Chapter 231: Football Betting Fixing Case

Rick Carlisle then talked about the post and said, "Based on what Scott checked, what Patrick just said, and combined with this netizen's analysis, I now really think there is something wrong with the referee's whistle."

James Dolan, who was sitting next to him, said to Layden unhappily: “Scott, whether that damn guy has a problem or not, you have to investigate him thoroughly.

I will immediately ask someone to investigate his bank account. In short, there can be no more problems in the G4 match."

"OK."

Raiden nodded.

The two of them then did not attend the meeting and went to deal with the matter immediately.

Rick Carlisle said to He Zhongqiu: "Wolverine, you don't have to defend O'Neal in tomorrow's game. We will send someone to cut him down."

"OK." He Zhongqiu nodded quickly.

Reducing investment on the defensive end can not only reduce fouls, but also save a lot of physical energy. It is of course the best option for him as long as he can win the game.

After James Dolan returned to his room, he immediately contacted acquaintances at several banks including JPMorgan Chase and Citigroup, asking them to help investigate Tim Donaghy's bank account.

For him, it was a very small thing.

Soon, he had gained access to several of Donaghy's bank accounts.

These banks sent Tim Donaghy's bank account transaction data for the past ten years via fax.

The assistant handed the information to James Dolan, who started with the most recent records.

After studying for more than forty minutes, he found that there was no problem with other accounts, but he discovered that there was a problem with a Citibank account that had been closed for seven years.

This account was opened in 93 and closed in 97. During these four years, Tim Donaghy frequently had transactions with the accounts of several gambling groups.

They were all small transfers, both in and out, with the average amount being only one or two hundred dollars, but there were two large transfers, one in and one out, both exceeding twenty thousand.

But it is certain that these transfers are all financial transactions for gambling on football. This guy really likes gambling on football.

Through the dates of these transfer records, we can draw a conclusion that most of them occurred within the NBA season.

In other words, as an NBA referee, Donaghy was likely involved in NBA gambling.

"Boss, this is absolutely not allowed for an NBA referee. It is certain that Donaghy is a suspect of a crime." Layden said excitedly.

"If it's proven that he fixed our games, I'm going to send him to jail."

James Dolan nodded, a hint of ruthlessness flashed across his face, and then he continued to study the information.

"Boss, maybe he used a secret bank account after 97," Layden reminded.

"Ok!"

James Dolan nodded and said, "Yes, a Swiss bank account. This is very likely. This guy is very cautious."

"But we can't get his account information from the Swiss bank," Leiden reminded.

"Humph!"

James Dolan sneered, raised the information in his hand, and said: "Based on these, I can let the FBI launch an investigation on him. The league will agree, and the FBI will get the information from the Swiss bank."

A few minutes later, James Dolan got in the car and rushed to the airport. In the car, he called David Stern.

"James?"

"David, there may be a scandal in the alliance, a huge scandal."

"what?"

David Stern over there was shocked.

"David, I'm in the car and heading to the airport. Wait for me," said James Dolan.

"James, what happened? I must know now, otherwise I will be in a passive position." David Stern asked seriously.

"Okay, it's about the referee last night," said James Dolan.

"Him? Do you suspect him of foul play? I'm also investigating, but there's no evidence," said David Stern.

"I have found evidence that he was betting on games. And he was probably involved in betting on NBA games. I suspect he manipulated last night's game," said James Dolan.

"what?"

David Stern jumped up from his executive chair, feeling dizzy.

If this news is true, it would be a real scandal. A referee in the finals participated in NBA gambling and may have even manipulated last night's Game 3 of the finals. This is a huge scandal. If it gets out, the reputation of the NBA will plummet.

"Where's your evidence?"

He felt a little dizzy, so he sat back down immediately and asked hurriedly.

"He was a judge in the NBA for ten years. I got his U.S. bank account information for the first ten years. In the first three years, there were at least fifty transfer records between him and the bank accounts of major gambling companies. One of them was a bet of more than 20,000, and he won."

James Dolan said this and then added: "David, you just need to check whether he was the one who took the penalty kick when he placed the big bet, and you can basically confirm whether he manipulated the game."

"..."

When David Stern heard this, his heart began to sink.

"James, don't let the news leak out. Come see me as soon as you arrive in New York. I'll be waiting for you in the office," he said later.

"I know."

An hour later, James Dolan's private plane took off into the blue sky and arrived in New York six hours later. At 8:30 in the evening, he met David Stern in the president's office at the NBA headquarters.

Stern didn't leave work and kept waiting for James Dolan.

"James, eat something first."

There was no third person, so David Stern prepared a pot of coffee and some desserts in advance.

"No, I ate on the plane."

James Dolan handed the information to Stern and said, "David, although there is no record of him transferring money to gambling companies in the past seven years, it does not mean that he has not participated in gambling."

David Stern nodded heavily, took the information and started reading it, his face soon turned pale.

He was sure that Tim Donaghy was indeed involved in gambling, and in NBA gambling.

