Former NJ State Trooper Sentenced to Five Years in Prison For Running Multi-million Dollar Sports Gambling Ring

August 1, 2007 -- TRENTON - New Jersey 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.

Source: New Jersey Attorney General

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