Jones to Be Called to Testify

Wayne Gretzky’s wife will be subpoenaed to testify when a grand jury looks at charges in the case involving a betting ring allegedly run by an NHL assistant coach, New Jersey’s attorney general said Wednesday.

In her first major interview since being sworn in as attorney general six weeks ago, Zulima Farber said that Janet Jones would be called to testify about the high-stakes gambling ring as soon as a grand jury convenes.

“When the grand jury convenes she’ll get a subpoena,” Farber said. “She’ll be served. She hasn’t been because there is no grand jury yet hearing the case.”

Farber said authorities would convene a grand jury to hear evidence in the gambling case in the next several “weeks or months.”

Jones has been linked to the ring allegedly run by Phoenix Coyote assistant Rick Tocchet, a former NHL player and close friend of Gretzky, the Coyote coach. Jones is alleged to have placed large bets through Tocchet.

An attorney for Jones said Wednesday that she has not received any grand jury subpoena from New Jersey authorities and said her client has never been informed that she was a target of a grand jury investigation.

A New Jersey state trooper was accused of taking bets and several current NHL players have been implicated as regular bettors, though none have been charged. None of the players alleged to have made wagers have been publicly identified by officials.

“I think it became a big case only because of the names involved,” Farber said. “I think it would have been a routine ... illegal gambling case if it wasn’t for the names of those people involved. However, because there was a trooper involved, it was big to us.”