

Contact staff writer Troy Graham at 856-779-3893 or tgraham@phillynews.com.

Rick Tocchet Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy and Promoting Gambling for Operating a Multi-Million Dollar Sports Gambling Ring

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>> View the Accusation (15k pdf) plug-in
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TRENTON - Attorney General Stuart Rabner and Criminal Justice Director Gregory A. Paw announced that retired NHL hockey star Rick Tocchet pleaded guilty today to criminal charges for his role in a multi-million dollar sports bookmaking enterprise.

Tocchet, 43, of Phoenix, Arizona, pleaded guilty today to charges of conspiracy and promoting gambling, both in the third degree, before Superior Court Judge Thomas S. Smith Jr. in Burlington County. The charges are contained in a criminal accusation filed by the New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice.

Tocchet admitted during the hearing that from September 2002 to February 2006, he conspired with former New Jersey state trooper James J. Harney and a third man, James A. Ulmer, to operate an illegal sports betting ring. The New Jersey State Police Organized Crime Bureau began investigating the ring in October 2005 when it uncovered information that Harney was involved in sports bookmaking. The betting ring was based in South Jersey and the Philadelphia area but took in millions of dollars in bets from all over the U.S., investigators determined.

"Mr. Tocchet found the quick profits of sports bookmaking alluring," said Attorney General Rabner. "Of course, they also are illegal. He will now face a sentencing judge for the consequences of his actions."

Tocchet admitted during the plea hearing that he was a partner with Harney in the gambling operation, sharing in its profits and covering losses. He admitted, generally, that the betting ring took in more than five bets a day totaling more than $1,000, the threshold for the promoting gambling charge. However, in pleading guilty to the conspiracy charge in the accusation, he also admitted specifically that in a single day, Jan. 1, 2006, he and Harney accepted approximately 17 bets on professional football games totaling roughly $40,000 from one individual.

Judge Smith scheduled Tocchet’s sentencing for Aug. 17 at 9 a.m. Under New Jersey law, third-degree crimes carry a maximum sentence of five years in state prison. Third-degree gambling offenses also carry a criminal fine of up to $25,000.

"Today’s guilty plea is a fair and appropriate disposition for the crimes committed by Mr. Tocchet," said Criminal Justice Director Paw.

"I want to commend the State Police detectives who built a strong case from this complex and highly organized illegal sports betting ring, which over a 40-day period processed over 1,000 wagers exceeding $1.7 million on professional and collegiate sporting events," said Colonel Rick Fuentes, Superintendent of the State Police.

Supervising Deputy Attorney General Mark Eliades, head of the Division of Criminal Justice -Organized Crime & Racketeering Bureau, represented the Attorney General at today’s plea hearing.

Tocchet, who spent more than half of his 18-year NHL career with the Philadelphia Flyers, took an indefinite leave of absence from his position as assistant coach for the Phoenix Coyotes after charges were filed by the New Jersey State Police in February 2006.

On Aug. 3, Harney, 41, of Marlton, pleaded guilty before Judge Smith to conspiracy and official misconduct, both in the second degree, and third-degree promoting gambling. He faces up to seven years in state prison and forfeited hundreds of thousands of dollars in assets.

Ulmer, 42, of Swedesboro, pleaded guilty on Dec. 1 to third-degree charges of conspiracy and promoting gambling. Ulmer faces a jail term of up to 364 days under his plea agreement.

Harney and Ulmer are scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Smith on June 22.

>> View the Accusation (15k pdf) plug-in

As part of the State Police investigation, search warrants were executed at a number of locations and voluminous records of sports betting were seized, along with computers. The Division of Criminal Justice employed the criminal provisions of New Jersey’s racketeering and money laundering statutes to seize currency and other proceeds of the illegal gambling activity.

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Was at rivers in Pittsburgh playing craps with tocchet about a year ago .. Still loves the action - playing the entire board from what I rememebr - think he laid out about 200 per roll lost about 2k and left. Introduced myself - has meathook hands and scarred up from the puck and fights - that's my 2c

Audio of Joey Merlino being interviewed about his connection to Lindros

Howard Eskin talking about interviewing Merlino

Jose-

I was at that Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh this past summer when I was in town to see my Mets play the Pirates at PNC Park (one of the most beautiful ballparks I have ever seen BTW) and my major beef with the Rivers Casino was that the drinks aren't comped when you are gambling, WTF?!?!?!?!?!?! That's absurd!I have never seen that before in my entire life until I was there at Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh...

Also,

I will throw out that I believe this ring paid tribute to Mousie and then when Mousie went away to prison on his NJ State charges, I believe this ring then paid tribute to Staino (per my NJ State Trooper friends I grew up with, they say there wasn't enough evidence to charge the mob guys because they were so insulated within this particular ring and they also said that their #1 priority in this case was busting the NJ State Troopers that were working as Bookmakers while on the job, they didn't even particularly care about the mob guys as long as they had solid cases against their own rogue, corrupt troopers- they also didn't want to hand this case over to the FBI, as the FBI had requested of them, because they were really embarrassed at the level of corruption their own had participated in aka Bookmaking while being a NJ State Trooper, so they wanted to handle this case internally to limit and control the embarrassment of one of their own working as a major bookmaker in South Jersey). I also believe that Wayne Gretzky was placing major bets within this ring through his wife to insulate himself as he was Head Coach of the Phoenix Coyotes at the time and gambling while being a head coach is a major infraction that could have cost him big time!

Those are my thoughts and beliefs from what I have gathered....

Yeah that's true about the drinks at Rivers ... Otherwise a pretty good casino and easily accessible from downtown - could walk on a nice day. Have gone on a few runs there - poker room decent too.
PNC is worth a trip to Pittsburgh alone with the city skyline in the back.. A real smaller ballpark feel and the city really supports the team.
Good to see the burgh coming back a bit.

If you go to the Meadows Casino & Racetrack in Washington County, just south of Pittsburgh, Thomas "Sonny" Ciancutti is a daily regular there, who ius the last made member of the Pittsburgh mob still alive who hasn't cooperated.