Fighter appeals bribery conviction in fixed-fight trial

Jace Radke

Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2004 | 10:18 a.m.

Heavyweight boxer Thomas "Top Dawg" Williams is appealing his sports bribery conviction, which sprung from a fixed fight in Las Vegas. He is alleging that prosecutors used evidence that was ordered excluded from the trial.

The motion filed last week by Williams' lawyers argues that evidence that Williams took a dive in a March 2000 fight against Brian Nielsen in Esbjerg, Denmark should not have been introduced at trial because Williams was not charged with any crimes relating to that fight.

"Both the testimonial evidence and the tape recordings permitted the jury to hear all about the monies and other items which were allegedly paid to Williams for his loss to Nielsen," the motion states. "Additionally, the details were argued by the prosecution extensively and effectively in closing argument."

Williams and South Carolina boxing promoter Robert "Bobby" Mitchell were found guilty earlier this month of fixing an August 2000 fight at Paris Las Vegas between Richard "The Bull" Melito Jr. and Williams.

Williams and Mitchell, convicted of conspiracy and sports bribery, each face up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

The jury also found that Mitchell, 42, spent more than $70,000 to bribe fighters to take dives against Melito, and found that Williams, 35, had accepted more than $5,000 to lose in his bout against Melito.

U.S. District Judge James Mahan ruled in October 2003 that the evidence related to the Nielsen fight would be excluded from the trial, but also stated that the evidence could be reconsidered depending on what happened during the trial.

During the three-week trial the Nielsen fight came up several times including during the testimony of convicted fight-fixer Robert Mittleman. Mittleman pleaded guilty earlier this year to helping to fix both the Melito Jr. and the Nielsen fights.

Mittleman, who cooperated with federal prosecutors in the case, also pleaded guilty to a charge of attempting to bribe an assistant U.S. attorney and a federal judge to try to get the indictment against Williams dropped.

Mahan has not yet scheduled a hearing on the motion for a new trial, filed by Federal Deputy Public Defender Kevin Tate, and is scheduled to sentence Williams and Mitchell on Feb. 7.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathleen Bliss, who was one of the prosecutors on the case, said that her office will file a reply to Tate's motion.

Mahan has ordered both Mitchell and Williams to check any boxing activities they are planning between now and sentencing with U.S. Pretrial Services. He also restricted their non-trial-related travel to the county in which they live. Neither is allowed to possess guns or a passport, Mahan said.