www w w 1mr w w. 6- The Michigan Daily - Thursday, May 30, 2002 THE ED MARTIN SCANDAL C S S 7 Marti' pleads gailt, will disclose eveyt ing Three offour 'U' players did not pay back Mart By J. Brady McCollough Daily Sports Editor DETROIT - Banned Michigan basketball booster Ed Martin broke more than a decade's worth of silence Tuesday when he admitted his guilt for the first time in front of U.S. District Court Judge Robert Cleland. Martin, a retired Ford autoworker who has sper* the last three years under federal investigation for laun- dering money from an illegal gam- bling conspiracy, accepted a plea bargain and avoided a trial that was originally scheduled for June 17. By accepting the plea bargain negotiated by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rick Convertino and Martin's lawyer, William Mitchell, Martin gave up his constitutional rights and will be forced to disclose all infor- mation regarding his illegal gam- bling conspiracy as well as the depth of his involvement with former Michigan basketball players Chris Webber, Robert Traylor, Maurice Taylor and Louis Bullock from 1988 to 1999. "We're happy to resolve this," Mitchell said. "It's been a long haul. A lot has been said that is true, and a lot has been said that is not true." Martin confirmed the alleged totals given to the players - $280,000 to Webber, $160,000 to Traylor, $105,000 to Taylor and $71,000 to Bullock, who was the last player to receive help from Martin. As part of the agreement, Martin will be required to cooperate with the government, University officials and could even be subjected to lie detector tests. A time has not yet been set for Martin to meet with officials from the University, but Convertino said that Martin would definitely meet with University officials prior to his Aug. 29 sentencing date. The Michigan basketball program, which has been under the NCAA's microscope since March 1996, could receive probation, television and tournament bans or scholarship restrictions, depending on how the NCAA views Martin's testimony. "We have always been interested in finding out the truth with the case surrounding Ed Martin," Athletic Director Bill Martin said. "(Tues- day's) plea bargain is a step in that direction. We hope to have the oppor- tunity very soon to sit down and speak with Mr. Martin, so we will be able to bring this matter to a close." Mitchell said that a big factor in his client's decision to plead guilty - a decision that Martin neglected to make the last time he was given the chance in May 2000 - was that the charges of conspiracy against his wife would be dropped. Martin, who was originally charged on eight counts, including conspiracy to laun- der money, three counts of launder- ing money, two counts of using money for illegal gambling activities and one count of having an illegal gambling business, had all counts dismissed except "conspiracy to launder monetary investments." The government decided to allow Martin to keep his house near the Detroit Golf Club, but in order to do so, the 68-year-old must forfeit approximately $27,000 in cash. He will remain free on a $10,000 unse- cured bond. As part of the plea bargain, Mar- tin faces a probable sentence of 30 to 37 months, but Cleland made it clear during the meeting that he has the ultimate hand in what sentence Mar- tin will serve. The conspiracy con- FILE PHOTO Former Wolverine Robert Traylor celebrates with his teammates after Michigan's Big Ten Tournament Championship victory in 1998. By J. Brady McCollough Daily Sports Editor DETROIT - The floodgates have opened wide on the Michigan basket- ball program. Ed Martin, who is known throughout southeastern Michigan as a "basketball junkie," confirmed Tuesday that he was involved in a conspiracy that made money from an illegal gambling con- spiracy and laundered it to former Michigan basketball players Chris Web- ber, Robert Traylor, Maurice Taylor and Louis Bullock to conceal substantial amounts of cash. The loans were kept secret by the players and their families. Although Martin admitted the bulk of the loans were from illegal sources, Martin did say that some of the money was legitimately earned. Attorney Gregory Fisher Lord, who represented Martin's wife, Hilda, said that a third party, now deceased, also gave Ed Martin money to loan the play- ers. Lord said that the third party had no affiliation with the University and was just interested in helping out Ed Martin. Both Martin and the third party were expecting the players to pay them back once they made it to the NBA. Traylor's attorney, Steven Fishman, said that his client began to pay Martin back in increments, but once the federal investigation began, Fishman advised Traylor not to pay anymore money back. "Under the government's theory, we were aware that Martin's money came from illegal activity, and (Traylor) could be viewed as a conspirator to money laundering," Fishman said. Fishman added that Bullock, who is also his client, did not have the money to pay Martin back until he signed his pro contract to play in Europe, which was after the investigation had already begun. Lord said that just one of the four players held up his end of the deal, attempting to pay back the loan, but he would not disclose which player. "He put food on (the players') table, clothing on their backs," Lord said. "We're going to find out that these kids turned their back on him. Shame on them. When he needed food on his table, three of four turned their back." "He doesn't have enough money to