From Fox News: Federal authorities have dropped
their investigation into sexual abuse claims that cost a Syracuse
University assistant basketball coach his job, threw a top-ranked team
into turmoil and threatened the career of Hall of Fame coach Jim
Boeheim.
After a probe spanning nearly a year, U.S. Attorney Richard Hartunian
said Friday there was no evidence to support claims that Bernie Fine
had molested a boy in 2002 in a Pittsburgh hotel room.
"The nature and seriousness of these allegations, which involved
conduct typically committed in private with individuals who are
reluctant to come forward, warranted a thorough federal investigation,"
Hartunian said.
Fine's lawyer did not immediately return a call seeking comment. It wasn't clear yet whether Fine could get his job back.
The investigation erupted in the glare of a spotlight on child abuse
shone by the Penn State University scandal that broke shortly
beforehand. Two former Syracuse ballboys, Bobby Davis and Michael Lang,
came forward Nov. 17 and accused the longtime assistant of fondling them
when they were teens. Davis said the sexual contact continued for
years.
But the claims by Davis and Lang had happened too long ago to be
prosecuted. Ten days later, though, a third man, 23-year-old Zachary
Tomaselli, of Lewiston, Maine, went public with his accusation that Fine
had molested him in 2002 in a hotel room when the team played in
Pittsburgh. The same day, ESPN aired an audiotape in which Fine's wife,
Laurie, apparently acknowledged to Davis she knew about the molestation.
Fine, who denied the allegations, was fired Nov. 27, and the federal
government began investigating Tomaselli's claim, the only one that fell
within the statute of limitations. The federal statute of limitations
that went into effect in 2002 allows prosecution until the victim
reaches age 25; Tomaselli was 23 when he made his claims.
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