Dec 15, 2005 12:08 pm US/Central
Officials: Local Charges Due In Vikings Scandal
Minneapolis (WCCO) ―
The Hennepin County Sheriff's Office announced charges will be brought today against players connected to the Minnesota Vikings sex boat scandal.
The charges will be announced at 1:30 p.m., authorities said. They did not specify which players would be charged, nor did they indicate the nature or severity of the charges.
On Wednesday, the FBI said no federal criminal charges would be filed in the scandal, but sources told WCCO-TV they believed some misdemeanor charges would still be filed in Hennepin County today.
Sources said possible charges against some of the players could be a form of disorderly conduct, which makes it illegal to engage in offensive or obscene conduct. The penalty for that charge is up to 90 days in jail and/or a $1,000 fine.
Sources said jail time is considered highly unlikely in this case.
On Wednesday, the FBI said no federal criminal charges would be filed in the scandal. Federal agents were trying to determine if anyone violated federal laws by flying in strippers from other states.
Once the investigation was concluded, agents said no federal laws were violated.
"It was clear to me that the Hennepin County Sheriff did a completely thorough and outstanding investigation," said Michael Tabman, FBI Special Agent in Charge.
The investigation stemmed from an Oct. 6 boat party on Lake Minnetonka. The boats, from Al and Alma's charter cruises, were allegedly chartered by Vikings' players.
"Nothing would be gained by the FBI conducting the investigation," Tabman said. "There's nothing more we would uncover and there's apparently no violations of federal law that would warrant an investigation."
Today's announcement from the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office shows that some Vikings players are not yet in the clear, however.
Attorney Peter Wold represents one of the Vikings' players. He said if there were misdemeanor charges, "they (the players) would be vigorously defended. I really think this is a shakedown."
The charges could represent a major embarrassment for the team, and the timing could be even worse. A number of national reporters and television crews are scheduled to arrive at Winter Park on Thursday, with plans to do stories on the team's on-field turnaround.
The Vikings would rather not have that attention diverted to their off-field behavior that occurred more than two months ago.
(© MMV, CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
