Ex-Toledo player faces point-shaving charges

TOLEDO, Ohio — Sammy Villegas was the Mid-American Conference freshman of the year. The following season he helped Toledo reach the National Invitation Tournament.

Villegas seemed ready to become a star, but everything fell apart in his final two seasons. He couldn't score. His playing time dropped off. His coaches were mystified.

Now, federal prosecutors say Villegas was shaving points in some games during the 2004-05 and 2005-06 seasons. Villegas also paid another player who took part in point-shaving, prosecutors said. The other player was not charged or named in documents filed in U.S. District Court in Detroit.

Villegas has a sentencing date scheduled for Nov. 18, although there is nothing filed that indicates he has entered a plea. The U.S. Attorney's Office in Detroit would not say whether Villegas was helping with the investigation.

"We're letting the information speak for itself," Gina Balaya, a spokeswoman for the office, said Thursday.

Villegas is free on bond and does not face travel restrictions, she said. He played pro basketball this year in the Dominican Republic and his native Puerto Rico.

His former guardian in Ohio said Thursday that he had known about the investigation for quite awhile.

"All we told him was tell the truth and cooperate," said Richard Warren, a county judge in Lima. "He didn't say what happened."

He called Villegas a free-spirit with a childlike innocence. "That's the way he's always been," Warren said.

Warren has been unable to reach Villegas over the past month. Messages seeking comment were left with Villegas' attorney, John Belanger of Sterling Heights, Mich.

Villegas' agent in Puerto Rico said the player is cooperating with federal authorities, but he is not speaking to the media based on his attorney's advice.

"For us, the most important thing is that our client is properly represented, and we understand that with time, everything will be solved," Next Level president Giddel Padilla said in a statement to The Associated Press. Villegas could not be reached for comment at the hotel where he is staying in San Pedro de Macoris.

He is charged with conspiracy to influence sports contests by bribery and received money and other gifts in exchange for fixing games, prosecutors said. If convicted, he could face up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

An alternate for Puerto Rico's Olympic basketball team four years ago, Villegas came to the United States when he was 16 and hoped to land a college scholarship.

He grew up poor, and spoke little English, yet he still managed to make an impression on coaches at Toledo.

Villegas started every game as a freshman and the next season he averaged 13.8 points per game, leading the Rockets to only their second 20-win season in 20 years.

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