04/26/24
January 20, 2012
Fine Accuser Admits He Lied to Reporters, Doctored Emails: Zach Tomaselli, a 23-year-old convicted child molester who accused Syracuse assistant basketball coach Bernie Fine of sexually abusing him on a team road trip when he was 13, has admitted that he lied to reporters and doctored emails from police and school officials to bolster his claims. Local district attorney William Fitzpatrick also said Tomaselli changed his story to police, first claiming to have been taken on a trip to a team Syracuse didn't play that season. School records undermine Tomaselli's claim to have been out of school on the days he said the trip took place. Tomaselli, awaiting sentencing, told the Post-Standard newspaper that he's dropping the civil suit against Fine and asking the police to stop investigating his accusation.
posted by rcade to basketball at 03:05 PM - 1 comment
This guy was never a credible accuser, and it was highly prejudicial for the media and the police to give his accusations so much initial credence. The federal search warrant obtained on Fine's house was based on Tomaselli's claims, too, so that's another injustice.