Phoenix Ex-Assistant Coach Gets Probation Updated 20 Aug 07
Tocchet, who pleaded guilty in May to third-degree conspiracy and third-degree promoting gambling, was the second man sentenced in Operation Slapshot, the name New Jersey troopers chose when they began their undercover investigation into the ring in October 2005 following a tip by an informant.
Trooper James Harney, who was sentenced to five years in prison for using his patrol car to take bets for the ring, took wagers on basketball and football games for five years before the State Police shut it down in February 2006.
A third member of the ring, bookie James Ulmer, faces up to 364 days in jail on conspiracy and promoting gambling charges when he is sentenced next week.
Harney, a road trooper based at the Moorestown barracks, testified in August. 2006 that he and Tocchet accepted millions of dollars worth of wagers and split the winnings down the middle -- sometimes settling up with a "bag of cash" and other times with either a personal or cashier's check. He testified Ulmer also took bets and was paid a portion of his clients' losses.
Tocchet, a former All-Star player and Philadelphia Flyer, was less forthcoming during his plea hearing, saying only that he accepted bets between September 2002 and February 2006.
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