Manni, Currie plead not guilty

5/12/2009

DETROIT - Ghazi "Gary" Manni and Anton Currie were arraigned Monday on charges of conspiracy to commit sports bribery in U.S. District Court, according to Gina Balaya, a spokesman with the U.S. Attorney's office.

Manni, a Detroit area businessman, and Currie, a former University of Toledo basketball player, were indicted Wednesday in connection with an alleged point-shaving scheme at UT.

Both entered pleas of not guilty and were released Monday. No details have been released about what Manni is alleged to have given the players.

He and Currie were released on $10,000 bond.

The federal charges are against former UT football players Cuomo, 31, of Hagersville, Ont.; Harvey Lamont "Scooter" McDougle Jr., 24, of East Cleveland, Ohio, and Quinton James Broussard, 25, of Carrollton, Texas.

The former basketball players charged are Keith Junior Triplett, 29, of Toledo; Anton Du'ane Currie, 25, of Okemos, Mich., and Kashif Lashon Payne, 24, of Chester, Pa.

The Michigan men charged in the federal indictment are Manni, 52, of Sterling Heights, Mich., and Mitchell Edward Karam, 76, of Troy, Mich.

Karam and Payne are scheduled to be arraigned today, while McDougle and Broussard will be arraigned tomorrow, according to Balaya.

According to the 30-page indictment, Manni and Karam paid money and other things of value between December, 2004, and December, 2006, to the UT football and basketball players to influence the outcome of games. The men would then bet on those games.

Manni and Karam wagered about $407,500 on UT basketball games from November, 2005, to December, 2006, each of them detailed in the court documents.

Manni is barred from casinos and racetracks and cannot sell or buy lottery tickets.

"I just don't think it would be a good idea," U.S. Magistrate Judge Virginia Morgan said.

Associated Press account contributed to this story.