Race Fixing Charged at Pennsylvania Track

Seven jockeys and two horse owners have been charged with fixing races at Penn National near Harrisburg, Pa.

U.S. Attorney David Barasch said Thursday that the indictments charge the nine men in a bribery scheme that tried to change the outcome of 15 races at the track from January to May.

Barasch said the two horse owners, George Berryhill, 70, of Lebanon and Neil McElwee, 46, of Harrisburg, paid a jockey, Ramon Pena, 30, of Harrisburg, to act as their middleman. Pena then paid other jockeys from $500 to $1,000 each to keep their mounts from finishing in one of the top three positions in 11 races. When the horses, most of them favorites, didn’t finish in the first three places, large exacta and trifecta payoffs would result.

If convicted under federal charges of bribery or attempted bribery to affect the outcome of a sporting contest, the nine men could face as much as five years in prison and fines of $250,000.

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James J. “Jimmy The Mouth” Greulich was sentenced Thursday to 15 months in federal prison after being convicted of filing false tax returns. In a bench trial earlier this year, the government showed that Greulich, 53, operated at Del Mar, Hollywood Park and Santa Anita, paying other bettors fees to allow him to sign Internal Revenue Service forms that identified him as the owner of their substantial winnings. As a result of these schemes, Greulich, reporting large gambling losses on his tax returns, received refunds totaling about $740,000 in 1995-96.

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Brite Future, the winner at 17-1 of Thursday’s fourth race at Fairplex Park, was disqualified to last by the stewards after a bumping incident that resulted in one horse going down and three jockeys losing their mounts in a jam-up on the first turn of the six-furlong maiden race.

Ke Bound, who finished second, was moved up to first after Brite Future, ridden by J.M. Bourdieu, crowded Kennychrisonica, ridden by Matt Garcia, on the turn. When Kennychrisonica went down, there was a chain reaction, causing Leslie Mawing, aboard Coastal Prince, and Martin Pedroza, riding Tuamotu, to be unseated.

Pedroza, the leading rider at the Los Angeles County Fair meet, and Mawing, who suffered a hip injury, were treated at the first-aid station and returned to ride in other races on the card. Garcia, who complained about soreness in his lower back, shoulder and ribs, was sent to a hospital for X-rays.

Motor Racing

Buckshot Jones will drive a Dodge for Petty Enterprises next year on the Winston Cup circuit. Jones, 30, ran 10 Winston Cup races in 1999 for his family-owned team. He has competed in the Busch Series since 1995, and has two career victories on that circuit.

Kurt Busch went from first to last at Dover Downs International Speedway in Delaware, wrecking his truck during a practice session less than two hours after winning the pole. He qualified his Roush Racing Ford at 151.764 mph, but will have to start his backup truck from the rear of the 34-car field.

Miscellany

Lon Rosen, best known as the agent for Laker star Magic Johnson, is entering the boxing field. Or at least the media side of it. Through his company, Endeavor, Rosen will represent light heavyweight champion Roy Jones in everything from boxing telecast rights to movies to the burgeoning interactive market. “This is the next logical step for a fighter,” Rosen said. “But this is strictly on the entertainment side. We have no plans or interest in being Roy Jones’ promoter.”

The presidents of the other Big Ten universities joined the heads of three national higher education associations and had a full-page announcement published in today’s Chicago Tribune that backs Indiana President Myles Brand’s decision to fire basketball coach Bob Knight and praises Indiana’s trustees for supporting his leadership.

Hersey Hawkins signed with the Charlotte Hornets, two days after the veteran guard was waived by the Chicago Bulls. . . . Phoenix Sun guard Rex Chapman is considering retirement because he needs surgery to fuse two bones in the right thumb on his shooting hand.

Marty McSorley’s trial on charges that he belted Vancouver forward Donald Brashear in the side of the head with his stick during a Feb. 21 game begins Monday in Vancouver, Canada.