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发帖数: 764 | 1 COLUMBUS, Ohio -- A tattoo parlor owner who bought Ohio State football
memorabilia was charged Friday in federal court with drug trafficking and
money laundering, though his attorney said there's no connection with the
scandal unfolding over the sale of the items.
Edward Rife will plead guilty to the charges and cooperate with authorities,
documents filed in U.S. District Court indicated. The charges and Rife's
plea agreement do not mention the sale of the memorabilia.
Rife, 31, will plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and
possess with intent to distribute more than 200 pounds of marijuana, and one
count of money laundering, the documents showed. He could face a prison
sentence of 20 years, although he likely would receive much less under
federal sentencing rules.
The money laundering charge alleges Rife paid $21,500 for a 2005 Nissan
Infinity QX56 with money earned through the alleged drug transactions,
according to the documents filed Friday.
Five players, including star quarterback Terrelle Pryor, have been suspended
for the first five games this fall for accepting improper benefits from
Rife totaling between $12,000 and $15,000.
Coach Jim Tressel also is suspended for five games and still is being
investigated for knowing of his players' involvement with Rife and not
reporting it to the NCAA or his superiors for more than nine months.
Rife's lawyer said Friday that his client is taking responsibility for past
mistakes.
"His criminal allegations and what are going on in federal court really has
little or nothing to do with the Ohio State football players," attorney
Stephen Palmer said. "He's dealing with a very troubling time anyway and to
have the heat from the Ohio State situation come down on him has been
terrible."
Rife remains a fan of the Ohio State football program, Palmer said.
"He didn't want any harm to come on any players or the university or the
program or coach Tressel or anyone," Palmer said. "If he's responsible for
anything, it's being a quality Ohio State fan."
Neither the U.S. Attorney's office nor the Internal Revenue Service, which
investigated the money laundering charge against Rife, would comment.
Although Rife's guilty plea doesn't mention Ohio State or the players'
suspensions, the school first learned of the memorabilia sales through the
federal investigation into Rife.
Tressel received an email in April 2010 from a Columbus lawyer, Chris Cicero
, who was a former Ohio State walk-on and letterman in the 1980s. He told
Tressel that at least two current Buckeyes players had sold signed Ohio
State memorabilia to Rife. Cicero also said that they had received free
tattoos.
Cicero said that Rife was the subject of a federal drug-trafficking
investigation.
The two players were later revealed to be Pryor and wide receiver DeVier
Posey. In an email response the same day, Tressel wrote, "Thanks. I will get
on it ASAP."
Tressel later said that he felt bound by a vow of confidentiality to not
disclose anything about the email, even though there is nothing in it about
remaining quiet. He and Cicero traded emails twice more, with more
information given to Tressel about the infractions. Cicero said he had even
spoken to Rife for 90 minutes.
Athletic director Gene Smith has said Tressel never notified him, his Ohio
State bosses or anyone in the university's compliance department. He also
did not contact the lawyers on staff about the situation, though he did
forward the original email to Ted Sarniak, a businessman and mentor of Pryor
in his hometown of Jeannette, Pa.
Tressel signed an NCAA form in September in which he said he had no
knowledge of any rules violations. When the U.S. Attorney's office went to
Ohio State in December to tell of its investigation that uncovered
memorabilia in Rife's possession, the school began an investigation of its
own. During interviews that month, Tressel did not disclose what he knew at
any time. |
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