Lane’s Widow Is Facing New Charges

The widow of NFL running back Fred Lane was ordered held without bail Monday on bank larceny charges after documents in federal court suggested she might have killed her husband to stop him from reporting the theft.

Documents from an FBI investigator suggested that Deidra Lane might have killed her husband on July 6 to keep him from telling police about her role in the 1998 theft of $41,200 from a Wachovia Bank branch.

According to court documents, Lane and Natosha Watson, who was released on $50,000 unsecured bond, conspired to steal $41,200 from the Charlotte bank where Watson worked as a teller.

At a later hearing in state court in Charlotte, N.C., prosecutor Marsha Goodenow told the judge James Lanning that the state intends to seek the death penalty if Lane is convicted of first-degree murder.

In yet another strange twist, the Charlotte Observer reported that Deidra Lane’s brother, John Brandon Gary, was arrested Monday on an unrelated bank robbery charge.

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Carolina Panther defensive end Jason Peter withdrew an appeal of his drunken driving conviction, ending a case that began with his 1999 arrest. Peter has 30 days to complete the 24 hours of community service he was originally sentenced to. He also must complete an eight-hour alcohol and drug course.

In the original sentencing, Peter was also ordered to pay a $100 fine, $86 in court costs and a $100 community service fee. He also had a 30-day suspended jail sentence, had his driving privileges restricted and was placed on unsupervised probation for 12 months.

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Russell Erxleben, a former Texas and NFL kicker, was sentenced to seven years in federal prison for bilking investors out of some $50 million. Erxleben, 43, pleaded guilty in November 1999 to conspiracy and securities fraud involving hundreds of investors in his Austin Forex International, which traded in foreign currency. U.S. District Judge James Nowlin also fined Erxleben $1 million and ordered him to pay $28 million in restitution.

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Jan Gangelhoff, the former tutor who blew the whistle on the academic fraud scandal in the Minnesota basketball program, will be arraigned Monday on one count of felony fraud. Minneapolis news organizations are reporting that Gangelhoff has agreed to plead guilty and receive no prison time in exchange for testimony against former coach Clem Haskins and former academic counselor Alonzo Newby.

Miscellany

Santa Ana Mater Dei point guard Cedric Bozeman made an oral commitment to UCLA. . . . Spencer Gloger, a 6-foot-6 sophomore swingman, has left Princeton and returned home to Rancho Santa Margarita with the intention of transferring to UCLA, his mother told the Trenton (N.J.) Times. . . . Dommanic Ingerson, a 6-foot-3 senior guard from Santa Barbara High, has given an oral commitment to Michigan. . . . Brandon Payton, who played last season at UC Santa Barbara, has applied for admission to Oregon State with the intent of transferring. Payton, who would have a year of eligibility left after sitting out a year, is the younger brother of NBA standout Gary Payton, who also played at Oregon State.

Freeda Foreman, the daughter of former heavyweight champion George Foreman, scored a unanimous decision over Aicheria Bell in a four-round bout Sunday night at Detroit. Foreman improved to 2-0. . . . The PGA Tour will return to the St. Louis area next year with the American Express Championship, scheduled for Sept. 13-16. . . . The Minnesota Lynx traded guard Grace Daley to New York for the Liberty’s 2001 first-round draft. . . . Oregon’s Shaquala Williams will be sidelined the upcoming season after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee in a pick-up game Saturday.