Less than one year ago, former college basketball player Todd Leary was a well-known broadcaster on Indiana University radio broadcasts and was considered a pillar of the community in Indiana. Two months ago he became a felon, having pleaded guilty to misappropriation of escrow funds in a title fraud case. Yesterday he became a punchline after being arrested on burglary and theft charges for allegedly stealing appliances out of foreclosed homes.
Leary was charged in February with 15 counts of conversion or misappropriation of title insurance funds, and one count each of corrupt business influence and theft. Leary had allegedly misappropriated funds at a title company where he was employed, and then blackmailed a former employer-- a title agent who he knew was also engaged in fraud-- in order to extort funds to cover his own fraud. Prosecutors documented over one million dollars in illicit payments received by Leary. [See Ex-Basketball Star Arrested for Allegedly Pocketing Escrow Funds for the initial story of Leary's arrest in the title fraud case,. and Alleged Evidence Against Basketball Star Damning in Indiana Escrow Theft Case for details of Leary's crimes]
Leary negotiated a plea agreement with prosecutors in July-- about a week before he was scheduled to stand trial-- and pleaded guilty to one count of misappropriation. Under the terms of the plea agreement negotiated by Leary, he was to get a three year sentence, reduced to one and a half years if Leary made restitution payments of $294,000 or more.
Since Leary's guilty plea, he has bee free on bond awaiting sentencing.
Until this past Wednesday, that is. As of late yesterday, Leary was sitting in a Hamilton County, Indiana jail cell, under arrest on theft and burglary charges, and prosecutors were asking a judge to revoke Leary's bond on the title fraud conviction. According to police, while out on bond before his guilty plea, Leary was engaged in a criminal conspiracy to supply a character named "Big Al" with stolen merchandise to resell.
You can't make this stuff up, folks.
Law enforcement's version of Leary's new burglary and theft case is as follows: in April of this year, a woman in an Indianapolis suburb called police to report a stolen television and refrigerator. While investigating that case, a neighbor came forward and reported that he had seen two men moving items out of the house. Suspicious, he approached the men. The men had told him that they were hired by a bank to take the items.
Police later witnessed the same men, alleged to be Greg Campbell, 50, and Eric Campbell, 44, take items from another home in the same area. During that incident, they witnessed Todd Leary directing the men to the house where they removed the items.
When approached by police, Leary denied any involvement in wrongdoing. Leary claimed that he had been hired by a local attorney to check on the condition of foreclosed homes. He claimed that he had met the Campbell brothers at the house so that they could provide an estimate on a flooring job.
This version of events was contradicted by statements made to the police by the Campbell brothers, however. They claim that they were introduced to Leary by a man known to them as "Big Al," who owned a business selling used appliances. According to them, Leary was paid by Big Al for "leads" on houses from which items could be stolen. The Campbells were paid by Big Al to take the items, with Leary letting them into homes with his keys.
In May, police obtained a warrant and searched Leary's home. They found manuals and other items that were allegedly stored in an appliance stolen by Leary and his accomplices.
If convicted of the new charges, Leary faces up to an additional six years in prison.
No word yet whether Leary's victims in his title fraud case are willing to accept refrigerators as restitution.