Rose Bet About $1 Million, Bookmaker Says

An Ohio bookmaker, Ronald Peters, told prosecutors he took as much as $1 million in bets from Pete Rose, according to a federal transcript made public Monday.

It was also learned that a letter from baseball Commissioner Bart Giamatti states that the commissioner believes the bookmaker’s testimony was truthful.

Nothing in the 13-page transcript indicates Rose bet on baseball games. However, Alan J. Statman, Peters’ lawyer, has said his client had information linking the manager of the Cincinnati Reds to baseball betting.

During a pre-sentencing conference at Cincinnati last Friday in the Peters case, Robert C. Brichler, assistant U.S. attorney, said: “Mr. Peters has indicated to us that he took bets over a period of two years that could very well amount to in excess of a million dollars.”

Giamatti’s letter April 18 to Judge Carl B. Rubin, released by the commissioner’s office, said Peters “provided critical sworn testimony about Mr. Rose and his associates.”

“Mr. Peters has provided probative documentary evidence to support his testimony and the testimony of others,” Giamatti wrote.

Rubin will sentence Peters on felonies of cocaine trafficking and tax evasion. Peters could receive up to 23 years in prison and be fined $1.25 million.

Rubin, according to the transcript, was surprised and disturbed by Giamatti’s unsolicited letter.

“There is evidence here, in my opinion, of a vendetta against Pete Rose,” the judge said. “Again, I don’t care, but it seems to me that whatever cooperation Mr. Peters gave them on their investigation is totally and thoroughly irrelevant to any charges against Peters, and the idea of confusing the two of them I find very offensive.”