The federal investigations targets are unknown, but papers involving Bobby Jackson were subpoenaed.
[bold on]Josh Linehan[bold off][fm][bold on][bold off][bold on][bold off]Staff Reporter[fm]
Though the academic scandal involving former University mens basketball players is over – every person involved with the fraud has since left the University – bureaucratic machinery still grinds forward in an attempt to discern exactly what went wrong.
Two separate investigations, one by the NCAA running concurrent with a federal grand jury investigation, are still ongoing.
The NCAA began its investigation after the University released the findings of an internal investigation. The collegiate athletics governing body recently sent the University a letter citing 23 alleged rules violations during the time of the scandal. The letter turned up nothing new, however, and University officials are hopeful their self-inflicted sanctions will be enough to appease the NCAA.
Theres nothing in this official inquiry letter that we didnt self-report, University general counsel Mark Rotenberg said after reviewing the document. None of the allegations … are new or reveal information that we were not aware of.
New information could be forthcoming in the federal investigation, however.
The targets of the federal probe are unknown, but among evidence subpoenaed were transcripts and papers involving Bobby Jackson, a former standout guard who led the team to a Final Four appearance in 1996.
The documents in question involve correspondence courses Jackson took while still enrolled in junior college, which made him eligible to compete for the Gophers.
The possibility of mail and wire fraud in the case of Jackson made the academic fraud a federal case.
Federal prosecutors could use their subpoena power to induce former academic counselor Alonzo Newby to talk.
Newby was fired shortly after the investigation began for refusing to tell his story to University attorneys. A friend of former coach Clem Haskins, Newby claims Haskins promised him a new three-year contract worth $132,000 and asked University officials to honor the promise in return for his testimony.
The University balked at such an offer, saying such a payment would amount to buying testimony and would be unethical.
But Newby and his lawyer, Ron Rosenbaum, have hinted lately that they would talk to the federal prosecutor in exchange for immunity from the investigation.
The only major figure yet to speak about the scandal, Newby has long maintained he has a sordid tale to tell that could identify exactly who participated in the cheating.
All of which, plus a lower level of culpability than his superiors, including Haskins, could make Newby an attractive witness for the prosecution.
I expect that under the right circumstances Alonzo Newby will testify, Rosenbaum said recently. Hes always been willing to tell his story. He just wasnt willing to jump on an electrified barbed-wire fence to do it.
Federal prosecutors have not yet requested an interview with Newby.
[bold on]- Local wire services [bold off][bold on]contributed to this report.[bold off]
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