Former Arizona assistant basketball coach Book Richardson was released from an Otisville, New York, federal prison Tuesday, two days early in his scheduled three-month sentence.
The first coach imprisoned as a result of the federal investigation into college basketball, Richardson reported to Otisville on July 18 with an initial Oct. 17 release date. But that date was moved up to Tuesday, and Richardson was released, said Craig Mordock, the attorney who represented him during his bribery case.
Richardson, 46, reached a plea agreement in January in which he pleaded guilty to a federal funds bribery charge instead of facing trial on five charges. He pleaded guilty to accepting $20,000 in bribes from agents for the purpose of later steering UA players to those agents for professional representation.
Richardsonβs charge carried a sentencing range of 18-24 months, while a probation officer had recommended three months.
U.S. District Judge Edgardo Ramos sentenced Richardson to three months in prison; Mordock had asked for leniency, seeking a probation-only sentence similar to what former Auburn coach Chuck Person and former USC coach Tony Bland received.
βMr. Richardsonβs entire life, in part by his own misguided volition, is largely ruined and will never be the same,β Mordock wrote in a pre-sentencing motion.
βAs a result of this case, he will never work again in college basketball and will be saddled with a felony conviction thereby vastly limiting his professional opportunities in any capacity. Certainly this punishment alone would arguably be sufficient.β
Prosecutors said Person took $91,500 in bribes, more than four times what Richardson admitted to, while former USC assistant Tony Bland admitted to taking $4,100.
The other coach sentenced to prison as a result of the federal probe, former Oklahoma State assistant Lamont Evans, admitted to taking $22,000 from aspiring agents.
But the terms of Richardsonβs plea agreement did not allow for an appeal of any sentence of less than two years, and he reported to Otisville just over a month after his June sentencing. At Otisville, he was assigned to a minimum-security camp currently housing about 118 white-collar convicts including Donald Trumpβs former attorney, Michael Cohen.
Just before reporting, Richardson tweeted thanks to supporters.
βThank you EVERYONE for your support!β he tweeted. βAs I still donβt believe whatβs happening Iβm going to accept this situation and move on.β
Richardson came to Arizona from Xavier alongside head coach Sean Miller in 2009. Richardson remained on the Wildcatsβ coaching staff until he was suspended upon his arrest in September 2017. The UA fired him in January 2018.
Rim shots
• Prolific Prep’s Frank Anselem, a four-star center in the class of 2021 who could reclassify to 2020, tweeted that Arizona offered him a scholarship. He tweeted that ASU offered him a scholarship last week, and Zagsblog.com said USC has also been pursuing him.
β’ Arizona announced that freshman forward Zeke Nnaji is now wearing the gold jersey in practice for acquiring the most overall production points. Sophomore Devonaire Doutrive wore it for the Wildcatsβ first two weeks of full practices.
β’ Arizonaβs Nico Mannion was left off the Naismithβs Bob Cousy Award watch list of top point guards. The Pac-12, however, had three representatives: Payton Pritchard of Oregon, McKinley Wright of Colorado and Remy Martin of ASU.
