Olympian Riddick Convicted In $5 Million Bank Fraud

Thursday, May 10th 2007, 6:16 pm

By: News On 6

NEW YORK (AP) _ Olympian Steve Riddick was convicted Thursday of conspiracy, bank fraud and money laundering in a scheme with others to steal money from banks by cashing counterfeit checks for hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Riddick left the courtroom in a hurry, tersely saying ``absolutely not'' to a request for comment and pointing to his lawyer.

His lawyer, Bryan Hoss, said he and his client were disappointed that the jury in U.S. District Court in Manhattan took less than a day and a half to convict him after hearing evidence for three weeks.

The jury convicted three other defendants of at least one charge in the conspiracy.

Riddick, who won a gold medal in a relay race at the 1976 Montreal Olympics, later became an elite professional coach, training Olympic gold medalist Tim Montgomery and Olympic champion Marion Jones, among others.

Shortly before the trial, Montgomery pleaded guilty in the conspiracy to cash $5 million in counterfeit checks over a three-year period. He faces 37 to 46 months in prison at a Nov. 1 sentencing.

Riddick likely faces at least several years in prison at a sentencing scheduled for Oct. 12.

Montgomery retired in December 2005 after he was banned from track and field for two years by the Court of Arbitration for Sport for doping. He has said he never knowingly took any banned substances.

Montgomery's track achievements after March 31, 2001, including his world record of 9.78 seconds in the 100 meters in 2002, were wiped off the books. He won his gold medal in the 400-meter relay in the 2000 Sydney Olympics.