By Sally Jenkins Sally Jenkins Sports columnist Email Bio Columnist April 21 at 7:07 AM There is something missing from the federal prosecution of “corruption” in college basketball: a sense of justice. There have been some small plea bargains and petty-crime verdicts, and another trial is scheduled to start against a couple of minor figures this week. But absent from all of it is a meaningful rationale: Prosecutors have not yet made a convincing case for why these matters are in a courtroom.
There is a constant “tension” for prosecutors in deciding what is merely objectionable conduct and “a thing that reasonable people would want to see punished,” he says. Sometimes prosecutors walk away though the public may bay for retribution. And sometimes it’s important to prosecute certain conduct even if it seems harmless because, he says, “There can be an undermining of the system and a transgression of fairness without direct personal benefit.
The Supreme Court was so concerned with the misuse of “honest services fraud” that it overturned the conviction of former Virginia governor Robert McDonnell and his wife for accepting $175,000 in loans and gifts. The court cited the need to differentiate between conduct that is merely “distasteful” and truly corrupt. The court also was determined to rein in what it called a tendency toward “boundless interpretation” of the statute by prosecutors.
The Southern District of New York is one of the great legal institutions in this country. It prosecutes thousands of righteous cases, against Russian arms dealers and terrorists and inside traders. But that’s all the more reason its power has to be used sparingly.When such a powerful office conducts a long investigation, “What often accompanies all this investigative action and forward motion is a dangerous psychological momentum,” Bharara writes in his book. “. . . Investments are being made.
What is going on? Basketball is a big game to those who bet on points, or the player takes a fall, soo many things to go wrong or right in basketball . Never did it but I know people who have won and lost money. Corruption in prominent!
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