buy food through the month of May. The money from the illegal gambling business was never used for his bene- fit," he added. Martin confirmed the allegation that from 1988 to 1993, he gave Webber, the star of the "Fab Five," and his family approximately $280,000. The 68-year- old said he paid for Webber's rent while at the University, hotel rooms, food and "things along that line." Webber, who now plays a starring role for the NBA's Sacramento Kings, told The Sacramen- to Bee earlier this month that $200,000 was a "crazy"amount. Martin also admitted that he gave similar gifts to the other three players and confirmed the alleged totals given to the other players - $160,000 to Traylor, $105,000 to Taylor and $71,000 to Bullock. Assistant U.S. Attorney Rick Con- vertino did not comment on whether or not the players would have charges filed against them. When asked if he had a message to relay to the University, Ed Martin responded with a simple "Go Blue." "I love the University of Michigan, Martin said. "They did nothing wrong." Lord and Martin's attorney, William Mitchell, indicated that there are proba- bly many more kids in the Detroit area that Martin helped in the same way as the Michigan players. "(He may have helped) even thou- sands," Mitchell said. "If there was a kid who didn't have shoes, he'd give them shoes. He'd sacrifice his own fam- ily for the kids." viction that Martin agreed to could have entailed a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $1.2 million. Convertino said that Martin's health may play a factor in the length of his sentence because Martin told Cleland that he was taking medica- tion for high cholesterol and high blood pressure. Cleland indicated that while the two sides came up with an accurate guess of a proper sentence, he would wait to see how beneficial the infor- mation Martin reveals is for the investigation. Once Cleland makes his decision, both sides are free to appeal if they are unhappy with the sentence. "I don't know what to expect. We hope for the best," Mitchell said. "I believe (Cleland) will be fair." As Cleland put it, the "rosiest" sit- uation for Martin would be that his testimony was so helpful to the gov- ernment that it would request he be given just probation and no impris- onment. In court, Martin said he was con- vinced that scenario will eventually play out, insisting, "Yes, sir, it will," as Cleland explained to him the pos- sibility of not receiving jail time. But Cleland said Martin's response is only a "hopeful prediction." Mitchell said his client understood the possibility of receiving jail time, but he is remaining optimistic. "My client knows what he did and what he didn't do," Mitchell said. "(Ed and Hilda) have been painted as Bonnie and Clyde, and that's wrong." - Daily News Editor Maria Sprow contributed to this report. 'U' By J. Brady Mc Daily Sports Edito will not focus on players or loans cCollough FILE PHOTO Former Michigan guard Louis Bullock takes it to the hole against the Hoosiers. It didn't have to be this way... Banned booster Ed Martin made a bad investment on Michigan's bas- ketball players. Even though Robert Traylor has repaid some of Martin's loans, the retired Ford autoworker is broke, according to his wife's° attorney. Here is a list of better investments on the $616,000 he allegedly gave the four players. Michigan coach Tommy Amaker's plan to rebuild the basketball program could take a major nosedive before it even gets off the ground. That is if Ed Martin's upcoming meetings with the University produce enough information for the NCAA to act against the program. As part of Mar- tin's plea bargain agreed upon Tuesday, he must tell Michigan the truth about his involvement with former Michigan basketball players Chris Webber, Robert Traylor, Maurice Taylor and Louis Bul- lock. The University and Martin have not yet scheduled an interview, but Assistant U.S. Attor- ney Rick Convertino said it would occur before Martin's sentencing date of August 29. The details of the interviewing process are not clear yet, but athletic department officials are anx- ious to hear what Martin has to say. "We're going to try to determine as best we can the truth of what happened," University General Counsel Marvin Krislov said. "At the end of that period, we'll submit a report to the NCAA. It will go before a committee before the NCAA that will decide what steps it's going to take." "The Martin plea represents an opportunity to move ahead," he added. Martin refused to say what he was going to tell the University when he addressed questions from the media outside the U.S. District Court in Detroit. The NCAA could slap the program with proba- tion, television and postseason bans or scholarship reductions, depending on what the University uncovers in its investigation. The NCAA has a four-year statute of limitations on infractions but could reopen the case if certain conditions are present, even though the majority of Martin's ,loans were given to players more than four years ago. Bullock, who graduated in 1999, is the only player who has not been away from the University for at least four years. Krislov said that the investigation will be much more thorough than what was confirmed at the hearing Tuesday when Martin confirmed he gave the players an approximate total of $616,000, made up mostly of money from his illegal gam- bling conspiracy. He said that the University's investigation will focus more on its administra- tion, not the players and the loans Martin gave