It hardly your typical crime.
In fact, it sounds like something out of the movies, or certainly out of the 1960s or 1950s.
But it's real, and it happened in the 21st Century. Retired Oakland County real estate developer Mitchell "Ed" Karam, 79, of Troy pleaded guilty this week to fixing races at Hazel Park and Northville Downs race tracks and other crimes, the Oakland Press reports.
Karam was named in a 20-count indictment in 2009 and was accused of using bribery to influence the outcome of horse races, and college basketball and football games, the Oakland Press reported.
Mitch Hotts of The Oakland Press wrote:
According to federal prosecutors, Karam and Manni bribed jockeys at Hazel Park Harness Raceway in Hazel Park, Northville Downs Race Track in Northville and Tampa Bay Downs in Florida to fix races the two men would wager on in 2005 and 2006.
The two also were accused of bribing several players of the University of Toledo basketball team to intentionally lose games the pair bet on. They bet at least $331,000 on the games, court documents show.
