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MOUNT HOLLY, N.J. (AP) - A former New Jersey state trooper pleaded guilty Thursday to helping run a gambling ring and promised to help authorities with their case against former hockey star Rick Tocchet and others.
In a negotiated deal, 40-year-old James Harney pleaded guilty to conspiracy, promoting gambling and official misconduct. He faces up to seven years in prison at his sentencing Oct. 27. He had initially faced more than 25 years in prison.
The plea comes nearly six months after New Jersey authorities charged him, Tocchet and a third man, James Ulmer, with running a ring whose alleged bettors included a handful of current NHL players and actress Janet Jones, the wife of hockey great Wayne Gretzky.
Authorities have said they did not expect to charge any of the bettors with crimes, and NHL officials, who have launched their own probe, say there were no bets on hockey games.
Still, the connection to the professional hockey league made the gambling bust a major sports story earlier this year.
After Tocchet was charged, he took an indefinite leave of absence from his job as the top assistant coach of the Phoenix Coyotes, who are led by Gretzky.
Kevin Marino, a lawyer for Tocchet, said there are reasons to not believe Harney's claims.
"He is not a concerned citizen acting out of a sense of civic duty. Rather, the former trooper is an interested party who has implicated Rick Tocchet as part of a bargain with the prosecution," Marino said in a statement.
Edwin Jacobs, a lawyer for Ulmer, did not immediately return a call Thursday seeking comment.
Gretzky has denied any wrongdoing. His lawyer, Ron Fujikawa, said after the story came to light that he had received assurances from New Jersey authorities that the hockey great was not in any way a central figure in the criminal investigation.
No grand jury has been convened to consider the cases of the other defendants.
Harney and Tocchet became friendly in the 1990s when Tocchet played for the Philadelphia Flyers and Harney tended bar near the arena where the team played.
Harney was suspended from the state police after he was charged in February. In a letter Wednesday, he resigned, apologizing for "the disgrace which I have placed upon the Division, myself and my family."
State officials said that as part of the agreement Harney forfeited his right to work in a public position.
He also will forfeit some $700,000 US in money and property, including the New Jersey home where he lives and his equity in the home where his ex-wife and children live.
Police have said they took 32 watches and nine televisions from his home.
After the hearing, Harney did not comment. But his lawyer said he had been truthful and he hoped the other defendants would be too.
"My client is humbled," lawyer Craig Mitnick said.
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