Authorities concerned for ref’s safety

AP

Police
staked out former NBA referee Tim Donaghy’s home after he received two
telephone threats following disclosure that the FBI is investigating him for
betting on games he worked.

Both calls
seemed to come from the same unidentified caller, Manatee County Sheriff’s
Office spokesman Randy Warren said.

“There
is reason for us to keep an eye on his place and follow up,” he said.

Three
squad cars arrived at Donaghy’s home in

Bradenton,

Fla., on Sunday after he received
the calls, according to a sheriff’s office report. Donaghy did not have a
listed phone number at his home.

A person
with knowledge of the FBI investigation said the NBA was unaware of the FBI
investigation until after the NBA finals. The person requested anonymity
because he was not authorized to discuss the ongoing case.

According
to a law enforcement official, authorities are examining whether the referee
made calls to affect the point spread in games on which he or associates had
wagered thousands of dollars over the past two seasons. The official spoke on
condition of anonymity, because he wasn’t authorized to discuss the ongoing
investigation.

The
referee had a gambling problem and was approached by low-level mob associates
through an acquaintance, the official said.

The New
York Daily News, citing unidentified law enforcement sources, reported Sunday
that Donaghy will cooperate with authorities and possibly name other officials
and players involved in the betting scandal. On Monday, the newspaper reported
former neighbors of Donaghy in

Pennsylvania
said they were approached more than a year ago by a private investigator they
believed was hired by the NBA to check into Donaghy’s gambling habits.

Kit
Antsey, a real estate agent in
West Chester,
Pa., who helped Donaghy buy a home, told The Daily News a
private investigator contacted him 18 months ago and asked him whether Donaghy
bet on sports and at an

Atlantic City
casino.

NBA
commissioner David Stern said Friday he plans to speak publicly about the
investigation this week.