them. "There are a lot of factors not relevant to the criminal case," Krislov said. "What did the (Uni- versity officials) know or what did the institution do about it? We need to ask the questions, and we will be much more specific about what hap- pened." Krislov also said that finding out the depth of the involvement of former Michigan coach Steve Fisher and his assistants Perry Watson and Brian Dutcher will be relevant to the University's inves- tigation. There is also a possibility that the University would impose sanctions upon itself before the report even reaches the NCAA committee, but gan basketball program if the N infractions serious enough. infractions:F 2/1/02 University ofF Alabama Football program r illegally recruited playersf 10/24/00 University of F Minnesota men's basketballr players participated in E academic fraud 7/31/96 University of MaineP Orono gave extra benefits toc its hockey playerss 12/1/95 University of MiamiF gave monetary benefits to c student athletesf 5/19/89 University of Kent-F ucky illegally recruited basketballP players by giving them 20 $50 bills NCAA finds the Penalty: Fiveyear probation, postseason ban for 2002 & 2003 Four-year probation, reduction in funding and official visits No television coverage for next season Reduction in number of scholarships for athletes Return of revenue for NCAA Championship Krislov was quick to point out that the University "is not there yet." Caught red-handed Michigan may face NCAA sanctions as a result of the Ed Martin scandal. Here's a look at some of the major infractions in college sports and the resulting sanctions placed by the NCAA. All of these penalties could be placed on the Michi- 100 million: Martin could have bought more than 125,000 shares of Microsoft, which would be worth over $100 million today.* * DOES NOT ACCOUNT FOR INFLATION 20: * Martin allegedly paid for Maurice Tay- lor's Ford Explorer that wrecked and uncovered the scandal. Instead, Martin could have bought 20 of his own SUVs. 123,200: Instead of using these Ed Martin sunglasses to hide from the media, Martin could have bought 123,200 Blue Blockers to block the sun while on vacation. 400: If Martin didn't pay players, he and his wife - as well as their descendants - could have purchased Michigan basketball season tickets for the next 400 years. *DmE5 NoT ACCOUNT FOR RAPID INCREASE IN PRICES FROM RICHES TO RAGS: THE ED MARTIN SAGA Former Michigan star Chris Webber, now with the NBA's Sacramento Kings In the Western Conference Finals, was the first Wolverine to receive loans from Ed Martin. Webber began taking the money in his sophomore year of high school at Birmingham-Detroit Country Day and continued into his sophomore season at Michigan. May 5, 1993 After falling just short of a national title for the second straight season, Webber turned pro. Unfortu- nately for Michigan, Webber allegedly received $280,000 in cash from Ed Martin before he became a professional. March 4, 1997 The University's first investigation is ham- pered because several players and coaches did not cooperate. Michigan admits to two minor NCAA violations involving Ed Martin giv- ing extra benefits to players and their fami- lies. Oct. 11, 1997 Two days after a second investigation by an out- side law firm found no major violations, Michigan coach Steve Fisher is fired. Seven months had passed since Fisher was given a public statement of support from then-Pres- ident Lee Bollinger and then-Athletic Director Joe Roberson. Assistant coach Brian Ellerbe takes over the coaching duties. May 3, 2000 After agreeing to a plea bargain with the U.S. Attorney's Office in which he would have to disclose information about the cash pay- ments to players, Martin backs out. Martin told reporters that he would rather take his chance at a trial in which all evidence confiscated from him and his son could be used. Sept. 19, 2000 Martin's son Carlton, as part of a plea bargain agreement filed with the U.S. District Court, agrees to tell the University about previously unknown deal- ings surrounding the Michigan basketball team. He is not required to testify about his father's gam- bling. Carton does not ultimately hold up his end of the plea bargain, and is imprisoned in a Pennsylvania prison. March 21, 2002 The axe finally comes down on Martin and his wife, Hilda, who are indicted on charges of illegal gambling, conspiracy and money laun- dering. Webber, Taylor, Tray- lor and Bullock are all mentioned in the indictment as beneficiaries of Martin's laundering. The total amount of monetary gifts adds up to over 600,000, with Webber receiving $280,000 between his sophomore year at Detroit Country Day and his sophomore year at Michigan. I I I I I April 6, 1992 Michigan's "Fab Five" (a group of five stel- lar freshmen head- lined by Chris Webber and Jalen Rose) lose I I Feb. 17, 1996 May 31, 1997 The program first comes under the microscope after Maurice Taylor's Ford Explorer was involved in a roll-over On:i.ian The Detroit Free Press reports that Martin gave money to Webber and Taylor. The report said that the twn were niven at lnet April 28, 1999 The FBI and IRS raid a number of Detroit-area homes in an effort to halt an illegal gambling ring in the area's Ford plants. Martin a former Ford Aug. 10, 2000 Former Michigan players Louis Bullock and Robert Traylor are alleged to also have taken money from Mar- tin. Nov. 16, 2000 Former Michigan coaches Steve Fisher, Perry Wat- son and Brian Dutcher appear in Federal Court to testify before a grand jury.