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| | Thursday, September 14 Report: Gangelhoff to testify against Haskins | |||||
| Associated Press MINNEAPOLIS -- Federal investigators have expanded their investigation into academic fraud in the Minnesota men's basketball program to determine whether cheating occurred before a former tutor did coursework for players, the Saint Paul Pioneer Press reported Thursday. Jan Gangelhoff revealed in March 1999 that she wrote more than 400 research papers and tests for about 20 players. WCCO-TV reported Wednesday night that she will plead guilty to a federal charge of misappropriating funds. In exchange for the plea, Gangelhoff will testify against former coach Clem Haskins and former men's basketball academic counselor Alonzo Newby, WCCO reported. The station did not identify its source for the report. Investigators now are looking into Haskins' role in the alleged mail fraud, wire fraud and misappropriation of Pell Grant funds to determine when the fraud began. "I think they are trying to set a foundation and I think they are looking at coach Haskins' entire tenure," said Anne White, who tutored basketball players 10 years ago and said she was interviewed by investigators this summer. "I think they were trying to establish a pattern, when did it spiral out of control, a starting point," White said. "I couldn't give them a starting point. I was never asked to do anything unethical by the students or the coaches." In addition to the federal inquiry, Gangelhoff's revelation has led to the departure of Haskins and two top administrators, university-imposed sanctions and an NCAA investigation. On Monday, the university sued Haskins to recover the $1.5 million it paid to buy out his contract, saying the coach lied when he denied giving the $3,000 to Gangelhoff and that he told players to mislead investigators after the scandal broke. Haskins' attorney said the university's allegations are false. Gangelhoff has agreed to plead guilty as early as Friday to one felony count related to federal grant money given to former guard Bobby Jackson and to testify before a grand jury, WCCO-TV reported. Prosecutors will argue that by doing Jackson's work, Gangelhoff enabled him to collect Pell Grant student aid. In exchange, prosecutors will ask that she not receive any prison time, the station said. Key witnesses will testify before a federal grand jury in Minneapolis next week, including Gangelhoff and her sister, Jeanne Payer, who was also a tutor at the university, WCCO said. The university's $1.5 million investigation concluded that Gangelhoff, a former office manager and tutor, did players' course work in violation of NCAA and school rules between 1993 and 1998. That investigation focused primarily on Gangelhoff's tenure at the school, but the federal probe dates to when Haskins was hired in 1986. With Gangelhoff's plea set, investigators may begin pressuring Newby to accept a similar deal as they attempt to build a case against Haskins. Ron Rosenbaum, Newby's lawyer, said late last week that he has not heard anything recently from federal investigators "nor do I expect anything. I think we are seeing the natural evolution of a criminal case." Another possible witness against Newby surfaced last week when a former basketball tutor, who said he has not been contacted by university or federal investigators, told the Saint Paul Pioneer Press that Newby asked him to do course work for a player. Sherif Eldeeb, 25, who tutored math for about four months during the 1996-97 school year while in his last year of his undergraduate program, said Newby unsuccessfully attempted to get him to do course work for former player Russ Archambault. "Alonzo Newby did ask me to cheat for Russ Archambault," Eldeeb said. Archambault has admitted having course work done for him. Eldeeb becomes the second former tutor to allege that the fraud went beyond Gangelhoff and Payer. Alexandra Goulding made similar allegations in March 1999, and her allegations were part of the university's final report that concluded Haskins knew about the fraud. | ALSO SEE Gophers feel 'ripped off,' sue Haskins for buyout money Report: Grand jury to convene in Minnesota scandal Report: Gangelhoff might agree to plea deal in Minnesota probe | |||||