In fact, as long as the FBI can confirm from these transfer records that Donaghy participated in the NBA game he officiated, they can arrest him just once.

James Dolan said: "David, I suggest reporting the case and asking the FBI to investigate Donaghy's global bank accounts, including Swiss bank accounts, and get evidence from the past seven years, including this time."

"Then things will escalate. Have you considered the impact?" David Stern said.

James Dolan advised: “But David, I suspect he is not the only one involved, there are more people involved, if they are not dug out this time, they may be exposed in the future.

Moreover, last night's game must have been really manipulated by him. It looked very fair and even caused Lakers fans to boo him.

Someone has analyzed that his penalty style is not as harsh as it was last night. There must be a reason why he was so harsh last night.

I guess Donaghy's purpose of making harsh calls was to weaken the Wolverines' defensive intensity because the Wolverines could prevent O'Neal from getting close to the basket.

In addition, the standards he used to whistle O'Neal and Wolverine were completely different, and in the end he also sent Wolverine off, causing the Knicks to lose the game.

David, how much benefit does he have in manipulating the finals? Isn't there someone behind him?

Who arranged for him to take the penalty in the finals? Was there a gambling company behind him that bribed him? All these possibilities must be investigated. "

David Stern fell into deep thought, and after considering it for more than ten minutes, he agreed with James Dolan's suggestion.

Scraping the bone to heal the wound is imperative.

The next day, the 7th, is the day for Game 4 of the Finals.

At 9 a.m., David Stern contacted the police.

An hour later, the FBI intervened in the case.

At 1 p.m., the FBI froze all of Tim Donaghy's U.S. bank accounts.

They began contacting major Swiss banks and asked for Donaghy's Swiss bank account.

The FBI belongs to the U.S. Department of Justice. Through legal procedures, it quickly obtained Donaghy's account information from a Swiss bank.

"what?"

At three o'clock in the afternoon, in Los Angeles, at a hotel where the official NBA team was staying, several FBI agents, led by Loswadaly, came to Tim Donaghy's room.

"Why? I didn't do anything."

When he saw the arrest warrant, he panicked and asked quickly.

Investigator Hugh Hanks said sarcastically, "Donaghy, from 94 to 97, you once participated in gambling in the NBA games you officiated. You won't forget it, right?" Donaghy's face turned pale and he murmured, "I was careless. I knew I couldn't use a local bank account."

During those three years, he bet on other games, but he lost more than he won, so he couldn't help it and finally bet on the game he was officiating, and he blew the whistle unfairly.

It was also that time that made him taste the sweetness, and then he felt that it would be easy to detect if he transferred money through a US bank, so he opened a Swiss bank account.

Hugh Hanks smiled coldly and said, “We have obtained your Swiss account information and all the evidence of your crimes.

You placed a $3 bet on Game of the NBA Finals the night before through your Swiss bank account.

In addition, the day before the G3 match, you had $ in funds transferred in from unknown sources.

So, Mr. Tim Donaghy, I hope you will cooperate with our investigation. This is the only way you can go now."

Donaghy was completely devastated. The Swiss bank account information contained all his financial transactions for gambling on sports, as well as the financial transactions for collecting illegal money over the years. He was finished.

Soon, Tim Donaghy was taken away by the FBI.

Loswadelli then notified the referee committee and asked them to rearrange the three-person referee team for Game 4 of the Finals.

If there is a problem with Tim Donaghy, then there may also be a problem with the referee committee, but with the president personally watching over it at the headquarters, there will definitely be no problem.

At the NBA headquarters in New York, David Stern personally took charge of the referee committee and rearranged the three-person referee team for Game 4.

This news immediately made Hans Chelsea panic.

"How to do?"

He was a member of the referee committee, and he arranged for Tim Donaghy to be there because he received $300,000 in black money from a gambling group.

The whole world thinks the Lakers are doomed to lose, and they are all betting on the Knicks. This is an opportunity for the gambling group, and also an opportunity for him.
So he not only invested $300,000 in black money on the Lakers, but also invested all his own money on the Lakers.

But now, big trouble has arrived.

"By the way, let Adam Silver ask David Stern for the news." After realizing it, he immediately started thinking of a solution.

This time, not only the gambling group came to him, but even Adam Silver came to him.

The gambling group gave him black money to arrange referees to manipulate the game. Silver's goal was the same, which was to make the Lakers win.

Adam Silver had found out about his gambling before, but did not report him. This time he used this to threaten him. The two of them are now in the same boat, and neither of them can escape.

"Adam, David Stern suddenly replaced the three referees for Game 4. Go find him right away to find out what happened."

"what?"

Soon, Adam Silver in New York received the news and was stunned.

"Adam, say something." Hanschel said anxiously.

Adam Silver said in a panic: "Okay, I'll contact Stern right away. By the way, Hans, can you bribe the new referee?"

"No, those three referees don't gamble on football." Hans said anxiously.

"What should we do then?" Adam Silver said.

