DEERFIELD BEACH, Fla. -- Nine youth football coaches or associates in South Florida are facing felony charges in connection with a system of rampant, elaborate and high-dollar gambling on little league football.
The charges are the result of an almost 18-month investigation by the Broward Sheriff's Office into gambling on youth football, an investigation called "Operation Dirty Play" prompted by "Outside the Lines" reporting that exposed flagrant betting during games in the South Florida Youth Football League.
Those arrested on felony bookmaking charges were: Brandon Bivins, Darren Brown, Vincent Gray, Brandon Lewis, Brad Parker, La Taurus Fort, Willie Tindal, Darron Bostic and Dave Small.
Six of the nine facing charges -- men who coached boys ages 5 to 15 -- are ex-convicts with a history of felony drug, assault and theft charges. If found guilty of felony bookmaking -- essentially organized gambling -- each could face up to five years in prison.





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Though the games featured little boys, the gamblers made big bets, said Det. Solomon Barnes, whose confidential informant, along with undercover deputies, placed bets on youth football during the police investigation. Barnes said $20,000 was bet in a rivalry game between the Northwest Broward Raiders and the Fort Lauderdale Hurricanes a few weeks ago. And up to $100,000 would be bet on the youth leagues' championship games of the season, he said.
"They take all innocence away from the game when they involve themselves in these criminal acts," the detective said. "And it's just mind-blowing what we discovered in this investigation."
The initial "Outside the Lines" story in May 2011 showed people exchanging money in the stands and along the sidelines in plain view of fans, children and even law enforcement. One coach swapped cash with other men at a playoff game. When "Outside the Lines" returned in December 2011 -- after league officials said they would work to deter gambling -- the flagrant betting seemed to be gone. But as detectives would later learn, the publicity only pushed the illegal wagering further underground.
Not only was the gambling in full force, Barnes said, but the coaches were the ones promoting and organizing the bets and setting point spreads on the games. The gambling involved multiple youth football leagues.
The detective said he and others witnessed two coaches taking bets on the sidelines of a game involving their own teams, another having collected a wad of cash that he waved in front of the players indicating how much was riding on them. Dozens of men crowded into a backroom gambling parlor where a special window serves those wanting to bet on youth games.

Barnes said it's likely that the gambling was such a force in youth football that it actually led to the creation of a new league. After the ESPN "Outside the Lines" report, South Florida Youth Football League president Mike Spivey vowed to stem the gambling, even going so far as to have coaches watch the ESPN report before they could get recertified. He also hired more off-duty officers to police the games.
Barnes said that the crackdown appears to have prompted some team leaders, including Bivins, to leave before the current season and form a new league called the Florida Youth Football League. The FYFL gained quite a bit of media attention when it was formed because it receives backing from rap artists Flo Rida and Luther Campbell.
Florida Youth Football League president Martin Maultsby said that he was unaware of the arrests on Monday night and that no one had contacted him.
"What I plan on doing is contacting who's next in line to administer that program," he said. "First and foremost we're dealing with these kids, and that's where my concerns is. I'll be contacting who is next in line."
Barnes said the arrests should not taint all of South Florida youth football.
"Do we have good coaches? Are there good coaching going on in the league? Absolutely. Absolutely. Is everyone involved in gambling on youth sports? Absolutely not," the detective said. "But, the key guys that we've investigated? Yes, they will put whatever resources they have behind the teams that they consider their 'money teams' and they will go all the way to the Super Bowl. And they will ride these kids financially, to gain more capital."
Lt. Frank Ballante addressed about 75 law enforcement officers Monday at the Broward Sheriff's Office Deerfield Beach station before they headed out on the arrests.
"They don't involve themselves in this football because they care about kids or they want to be role models or mentors," he said. "They do it for one reason and one reason only. They do it to line their pockets."
Barnes said investigators believe there are "many more" coaches and others involved in the gambling, and he hopes Monday's arrests send them a message that their crimes won't go unnoticed.
In the meantime, Barnes has a message for the dozens of young players who will show up for practice this week, trying to make sense of what's happened with the coaches in whom they placed their trust.
"Continue playing a game that you love, trust your teammates, all the disciplinary things that are taught in football, but don't go on the other side of the law," he said. "Stay on the course. Follow your heart, follow your mind. Kids know right from wrong, and this is a great example of what wrong will get you."