Montgomery charged with money laundering

Olympic gold medalist Tim Montgomery was arrested Friday on charges he was connected to a multimillion-dollar bank fraud and money laundering scheme.

A grand jury indictment unsealed in New York accused the star sprinter, his gold medalist track coach, Steven Riddick, and 12 other people of being involved in a conspiracy that deposited $5 million in stolen, altered or counterfeit checks over three years.

Some of the money was laundered through two businesses owned by a New York couple accused of being behind the scam, according to the indictment.

Montgomery, the former 100-meter world record holder, surrendered to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Norfolk, Va., in the morning and spent the afternoon in custody. He was released later on $10,000 bond.

Investigators accused Montgomery of being a lesser player in a scheme hatched by lead defendants Douglas Shyne and Natasha Singh.

Shyne and Singh are accused of setting up sham businesses to take checks stolen from banks and either alter them or make counterfeit copies. Most of the checks involved accounts at large companies that didn’t immediately notice the cash missing, federal agents said.

Montgomery knew the Shyne and Singh family through an acquaintance, according to the indictment. The sprinter deposited three bogus checks worth a total of $775,000, prosecutors said. He is accused of helping his coach, Riddick, deposit others worth at least $905,000. Prosecutors said Montgomery picked up a $20,000 fee for his role.

Colleges

NCAA denies appeals

Despite a letter from one tribal leader in support of the Fighting Sioux nickname, North Dakota lost its appeal to the NCAA while Illinois and Indiana University of Pennsylvania didn’t fare any better. The governing body’s executive committee rejected appeals from all three schools that would have allowed them to use Indian nicknames or images without penalty.

•The NCAA Division I Board of Directors defeated a measure to add a 12th regular-season game to the Division I-AA football season.

•Rex Walters was promoted to head basketball coach at Florida Atlantic as a replacement for Matt Doherty, who left this week after one season to become coach at Southern Methodist.

•The district attorney in Durham, N.C., prosecuting two Duke University lacrosse players on rape charges said that a similar complaint brought by the accuser 10 years ago may not be admissible if the Duke case goes to trial – a suggestion disputed by a defense lawyer.

•Lamar Owens, the Navy quarterback accused of raping a female midshipman, will face a court martial, the academy announced.

Miscellany

Scientist pleads guilty

Patrick Arnold, a noted scientist in the field of sports nutritional supplements, pleaded guilty in San Francisco to supplying the BALCO lab with the performance-enhancing drug known as “the clear.” Arnold pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute steroids. He’s scheduled to be sentenced in August and most likely will face three months in jail and three months of home detention.