Former Toledo Guard Sammy Villegas Is Charged With Point Shaving

Sammy Villegas, a guard for the Toledo basketball team until 2006, has been charged with point shaving during the 2004-2005 and 2005-2006 seasons.

Another player who Villegas paid with a check to shave points to has yet to be charged.

Villegas was charged with conspiracy to influence sports contests by bribery and received money and other gifts in exchange for fixing games, prosecutors said. If convicted, he could face up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

The charges were first reported Wednesday by WUPW-TV in Toledo.

Prosecutors also didn't name who paid the players. Villegas traveled to Michigan several times to meet with another participant in the scheme, court documents said.

A year ago, a member of the Toledo football team was charged with participating in a bribery scheme to influence sporting contests but those charges were later dropped. The gambler tied to that (he wasn't charged) hasn't been directly linked to Villegas but that some members of the hoops team knew him.

Prosecutors are saying that Villegas intentionally missed two free throws late in a game against "Central State" (possibly Central Michigan University).

Villegas has been playing pro in his native Puerto Rico.

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