Las Vegas sports agent, associate arrested in Auburn star’s case

Bill Poovey

Tuesday, April 25, 2000 | 12:22 p.m.

MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Las Vegas police and federal agents acting on fugitive warrants from Alabama arrested a sports agent and one of two associates accused of illegally providing $2,500 to former Auburn basketball player Chris Porter.

A spokeswoman for law enforcement's multiagency Criminal Apprehension Team said sports agent Robert J. Walsh, 39, and an associate, Nate Cebrun, 54, both of Las Vegas, were arrested Monday on warrants from Lee County charging them with violating Alabama's sports agent law.

The law prohibits agents from providing money or making improper contact with college athletes.

The arrests came after a grand jury in Lee County returned indictments. The grand jury had investigated whether a sports agent was involved in providing money to Porter, a senior star whose college career ended when it was revealed he got $2,500.

Porter said the money was to help his mother financially and that he didn't know it was from an agent. But the arrests Monday came on charges accusing Walsh and Cebrun, a self-described middleman for agents, of being involved in the deal.

Police said Walsh was arrested during a traffic stop and Cebrun was arrested at his apartment, where he was hiding in a bathroom. Both were booked into Clark County Detention Center and later released on their own recognizance.

Police said authorities were continuing to seek Colleen Preiss, 49, also of Las Vegas. She has been described in news accounts as the person who provided the $2,500 in money orders that Porter picked up. Cebrun has said Preiss is a wealthy woman who provided the money as a loan to help Porter's mother.

A conviction for violating Alabama's sports agent law is a Class B felony, with a maximum possible penalty of 20 years in prison.

A woman who answered the telephone today at Walsh's office in Las Vegas said he was in a meeting and not available, although he was aware of the message seeking comment. Cebrun and Preiss do not have telephone numbers listed.

The payment to Porter prompted Auburn in late February to suspend their senior star, once projected as a first-round NBA draft pick. The NCAA refused to reinstate Porter and an appeals panel upheld that decision.

Porter admitted to the university and to Southeastern Conference officials that he accepted money, an apparent violation of NCAA rules and Alabama's law that regulates sports agents.

In addition to agents, the law says that any student-athlete who has improper dealings with an agent and fails to notify a school or university can be convicted of a misdemeanor and can be sued along with the agent for damages, such as any lost television revenue.

The Alabama Athlete Agent Regulatory Commission has directed the state attorney general's office to prosecute any wrongdoing discovered in the Porter investigation. The chairman, Rep. Gerald Allen, R-Cottondale, has said prosecutors should first deal with any agents involved and then with any wrongdoing by Porter.

Alabama Attorney General Bill Pryor has refused to discuss the investigation. He was out of town today and could not be reached for comment.

Cebrun has said he was introduced to Porter by Auburn center David Hamilton of Compton, Calif. Cebrun said he knew Hamilton through summer league basketball. Hamilton was Porter's roommate until Hamilton left the team on Feb. 9.

Cebrun has had several run-ins with the NCAA. They include his role in a free shopping spree by Florida State football players at shoe store in Tallahassee. He was sentenced to 30 days in jail under a plea-bargain agreement he reached in the case after being charged with failing to register as a sports agent in Florida.