Former Colombo crime family capo Michael Franzese and son of reputed underboss John "Sonny" Franzese is sounding the alarm on match fixing as reported by Jeremy Wilson for the Telegraph:
The "Born again Don" Michael Franzese says the authorities must be alert to the threat of gambling and match-fixing going on in sport. * * * "Those who believe gambling is not affecting our sports are wrong," he says. "I spent 17 years on the street dealing in this business. We certainly did target athletes, we certainly did have athletes gambling with us and at times we forced them to compromise the outcome of a game when they couldn't pay a debt. I don't care if it was a chess match – if we could influence it in some way, we would have. I've been on both sides of it and I can tell you it's there. If fans believe that matches are rigged or fixed, nothing will chase people away quicker. They will walk away and leave the sport to die. There would be more outrage than any kind of doping."
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