Some Canes Could Face Charges: Experts

Federal prosecutors likely to subpeona UM players: Experts

While some University of Miami football players might be worried about losing their scholarship or eligibility in light of a recent scandal, losing their freedom is also a possibility, local attorneys said Thursday.

Federal prosecutors may question most if not all of the athletes named in a Yahoo! Sports investigative report into convicted Ponzi schemer Nevin Shapiro's connecting with UM, experts told NBC Miami.

Nevin, who was convicted of running a $930 million Ponzi scheme, said he provided improper benefits to 72 football and basketball players from 2002-2010.

Some of the gifts and money Shapiro gave may have been gained through illegal means and if players knew it was dirty money, they could be prosecuted, said Chris Mancini a former federal prosecutor who now has a private practice in Fort Lauderdale.

It's a crime to accept a gift or cash if you know it came from an illegal activity, he said.

Shapiro's attorney, Maria Elena Perez, said Wednesday that some of the investigations into Shapiro's actions might produce criminal charges, but she did not elaborate.

"I think there is a continuing grand jury. People are going to be subpoenaed," Mancini said. "They are going to chase documents. You can cooperate or you can lie and without talking to you they can still trace hard assets like cars, boats or jewelry."

The NCAA is currently investigating Shapiro's allegations and could come down hard on the university with deep sanctions and possibly the collegiate sports equivalent of the death penalty - suspending the football program.

Shapiro is currently serving 20 years in prison. Mancini said the convicted felon is likely talking about his dealings with UM to get his sentenced reduced somehow.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in New Jersey where Shapiro was prosecuted said Thursday it couldn't confirm or deny if it has an investigation underway. Two phone calls to Shapiro’s lawyer were not returned.

Some of the investors that were bilked by Shapiro have already said they plan to go after players who received financial benefits from him.

Even without criminal prosecution, most experts agree anyone implicated in the UM scandal by Shapiro will likely be getting a call from federal authorities.

Prosecutors are going to want to know intimate details about Shapiro's high-flying lifestyle and where the money went, Mancini said. They are also going to ask questions about who else was around Shapiro.

It's not a matter of the feds piling on, Mancini said.

"The United States Attorney’s Office doesn’t have a choice. They have a duty to pursue the proceeds of that Ponzi scheme," he said. " You see them doing it with cases like Bernie Madoff and Scott Rothstein and that’s what they are going to do with this case, also."

Other legal experts said the feds certainly want to talk to the people Shapiro has named, but chances are they are not going to send players who were teenagers at the time they met Shapiro to jail.

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