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Former Coach In Westchester Charged In College Basketball Bribery Bust

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Emanuel Richardson

Emanuel Richardson

Photo Credit: University of Arizona

A former coach at Marist College and a junior college in Westchester is among four Division I men's basketball assistants facing federal bribery, fraud and other corruption charges.

Emanuel "Book" Richardson, now an assistant at the University of Arizona, was an assistant coach at Marist in 2004-05 under then-head coach Matt Brady. He spent three seasons as an assistant at Monroe College in New Rochelle prior to that, with the 2002-03 Monroe team finishing 31-3 and finishing fifth at the NJCAA national tournament.

Richardson then coached for two years at Xavier before accompanying head coach Sean Miller to Arizona.

Federal criminal charges have been brought against 10 people, including four college basketball coaches, as well as managers, financial advisors, and representatives of a major international sportswear company, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York said Tuesday morning.

The other assistant coaches charged are from Auburn, Oklahoma State and USC. 

Federal authorities say they've been investigating “the criminal influence of money on coaches and student-athletes who participate in intercollegiate basketball governed by the NCAA" since 2015.

 “The picture of college basketball painted by the charges is not a pretty one – coaches at some of the nation’s top programs taking cash bribes, managers and advisors circling blue-chip prospects like coyotes, and employees of a global sportswear company funneling cash to families of high school recruits," said Joon H. Kim, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, in a press conference Tuesday. "For the 10 charged men, the madness of college basketball went well beyond the Big Dance in March. 

"Month after month, the defendants allegedly exploited the hoop dreams of student-athletes around the country, treating them as little more than opportunities to enrich themselves through bribery and fraud schemes. The defendants’ alleged criminal conduct not only sullied the spirit of amateur athletics, but showed contempt for the thousands of players and coaches who follow the rules, and play the game the right way.”

FBI Assistant Director William F. Sweeney Jr. said: “Today’s charges detail a corrupt practice in which highly rated high school and college basketball players were steered toward lucrative business deals with agents, advisors, and an international athletics apparel company. As alleged, NCAA Division I and AAU coaches created a pay-to-play culture, agreeing to provide access to their most valuable players while also effectively exerting their influence over them. Today’s arrests should also serve as a warning to those who conduct business this way in the world of college athletics.”

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