Lawyer Refutes Point-Shaving Story

FRESNO —  An attorney for two Fresno State basketball players alleged to have shaved points for friendly gamblers this season said a Times story Wednesday that quoted bookmakers and others on the purported scheme was “trumped-up garbage.”

“I find it a little bit incredulous that someone would say they now have more than a rumor when what [The Times did is] quote an anonymous illegal bookie and that bookie is saying he or she has a reliable source. Is that a reliable source?” said Michael Idiart, one of the attorneys representing the two players.

The players at the center of an FBI investigation into point shaving are sophomore guard Chris Herren and senior guard Dominick Young. Both have denied any business or personal ties to the two businessmen under federal scrutiny for allegedly setting up the scheme: 23-year-old pawnshop broker Dan Jelladian and 27-year-old car salesman Kirk Vartanian.

But a three-week investigation by The Times found numerous friendly ties between the players and Jelladian and Vartanian, who are heavy gamblers suspected by federal authorities of involvement in bookmaking. Members of a large illegal bookmaking operation in the Fresno area told The Times that their ring began taking bets in January from gamblers who detailed the entire workings of the alleged scheme.

They said a Fresno pawnshop broker had persuaded one player to miss shots and throw errant passes as a way to beat the point spread that Las Vegas oddsmakers set for each game. The player, who was paid $1,000 to $2,000 per game, then recruited at least one teammate to help him shave points, they said.

In addition, The Times investigation found other apparent irregularities in the Bulldog basketball program under Coach Jerry Tarkanian that predated any point-shaving allegation, including one booster paying for Young’s rental car and another booster’s living arrangement with Herren.

--Last summer, Young rented a black Mercedes 500 SL from a local car agency. Because Young didn’t have the credit to rent the car, he brought in his brother Dene, according to an eyewitness to the transaction. Dene Young didn’t have cash for the $300 deposit for the car, the eyewitness said, but a Bulldog booster--a big, heavyset man who chain-smoked--did.

“Dominick, Dene and the booster all stood outside trying to figure out a way that the booster would pay for it without the paper coming back to the booster,” the eyewitness recalled. “They decided to put it under Dene’s credit card and then the booster gave him $300 in cash.”

NCAA rules prohibit athletes from accepting money from school representatives or boosters.

Young returned the car with a dent in its side, the air conditioning broken and stains in the interior, an employee of the agency confirmed. The rental firm never collected the $400 late fee or money to pay for the damages.

--Last year, as a favor to Tarkanian, insurance broker and horse racing aficionado Mike Der Manouel agreed to take in Herren, a transfer from Boston College. Family and friends say one reason Herren decided to leave his native Massachusetts and move to this agricultural heartland was to recover from a substance abuse problem.

Coaches and others close to the basketball program agree that Der Manouel, 55, worked hard to keep Herren out of trouble. But the arrangement has raised questions about a player living with an older booster who has never made a secret of his love for ponies and gambling.

“Chris was living with me for nine months,” Der Manouel explained. “We split everything, and I kept the receipts. But I can’t honestly tell you that I didn’t end up paying more than my half for this or that.”

A few weeks ago, for example, he took Herren and a friend to see the movie “Donnie Brasco.” Herren didn’t have any money so Der Manouel gave $20 to Herren’s friend. “I guess the friend bought him the ticket,” Der Manouel said. “Is that breaking an NCAA rule? Technically it might be. But geez.”