Detroit-area man guilty of bribing Toledo players

DETROIT (AP) — A Detroit-area man pleaded guilty today to bribing players to fix basketball and football games nearly a decade ago at the University of Toledo in Ohio, the ninth and final conviction in the case.

Ghazi "Gary" Manni also cleared two other cases: paying bribes to fix horse races in Florida and Delaware in 2005-06 and committing food-stamp fraud while running King Cole, a Detroit grocery store.

"Guilty," he told a judge three times.

The Toledo indictment was filed in 2009, but the case has moved slowly in federal court in Detroit. Two former basketball players, Keith Triplett and Kashif Payne, pleaded guilty to conspiracy before Manni entered the courtroom.

In total, seven former Rockets have pleaded guilty over the last few years, along with Manni and his gambling partner, Mitchell "Ed" Karam. No one has been sentenced.

Manni, 57, admitted bribing Toledo players from 2004 to 2006 to influence the final score, especially in basketball. The margin of victory plays a role in sports bets. A court filing lists more than $300,000 in bets, but the government said there were more.