[AP] Ex-Toledo guard charged with shaving points in '04-05 and '05-06

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Ex-Toledo guard charged with shaving points in '04-05 and '05-06


TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) -- A former University of Toledo basketball player was charged with fixing games, a little over a year after a former Toledo football player was charged with point-shaving, according to a federal bill of information filed in U.S. District Court in Detroit.

Sammy Villegas, who played for four years at Toledo, is accused of shaving points in games during the 2004-05 and 2005-06 seasons.

Villegas, a guard who finished his career in 2006, also paid money to another player who took part in the point-shaving scheme, prosecutors said.

The other player was not charged or named in the bill of information, which was filed June 30.

Gambling scandals have occasionally hit college basketball programs since the days when then-powerhouse City College was hit with accusations against three players in 1951. Scandals rocked Arizona State and Northwestern a decade ago.

Villegas was charged with conspiracy to influence sports contests by bribery and received money and other gifts in exchange for fixing games, prosecutors said.

The charges were first reported Wednesday by WTVG-TV in Toledo.

Prosecutors also didn't name who paid the players. Villegas traveled to Michigan several times to meet with another participant in the scheme, court documents said.

He intentionally missed two free throws in a game against Central State in 2006, prosecutors said.

However, the day of that game, listed in court documents as Feb. 4, 2006, Toledo beat Central Michigan 78-62. The box score from the game shows he hit his only shot of the game, a 3-pointer, and missed two free throws. He did not start but played 21 minutes, the stat sheet shows.

Toledo running back Harvey "Scooter" McDougle Jr. was charged in April 2007 with participating in a bribery scheme to influence sporting contests. A month later, those charges were dropped, but the investigation continued.

McDougle has said he did nothing wrong and never changed how he played to affect the score in any games.

University spokesman Lawrence Burns said the school is not conducting its own investigation.

"We obviously are concerned," he said. "We're confident that if it proves to be true, the culture of our programs are solid. These are isolated events based on individual decisions."

A message seeking comment was left Villegas' attorney, John Belanger of Sterling Heights, Mich.

Villegas was the Mid-American Conference freshman of the year in 2002-03, averaging 10.8 points per game. That increased to 13.7 points per game his sophomore season, when the Rockets finished 20-11 and lost in the first round of the NIT to Marquette.

Villegas' playing time and production decreased in his final two seasons. As a senior, he averaged 19 minutes and six points per game.

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