benny silman

Benny Silman is a former campus bookmaker who was jailed for his role in a point shaving scandal at Arizona State University. In 1998 Silman pleaded guilty to charges that he bribed college basketball players Stevin "Hedake" Smith and Isaac Burton to ensure the Sun Devils did not "cover the spread" in four basketball games during the 1994 season. Silman was ordered to serve 46 months in a federal prison - a longer sentence than the prosecutor had asked for. Following his release in 2002, Silman has conducted seminars with NCAA athletes to warn them about the dangers of gambling and has written articles for such publications as Maxim magazine. Silman claims that he was coerced into perpetuating his scheme longer than planned by members of organized crime. His story was made into a movie titled with David Krumholtz playing Silman. See also: match fixing

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