LAS VEGAS - A federal jury on Monday convicted a boxing promoter and his fighter of conspiring to fix a series of nationwide bouts over a five-year period. Robert Mitchell, forty-two, of Irmo, S.C., and boxer Thomas Williams, thirty-five, of Landover, Md., were each convicted of one count of conspiracy to commit sports bribery and one count of sports bribery and attempted sports bribery. The pair fixed the fights from March 1995 to August 2000 to enhance the boxing career of professional heavyweight fighter Richie “the Bull’ Melito, Jr., said Daniel G. Bogden, U.S. attorney for Nevada. Authorities said Mitchell and Williams rigged eleven fights across the country. Those fights, including one in Las Vegas, were included in the conspiracy charge. “By returning guilty verdicts against both men, the jurors in Las Vegas have spoken that criminal conduct of this kind violates an important public trust in the integrity of sports,” Bogden said in a statement.

The U.S. District Court trial of Mitchell and Williams began Oct. 19. During the trial, seven boxers admitted to throwing fights with Melito for money. Three boxing insiders testified to working with Mitchell and Williams to arrange fixed fights on behalf of Melito. With the assistance of boxing promoter Robert Mittleman, Mitchell arranged for Williams, also known as “Top Dawg,’ to fight Melito on Aug. 12, 2000, at the Paris hotel-casino on the Las Vegas Strip. In exchange for money, Williams agreed to intentionally lose the fight. He lost to Melito in the first round. The two fought on the undercard fight of the Evander Holyfield-John Ruiz WBA heavyweight bout that was promoted by Don King Productions.

Robert Mittleman, who testified on behalf of the government at the trial, said he arranged for Williams to lose the fight. He also had Williams lose a fight in Denmark in March 2000 against Brian Nielson. Mittleman, of Oak Park, Ill., pleaded guilty in April to sports bribery and bribery of a public official. According to the plea agreement, Mittleman said he was paid $1,000 to fix the fight between Williams and Melito. Williams received approximately $10,000 for throwing the fight. Mittleman admitted that on Oct. 30, 2003, he tried to get the federal sports bribery charges against Williams dismissed by offering an undercover officer $15,000 to bribe a federal prosecutor and judge. Under federal statutes, Williams and Mitchell face up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine on each count. The two were released on bond pending sentencing, scheduled for Feb. 7. Mittleman, who briefly managed Oscar de la Hoya when he turned pro after the 1992 Olympics, faces sentencing Dec. 6.

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