NEWARK, N.J. – A National Hockey League coach and a New Jersey State Police trooper have been charged with running a multimillion-dollar sports gambling operation investigators say took bets from NHL players and the wife of the game’s greatest player, Wayne Gretzky.
Rick Tocchet, an assistant to Phoenix Coyotes coach Gretzky, financed and helped run the operation with Trooper James J. Harney, who is accused of accepting bets while patrolling the southern end of the New Jersey Turnpike, State Police Superintendent Rick Fuentes said Tuesday.
The two have been taking wagers – sometimes in the tens of thousands of dollars – for the last five years and their operation had ties to the Philadelphia mob, said New Jersey Deputy Attorney General Mark Eladis of the Division of Criminal Justice’s organized crime bureau.
Harney used the bookmaking to turn himself into a backroom dealer who hobnobbed with NHL stars, owned two $400,000 houses, kept dozens of Rolex watches worth more than $250,000 and drove two late-model luxury vehicles, Fuentes said.
Tocchet and Harney allegedly took more than 1,000 wagers worth $1.7 million during the last six weeks alone.
Janet Jones, an actress and Gretzky’s wife since 1988, placed close to $500,000 in wagers during that time, according to three people close to the investigation who requested anonymity because the probe is continuing.
State troopers traveled the country last weekend to speak with more than a dozen NHL players who allegedly placed bets, State Police Lt. Col. Frank Rodgers said. Among those implicated were Los Angeles Kings center Jeremy Roenick and Boston Bruins center Travis Green, according to the sources.
There were no allegations the players bet on the NHL, instead gambling on football and basketball games, Fuentes said.
The charges shook the NHL, which is trying to rebuild its image after missing last season because of a labor dispute and is less than a week away from sending many of its players to the Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy.
“While we know little more than has been released publicly, we understand that Mr. Tocchet’s conduct in no way involved betting on hockey,” NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said in a statement. “With respect to the alleged conduct of the unnamed players, it is difficult to have any comment at this point. … We take this issue very seriously and will monitor the proceedings closely.”
The league prohibits players from gambling on the outcome of NHL games but does not restrict players betting legally on other sports, Daly noted. It does have a policy against league or club personnel engaging in illegal activities, and the commissioner could impose penalties ranging from fines to expulsion.
Troopers served Tocchet with a court summons Monday at his Phoenix home ordering him to appear for arraignment in New Jersey Superior Court and arrested Harney later that evening as he exited a Cherry Hill, N.J., movie theater, police said. Harney was later released on $100,000 bail.
Craig Mitnick, a Haddonfield, N.J., attorney representing Harney, said his client was “totally shell-shocked” by the charges. “He’s amazed how this is being portrayed by prosecutors,” Mitnick said.
Tocchet and Harney face charges of money laundering, promoting gambling and conspiracy, Fuentes said. Harney, an eight-year veteran who has been suspended without pay from his $75,477-a-year job, also faces charges of official misconduct.
The State Police undercover investigation into the ring started in October 2005 and members of the organized crime bureau soon uncovered information through electronic surveillance, telephone logs and a tip from an informant that indicated Harney was a partner in the operation.
As it expanded, detectives were able to link the betting to Tocchet as well as members of the Bruno-Scarfo crime family that operates in Philadelphia and South Jersey, Fuentes said. The investigation into what role the mob had in the ring is ongoing.
RB END HEPP
(Rick Hepp is a staff writer for The Star-Ledger of Newark, N.J. He can be contacted at rhepp(at)starledger.com. Star-Ledger staff writer Rich Chere contributed to this report.)
AP-NY-02-07-06 2340EST
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