A member of the Golden Dunkers booster club pled not guilty Wednesday to one count of felony sports bookmaking in Hennepin County District Court.
Gerald Greenfield, 53, of Bloomington, was charged with running an illegal bookmaking operation in April. He allegedly took bets on college basketball games in March and April of 1996.
The booster club member gambled on basketball games involving Tulane University and the University of Arkansas, according to the criminal complaint. The University of Minnesota was not mentioned in the gambling charges.
Greenfield, the owner of a licensed used-car dealership, has vehemently denied the 3-year-old allegations.
He contends that prosecutors pursued the charges in light of the recent scandal surrounding the men’s athletic department.
Greenfield has hired Minneapolis attorney Ron Meshbesher for his defense. Meshbesher also represents Gophers men’s basketball player Miles Tarver in the academic fraud investigation.
The Minnesota attorney general’s office is prosecuting the case. A probable cause pretrial hearing has been scheduled for July 13.
Tonya Moten Brown, University President Mark Yudof’s chief of staff, has said that the University-appointed task force investigating the Golden Dunkers will advise administrators on an appropriate course of action if the booster club member is convicted.

— Sarah McKenzie