Rose Informant Says He Talked With FBI, IRS

One of Pete Rose’s chief accusers in baseball’s investigation into Rose’s alleged gambling, said Wednesday that he had given federal investigators testimony linking the Cincinnati Reds’ manager to a conspiracy to evade income taxes.

Paul Janszen, his voice cracking at times and tears welling in his eyes during a news conference, said that he had given FBI and Internal Revenue Service agents information that could subject Rose to an indictment for allegedly conspiring to defraud the U.S. government.

Janszen, who claims to have run Rose’s bets to bookmakers, also:

--Said he saw documents indicating that Rose bet on baseball throughout the 1988 season.

--Denied that he had prompted baseball’s investigation, saying he had been contacted by the commissioner’s office after someone else had given information first.

--Repeated that Rose had never, to Janszen’s knowledge, been involved in cocaine deals, despite allegedly having asked how much he could make on them.

--Repeated that Red pitcher John Franco knew about Rose’s debts owed a New York bookmaker known only by the nickname Val.

--Said that other Reds, whom he would not identify, had known of Rose’s alleged gambling before charges became public, and that he had spoken with Cincinnati coach Tommy Helms about Rose’s alleged gambling.

--Said that Reuven J. Katz, one of Rose’s lawyers, had known of the alleged gambling problems as early as March, 1988.

Janszen served four months in a halfway house after pleading guilty to falsifying his 1985 federal income tax return and failing to report income from steroid sales.

“I don’t know if he’ll ever understand it, but in a weird way, I feel I’m helping him,” Janszen said. “If I have one regret, that regret is that I was not man enough to walk up to Pete Rose . . . to say to him: ‘That’s it. No more.’ ”

Janszen said that each time he mentioned the dangers to Rose, the manager said: “They’re not gonna get me. They can’t get me. I have good attorneys.”

Rose has said that when he learned that Janszen was involved in drug dealing, he cut off the association. Janszen denied that, saying: “Pete Rose knew that from the beginning.”

Janszen, who met Rose at a gym in suburban Cincinnati, said that Rose owned three-quarters of a winning $47,646 pick-six ticket at Turfway Park in Florence, Ky., on Jan. 16, 1987. The ticket was cashed by Thomas P. Gioiosa, another former associate of Rose.

“ ‘You need to cash this,’ ” Janszen claimed Rose told Gioiosa. “ ‘You need to show some income.’ Something like that. ‘You go cash this.’ I remember Pete saying this: ‘I’ve paid enough taxes.’ ”

Gioiosa was indicted April 6 for falsely claiming the income from the ticket, but the indictment did not specify with whom he conspired. Janszen said he has not yet testified before the grand jury, which is said to be investigating Rose’s tax returns.

Janszen, who began cooperating with the government in March, 1988 and with baseball this February, claimed that Rose’s alleged gambling was well known in the Reds’ clubhouse.

“There’s a lot of players who probably knew, and I knew of some that had direct knowledge of what was going on,” he said. “It’s kind of difficult for them to step forward, don’t you think, to take Paul Janszen’s side against the Reds.”

He also alleged that when Rose had fallen behind in his payments to Val, a New York bookmaker identified in reports as Richard Troy, Franco conveyed a message to Janszen.

“ ‘What’s going on with your buddy?’ ” Janszen quoted Franco as saying. “ ‘He’s kind of putting people in the middle. What’s going on?’ ”

Franco has denied knowing Val or having any involvement with gamblers.

Janszen also recounted the different codes Rose allegedly used on the telephone to place bets.

“He said ‘Nolan Ryan,’ which meant he wanted the Astros. Or he said, ‘Bret Saberhagen’s gonna be tough tonight,’ which meant he wanted Kansas City,” Janszen said.

He recounted an incident in which he and Mike Bertolini, another of Rose’s associates, stayed in Rose’s office during a game at Shea Stadium in 1987. Only club personnel are allowed in the clubhouse during the game, and when Bertolini was discovered, Kevin Hallinan, baseball’s security director, had him removed.

Janszen said that when a Met employee discovered he was using the telephone to call for out-of-town scores, the employee ripped the phone cord out of the wall.

He said he thought that Rose was aware of the rules against gambling, which are posted on clubhouse walls.

“He may have read it a zillion times, but I don’t think he ever considered the consequences,” Janszen said.

Meanwhile, in Columbus, Ohio, legal maneuvering continued as baseball’s lawyers asked a federal judge to compel Roger J. Makley, one of Rose’s lawyers, to answer questions regarding Rose’s legal defense.