Bernie Fernandez Jr., whose interactions with Ohio State University quarterback Troy Smith raised concerns with university officials, is no longer the subject of a gambling investigation by the Franklin County sheriff's office.
Deputies raided Fernandez's home on the Far North Side in October, taking computers, business records, credit cards and a cell phone.
Cpl. Dave Hunt of the sheriff's office said yesterday that there isn't enough evidence to charge Fernandez. The sheriff's office closed its investigation and returned the items seized.
Fernandez, 44, said his business as a Web-site designer was hurt because the sheriff's office held onto his records for eight months.
"It put me through a year of anguish,' he said.
OSU athletic officials warned Smith in 2003 about associating with Fernandez because of a gambling Web site that Fernandez still operates, Pokertopia.com. The site serves as a gateway to online casinos.
Smith was paid $200 to $300 for a summer job passing out fliers for an employment Web site that Fernandez ran. The quarterback left two tickets for Fernandez for a home game against North Carolina State in 2003. Smith said in a February interview that he no longer speaks with Fernandez.
Fernandez said many people misunderstood the Pokertopia site. He said he never took bets himself and was never a bookmaker.
While Fernandez has been cleared, Ohio State will keep him on its "watch list" of people whom players should beware of, said Steve Snapp, associate athletics director for communications.
"I don't think this changes his status," Snapp said. "It's important not to put athletes in a precarious position. And I think we want to err on the safe side."
The watch list supposedly includes people OSU officials think players should avoid because they might seek inside information about the program. Football coach Jim Tressel, in a February interview, said there were about 25 people on the list. The department would not supply the other names.
The investigation of Fernandez was triggered by allegations of bookmaking raised by convicted swindler David Cahall, Hunt said.
Fernandez said he invested $200,000 with Cahall, who was convicted of fraudulently soliciting at least $1.8 million from investors to finance the sale of discount clothing to chain stores. Cahall, a Westerville-area resident who actually was running a Ponzi scheme, was sentenced in January to five years in prison by a Delaware County judge.
source : The Columbus Dispatch