The league temporarily replaced the referee, possibly because they suspected there was something wrong with the refereeing in Game 3. Once an investigation is conducted, what they did may be exposed, and they will go to jail.

Moreover, he made a huge bet of two million dollars. If he lost, he would be finished. He would not be able to pay back the money and would be shot to death before going to jail.

"Hans, don't panic. I'll contact Stern right away and ask about the situation."

Adam Silver, who was sweating profusely, comforted the other party, hung up the phone, and immediately started contacting David Stern.

"Adam, is your work in China going well?"

In New York, Stern received a call from Adam Silver, sighed, but answered the call immediately.

I'm not doing well! If you hadn't thrown me into this damn place and only given me one month, how could I have borrowed money from a loan shark to place a heavy bet?
Adam Silver cursed inwardly, and then said earnestly: "Mr. President, if possible, I would like to be transferred to a position. I really hope to work on the referee committee, even if it is just an ordinary staff member."

"No."

David Stern refused immediately.

One of the reasons why he arranged for Xiao Hua to go to China was to use this opportunity to reconcile him and Wolverine.

But he still values ​​Xiao Hua, so he said: "Adam, there are some problems with the referee committee now, and we are conducting an internal review.

But I promise you, as long as you have achievements in your work in China, I will immediately transfer you back to China to serve as the vice chairman of the referee committee."

Adam Silver knew that things might be really serious. The league suddenly reviewed the referee committee during the finals. This must mean that there was a big problem with the referee committee. So what could be the problem now?
"It's over, it's over, what should I do?"

Full of panic, he didn't know when he hung up the phone.

The league must now suspect that Tim Donaghy blew the whistle, and then follow the clues to find Hans, and finally to him. At that time, he will not only face the investigation of the league, but also the trial of the law.

But the most serious thing is that he has to face private credit companies, which is the most terrible thing.

At this time, he could only think of one solution, which was to run away quickly to Southeast Asia.

He ran away not to avoid legal responsibility. Even if he fixed the game, he would only go to jail for two or three years at most. He was hiding from private credit companies because he was afraid that he would be shot to death on the street.

"By the way, don't inform Chelsea. Let him buy me some time to escape."

Thinking of this, he immediately booked a flight to Singapore, then went to the bank to withdraw money, taking out all the cash he had, plus the money he had on him, a total of more than 13,000 US dollars.

When Adam Silver rushed to the airport, Tim Donaghy had already confessed to the FBI about manipulating Game 3 of the Finals.

Hanschels came into the FBI's sight because he was the one who provided the $3 in black money that Tim Donaghy received before the G game.

Subsequently, the FBI immediately froze all of Hanschels's US bank accounts, and then froze his Swiss bank accounts through Swiss Bank.

At 6:30 in the evening, the FBI arrested him at his home in Hanschels, New York.

However, the news about Donaghy and Hanschels was not made public because the FBI suspected that there were other people involved in gambling and match fixing behind the scenes.

……

"What happened?"

"Why are there FBI agents following us?"

When the Knicks left the hotel, they found something wrong and there were several more FBI agents.

"It's okay, gentlemen. It has nothing to do with you." said Leiden, who knew the inside story.

It’s 7:15 pm at the Staples Center and the live broadcast has not started yet.

When he saw the list of referees, Barkley said: "The Knicks appealed to the league yesterday, and the referee of this game was changed. All three referees were changed."

"Although Tim Donaghy's call was a bit too harsh, I think it was still fair," said Dream.

Kenny Smith chuckled and said, “Hakim, I saw a post on the Internet yesterday that was forwarded over 100,000 times.”

"What post?" Da Meng asked curiously.

Kenny Smith said: "The post analyzed Tim Donaghy and concluded that Donaghy's penalty style was not as harsh as it was in Game 3 the night before."

Da Meng was startled, but his mind quickly came to its senses. He asked in surprise, "So that means Donaghy changed his usual penalty style in Game 3?"

Barkley was also surprised and quickly analyzed: "The Lakers won Game 3, but it seems that the Lakers did not get the home whistle.

If there was something wrong with Donaghy, then his calls would be really interesting, and we didn’t see it.”

"Well, he prevented the Lakers from getting swept." Dream laughed.

"Speaking of a sweep, Charles, your prediction was wrong," said Kenny Smith.

"Charles, did the big shark cause you any trouble?" Da Meng asked with a smile.

"Of course not, we are brothers."

Barkley brought the topic back to the topic and said, "The finals should be the most intense series. The intensity of Game 3 is not as strong as the regular season, so I really believe in Tim Donaghy..."

Having said that, he reached out his hand under the table and made a gesture of counting money.

Dameng and Kenny Smith's eyes narrowed when they saw his action.

"Lakers?" Smith whispered.

"Shut up." Dameng said quickly.

Barkley couldn't help but whispered: "It may not be the Lakers, it is more likely that the gambling group took action."

Da Meng nodded and said, "It's very likely."

(End of this chapter)