Arizona starting sophomore quarterback Willie Tuitama will be able to play the season without family legal problems weighing on his mind.
His father, Fiaaluae “Louie” Tuitama, was arrested last month on two felony charges of securities frauds. In a plea agreement Monday in San Joaquin County (Calif.) Superior Court, the elder Tuitama admitted guilt to two misdemeanors and was ordered to serve 30 days of community service.
Tuitama, 50, must also “let police search him anytime in the next three years for evidence he’s violating securities laws,” according to the Stockton (Calif.) Record. Louie Tuitama had taken investors’ money, promising quick returns on Alaskan land and other investments.
About a dozen investors will have their money returned. Two men, who combined to give Tuitama about $100,000, were not part of the prosecution’s case and might not get their money back, according to the Record.
The plea agreement was fair, said Tuitama’s attorney, Albert Ellis, adding that his client had no criminal history. “Louie is relieved, as is his family, that it’s been resolved,” Ellis told the Record.
Ex-Arizona star Crowe has a torrid start in Double A
Former UA baseball player Trevor Crowe’s recent promotion might lead to another.
The 2005 first-round pick of the Cleveland Indians has hit .429 in the first six games he’s played since moving up to Double-A Akron, Ohio.
“The kind of energy and passion he plays with is what this team needs to run rampant,” Akron manager Tim Bogar said about Crowe to the Akron Beacon Journal.
John Moredich
CDO ace Fowler named first-team All-American
Tucson continues to be a hotbed for softball prospects.
Canyon del Oro High School pitcher Kenzie Fowler was named to the first team of the Louisville Slugger/NFCA High School All-American team, which was released this week.
Fowler just finished her freshman year at CDO. She was the Tucson Citizen’s 2006 Player of the Year.
Sabino outfielder Karissa Buchanan and infielder Molly Johnson were named to the second team. Buchanan will be a junior next season for the Sabercats. Johnson graduated in May.
Who in the world is making these soccer rankings?
Jeff Gordon of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, on Brazil’s remaining No. 1 in the world soccer rankings despite finishing out of the money in the World Cup:
“Did FIFA borrow the BCS computers?”
The Associated Press
Roethlisberger helps out Pittsburgh musical group
PITTSBURGH – Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger helped the PovertyNeck Hillbillies, a local country band, shoot a music video for its new single “Mr. Right Now.”
Hillbillies lead singer Chris Abbondanza and fiddle player Chris Higbee competed for the charms of a young woman during the video shoot Tuesday.
“I wanted to be involved with the band because of their Pittsburgh roots,” Roethlisberger said in a statement Tuesday. “But, more importantly, because they are hardworking and committed to succeeding on a higher level.”
Roethlisberger repeatedly foils the musicians’ attempts to catch the woman’s attention at a barbecue they’ve thrown, said Brian Hutchinson, vice president of Rust Records, the Hillbillies’ label. “Good show, guys – great party,” he said to the mock-distraught Hillbillies as he walked away with the woman during filming of the video’s final scene.
The Associated Press