Indiana Man Charged with Evidence Destruction in Alabama Baseball Betting Scandal
Bert Neff, an Indiana-based real estate investor and youth baseball coach, has been charged with destroying evidence, witness tampering, and making false statements to the FBI in connection to a case involving “suspicious wagering activity” surrounding an Alabama-LSU baseball game in April.
The investigation led to the dismissal of Alabama head coach Brad Bohannon, who was found to have ties to betting activities in Ohio.
In the case against Neff, in documents filed Wednesday in the Northern District of Alabama, prosecutors allege that he received a message from an individual employed by the baseball team of a public university in Alabama — identified as Individual-1 in the charges — informing Neff that the school’s starting pitcher was injured and unable to pitch that day. Neff then allegedly screenshot the message and sent the information to other bettors.
With Neff’s information, individuals labeled as Gambler-1, Gambler-2, Gambler-3 and Gambler-4 all wagered on the April 28, 2023, game, according to the documents.
“Now they are throwing a bigger turd … f— man!!!! F—,” Neff sent to Gambler-1 in an encrypted message, the documents state. Neff told Gambler-3 that the game “became a 10000000000% winner.”
The Crimson Tide lost 8-6 after staff ace Luke Holman was scratched due to back tightness.
On May 4, Bohannon was fired for “violating the standards, duties, and responsibilities expected of University employees.” There has been no evidence that any athletes were involved.
On the same day that Bohannon was fired, Neff allegedly replaced his mobile device and purchased a new cell phone in Kentucky. On May 19, Neff allegedly replaced his mobile device again, while allegedly advising Gambler-1 and Gambler-3 on multiple occasions to delete messages or destroy their cell phones in this time period.
Prosecutors contend that Neff provided the FBI and U.S. Attorney’s Office with false information in an August interview. They say Neff admitted to placing a wager at a BetMGM Casino after hearing about the pitcher’s injury, but before receiving confirmation that he was not going to play.
According to the charges, employees at BetMGM Casino declined to take additional wagers from Neff, who traveled to Belterra Park in Cincinnati to place an additional bet on the game, using a FanDuel kiosk.
In October, Neff reportedly advised one of the gamblers to ignore a grand jury subpoena. Later that month, prosecutors claim Neff and the gambler exchanged 20 text messages and had 13 phone calls, including one lasting over an hour.
Authorities say Neff continued contacting the gamblers after they testified before an Alabama grand jury in October. On October 24, as the four gamblers drove back to Indiana, Neff allegedly tried to gather more details about the testimony they had given. On January 2, Neff is said to have met with one of the gamblers, referred to as Gambler-1, and attempted to discuss the ongoing federal investigation.
Sports Illustrated previously reported in May that Neff’s son, Andrew, is a pitcher at Cincinnati.
The outlet also revealed that two Cincinnati staff members, assistant coach Kyle Sprague and operations director Andy Nagle, were dismissed on May 17 for failing to report Neff’s gambling activity to school officials.
