Gioiosa Accuses Rose and Begins Jail Time

Tommy Gioiosa began serving a five-year prison sentence Thursday for transporting cocaine and claiming Pete Rose’s race track winnings, and he reiterated one of the most serious accusations against the former manager of the Cincinnati Reds.

Gioiosa, who lived with Rose for five years, said in a broadcast interview that he had been present when Rose bet on baseball games, including those of the Reds.

“I’ve sat in his office and watched him bet on baseball games, including the Reds and many other baseball teams,” Gioiosa said in an interview broadcast on WKRC-TV in Cincinnati.

The interview was shown shortly after Gioiosa was led away by federal marshals to serve a five-year sentence imposed by U.S. District Judge S. Arthur Spiegel for his conviction last September on drug and tax-evasion charges.

Rose accepted a lifetime ban from baseball last August after admitting to illegal gambling.