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Pittsburgh cops refer Syracuse coach sex abuse report to feds
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The man who said a former Syracuse University assistant basketball coach molested him in a Pittsburgh hotel room in 2002 contacted Pittsburgh police for the first time this week, receiving a referral to federal investigators.
Cmdr. Thomas Stangrecki said in a statement that Zach Tomaselli contacted the Pittsburgh police department's sex assault unit Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning to make a formal report saying former assistant coach Bernie Fine sexually assaulted him when he was a teenager at a Pittsburgh hotel while Syracuse was in town to play Pitt.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette does not normally identify people who say they are victims of sexual abuse without their consent, but Mr. Tomaselli has given interviews allowing reporters to use his name.
Cmdr. Stangrecki said Pittsburgh police referred Mr. Tomaselli to the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Northern District of New York, which is leading the investigation.
Mr. Tomaselli made a report to Syracuse police last week.
Cmdr. Stangrecki said earlier this week that Mr. Tomaselli had not filed a report with Pittsburgh police, who learned about the alleged assault through media reports.
Mr. Tomaselli is the third man to accuse Mr. Fine of sexually assaulting him when he was a boy. Syracuse University fired Mr. Fine on Sunday.
First Published November 30, 2011 4:58 pm
