Eugene Bert Neff Jr., the Indiana man behind an NCAA betting scandal which led to the firing of University of Alabama baseball coach Brad Bohannon, was sentenced Monday to eight months in prison and three years of supervised release, according to court records.
Neff must report to a designated facility on Oct. 29 to begin serving his sentence, court records said.
In February, Neff agreed to plead guilty to a charge of obstructing a federal grand jury investigation into the NCAA betting scandal. Neff could have faced a maximum of 10 years in prison.
How NCAA betting scandal transpired
Neff was in direct communication with Bohannon when he unsuccessfully attempted to place a $100,000 bet on an Alabama baseball game in April 2023 at the BetMGM Sportsbook at Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati.
The NCAA ruled that Bohannon violated wagering and ethical conduct rules. He provided Neff with inside information about scratching his starting pitcher prior to the game.
The coach received three years of probation and a 15-year show-cause order for his actions.
“HAMMER … [Student-athlete 1] is out for sure … Lemme know when I can tell LSU… Hurry.” Bohannon wrote in a text.
Neff acted suspiciously at sportsbook
A news release by the US Attorney’s Office in the Northern District of Alabama described Neff’s suspicious behavior.
“Shortly after receiving the electronic messages from Bohannon, the bettor attempted to place a $100,000 wager on the LSU baseball team at the BetMGM sportsbook at the Great America Ballpark in Cincinnati but the sportsbook staff limited the bettor to a $15,000 wager. The bettor then attempted to place additional wagers involving the April 28 Alabama vs. LSU baseball game, but the sportsbook staff declined the wagers due to suspicious activity.
“This suspicious activity included the bettor’s insistent demeanor to get the bet placed and statements to sportsbook staff that the bet was ‘for sure going to win’ and ‘if only you guys knew what I knew.’ The suspicious activity also included the bettor showing sportsbook staff messages from Bohannon and explaining that the messages were Bohannon informing bettor that Alabama was scratching its starting pitcher before the game and before Bohannon alerted LSU.”
How Neff impeded NCAA betting probe
United States attorney Prim F. Escalona and FBI special agent in charge Carlton L. Peeples detailed how Neff, 49, tried to obstruct their investigation into his suspicious betting activity.
“During the course of the scheme (May 2023-January 2024), Neff destroyed his cell phone, encouraged witnesses to destroy their cell phones and delete encrypted messaging applications, and provided false statements to federal investigators.
“The scheme culminated in October 2023 when Neff participated in a one-hour twenty-one-minute telephone call concerning topics related to the investigation with two witnesses the day before they were scheduled to testify before a grand jury in the Northern District of Alabama. All of this activity was designed to interfere with ongoing grand jury investigation.”
