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TRENTON
- Attorney General Anne Milgram and Criminal
Justice Director Gregory A. Paw announced
that former New Jersey state trooper James
J. Harney was sentenced today to state prison
for running a multi-million dollar sports
bookmaking enterprise with retired NHL hockey
star Rick Tocchet.
According
to Director Paw, Harney, 41, of Marlton,
was sentenced to five years in state prison
by Superior Court Judge Thomas S. Smith
Jr. in Burlington County. Harney was sentenced
pursuant to his guilty plea last August
to second-degree conspiracy, second-degree
official misconduct and third-degree promoting
gambling. He was sentenced to five years
in prison on the official misconduct charge,
and three years on the promoting gambling
charge, with the terms to be served concurrently.
The conspiracy charge merged by law with
the official misconduct charge for sentencing
purposes, so there was no additional sentence
for that charge.
Harney
also forfeited hundreds of thousands of
dollars in assets, including a townhouse,
bank accounts, plasma TVs and a collection
of expensive watches. He was removed by
statute from his position with the State
Police at the time of the plea and is barred
from ever holding a public job in New Jersey.
Tocchet,
43, of Phoenix, Arizona, is to be sentenced
by Judge Smith on Aug. 24. Tocchet pleaded
guilty on May 25 to conspiracy and promoting
gambling, both in the third degree. A third
man, James A. Ulmer, 42, of Swedesboro,
is to be sentenced Aug. 17. Ulmer pleaded
guilty in December to conspiracy and promoting
gambling for bringing in bets for the ring.
“Prison
is the appropriate punishment for this defendant,
who dishonored his uniform and badge by
running a multi-million dollar criminal
enterprise,” said Attorney General
Milgram “This case demonstrates that
we have zero tolerance for official corruption.”
“The
State Police and the Division of Criminal
Justice analysed extensive records of sports
bets generated by this ring and used the
forfeiture provisions of the state’s
racketeering and money laundering statutes
to seize cash and property as proceeds of
the illegal gambling activity,” said
Director Paw. “The three guilty pleas
in this case attest to the strength of the
case we built.”
Supervising
Deputy Attorney General Mark Eliades represented
the Attorney General at the sentencing.
In
pleading guilty, Harney, an eight-year veteran
of the State Police, admitted his part in
running the bookmaking ring, which was based
in South Jersey and the Philadelphia area
but which took in millions of dollars in
sports bets from all over the country.
The
New Jersey State Police Organized Crime
Bureau began investigating the ring in late
October 2005 when it uncovered information
that Harney was involved in sports bookmaking.
As the investigation unfolded, it expanded
to include Tocchet, who was a partner with
Harney in the illegal gambling enterprise,
sharing in the profits and covering losses.
Tocchet is currently on indefinite leave
from his position as assistant coach for
the Phoenix Coyotes.
The
State Police investigation painted a picture
of a highly organized sports betting system,
which in a 40-day period processed over
1,000 wagers exceeding $1.7 million on professional
and collegiate sporting events.
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