JURY CONVICTS DRIVER IN CAL EXPO CASE

[rrbauer]

FROM THE CHRB:

"SACRAMENTO, CA – Culminating an 18-month investigation and pursuit of justice by the California Horse Racing Board and Office of the State Attorney General, a Sacramento Superior Court jury on Thursday convicted harness driver Daniel Maier on four felony charges relating to the fixing of a race run at Cal Expo on May 5, 2006.
Maier will be sentenced next month, and the CHRB has begun additional disciplinary proceedings for the revocation of his license. He has been excluded by the Sacramento Harness Association (SHA) from driving or training since the incident.
This is believed to be the only actual race-fixing case ever successfully prosecuted in the United States. CHRB Senior Special Investigator Martin J. Snezek II investigated the case, assisted by Supervising Investigator Bill Westermann. Deputy Attorney General Maggy Krell prosecuted Maier and a co-defendant, Todd Ratchford, who the jury found not guilty on all charges.
Prior to the two-week trial, another driver, Raymond Burt, was convicted of race fixing. He pled guilty to accepting a bribe in a sporting event, and then he testified for the prosecution.
The jury convicted Maier of conspiracy, grand theft, and two counts of race fixing. Maier was charged with bribing two drivers in the race to not use their best efforts. Maier himself did not drive in that particular race. He made 44 trifecta bets in various patterns, consistently leaving out the two drivers, who did not finish first, second or third in the race. A trifecta wager involves the selection of the first three finishers.
Former SHA General Manager Chris Schick and his staff noticed the suspicious wagering patterns shortly after the finish of the first race at Cal Expo on May 5, 2006, and managed to prevent the cashing of $5,000 in winnings from the 44 wagers.
Now that he has been acquitted, Ratchford, who also had been excluded by SHA, will be permitted to resume driving and training."

When I read, "This is believed to be the only actual race-fixing case ever successfully prosecuted in the United States.", I had to do a double-take. There have been others, eh? In NY?

[colonial]

well if this is only one, they need to do a better job. then it might stop some of the fixing of races.

[Tom Barrister]

The bad part is that his parents, Tim and Denise Maier, are about as honest as harness horsemen can be. The apple fell far away from the tree here.

It's likely (in my opinion) that Maier will win an appeal. There were some inconsistencies in the testimony, and an appelate court may well throw the conviction out.