Ex-NBA, MSU star Jay Vincent charged in jobs scam

Ex-NBA player and Michigan State star Jay Vincent has been indicted for an Internet employment scam that bilked about 20,000 jobseekers out of about $2 million, the U.S. Attorney’s office said Thursday.

The 51-year-old Vincent and 53-year-old Anthony Portee face charges of mail fraud, and Vincent is charged with an income tax violation, authorities said.

Both men live in Lansing.

Vincent earned an NCAA championship at Michigan State in 1979 on a team that included Magic Johnson. He played for the Spartans until 1981.

Dallas drafted him with the first pick of the second round in 1981. He averaged 21.4 points per game his rookie season and spent five seasons with the Mavericks.

He later played for Washington, Denver, San Antonio and the Los Angeles Lakers, ending his NBA career with Philadelphia in 1990.

Vincent is “a legitimate businessman” and is cooperating with investigators, his lawyer, Charles Ford, told The Associated Press.

“A person is innocent until proven guilty,” said Ford, a longtime friend of Vincent. “This man is iconic in this area. This is a person who has given a lot to the community.”

A number listed for Portee was disconnected. His lawyer, Raymond Buffmyer, did not immediately return a message.

The charges cover a period from Jan. 1, 2006 to Aug. 25, 2009 and involves the defendants’ business Foreclosure Bank Inspection Co.

Vincent and Portee concocted a scheme to defraud people seeking work through their Foreclosure Bank Inspection Co., according to the indictment.

The company claimed to test, certify and employ people to inspect bank foreclosed homes, and advertised that the company had contracts and received large checks from major banks to do the work. In reality, the copies of contracts and checks used in the ads were altered or counterfeit, the indictment said.

The company also did not hire contractors to perform inspections. What it did do was charge $149 to provide liability insurance for each job applicant and $89 for background checks, according to the indictment.

False insurance policies were prepared in the company’s offices and no background checks were made, the indictment said. Tests, completed and returned by applicants, were stored in boxes without reviews.

In the income tax charge, Vincent is accused of reporting a business income of $62,438 on his 2008 tax return. Authorities said the actual amount he earned was $330,269.

Former NFL Player Mark Fields Arrested For Allegedly Assaulting Ex-Girlfriend

Former NFL player Mark Fields was arrested on Monday for reportedly beating his ex-girlfriend following a dispute over their daughter. According to abc15.com, Fields was in Goodyear, AZ outside his daughter’s childcare center, Tutor Time, when witnesses say he began beating a woman and putting her in a chokehold. The alleged victim was his ex-girlfriend and the mother of his daughter who was at the Tutor Time to drop off court ordered documents. The two had reportedly been fighting over custody when the argument broke out.

According to the report, police records show Fields reportedly threw his ex-girlfriend to the ground and threatened to kill her and say she had blood on her left arm along with bruises and visible scratches. Fields has been charged with felony counts of aggravated assault and interference with education as well as misdemeanor counts of endangerment and disorderly conduct.

The former linebacker played for the New Orleans Saints, St. Louis Rams and the Carolina Panthers.

Ex-Spur hauled back to jail

For the third time this year, Bexar County authorities have arrested former NBA All-Star Alvin Robertson.

Robertson, 48, a San Antonio resident who played with the Spurs from 1984 to 1989, was arrested Friday night. He has been awaiting trial since February on a first-degree felony sex trafficking of a minor charge.

Earlier Friday, state District Judge Juanita Vasquez-Gardner ordered that his bail be increased from $150,000 to $200,000 after a Bexar County Pretrial Services bond officer raised allegations that he met with a co-defendant and has ignored a no-contact order regarding an alleged adult victim.

The alleged victim “stated he calls her to come to his house to bring him beer, which she admits to doing,” bond officer Rose De Los Santos wrote in a letter to the court. Robertson “has also mentioned that he has contact with the (woman), but that the calls and visits are initiated by (her).

“She stated she no longer wants to proceed prosecuting the defendant because of their personal history together; she just doesn’t approve of his activities with the child victim in his charges.”

If Robertson is released from jail on the increased bail, he will be restricted to full house arrest, the judge decided. He already wears an ankle monitor.

Defense attorney Jimmy Parks Jr. said Friday that he was surprised by the order. He hadn’t been aware of the allegations, he said, adding that they must be the result of a misunderstanding.

“We’re going to do everything we can to get it worked out,” he said. “It just surprises me because he’s been working so well, trying to be a productive member of society.”

Authorities have alleged, among other things, that Robertson was one of seven people who forced a 14-year-old into prostitution in Corpus Christi and San Antonio last year. He was arrested on the charge in February while in Bentonville, Ark., for a basketball clinic.

He was rearrested so his bail could be increased less than a month later, after prosecutors said two women complained he was threatening them, one of whom said he was blaming her for his legal problems.