Oakley charged with fraud at casino in Vegas

LAS VEGAS Former New York Knicks star Charles Oakley is being accused of gambling fraud after a wager at a Las Vegas casino last weekend, casino regulators said Thursday.

Oakley was arrested Sunday at the Cosmopolitan casino-resort on the Las Vegas Strip on suspicion of committing or attempting to commit a fraudulent act in a gaming establishment, the Nevada Gaming Control Board said in a statement. The agency said Oakley is suspected of “adding to or reducing his wager” on a game after the outcome was known.

Oakley was booked and later released from jail. The regulatory agency would not release details of the circumstances surrounding the arrest.

The Cosmopolitan said in a statement that it had “no details with regards to any alleged activity and will not comment on our guests’ experience.”

It was not immediately clear if Oakley has an attorney who could comment on his behalf.

The felony count carries between one and six years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

The 6-foot-8 Oakley was a rugged enforcer playing alongside Patrick Ewing and has kept his tough-guy persona long after retirement, escorted from his seats at Madison Square Garden and arrested after an altercation last year. He was cleared of the misdemeanour assault charges in February.