FORMER TENNIS COACH
YASER ZAATINI COMMITTED FRAUD
AND ABUSE OF MORE THAN
100-THOUSAND DOLLARS.
GOOD EVENING, I'M SARA DIAMOND.
JOSH SMITH HAS THE NIGHT OFF.
E-T-S-U'S BOARD OF TRUSTEES
LEARNED THE RESULTS OF THE
UNIVERSITY'S AUDIT THIS MORNING.
THE RESULTS COME THREE MONTHS
AFTER ZAATINI ABRUPTLY
RESIGNED, WITH NO
EXPLANATION...AND PROMISED TO
PAY BACK TENS OF THOUSANDS OF
DOLLARS.
PUBLIC RECORDS REVEALED
AT THE TIME, ZAATINI SAID HIS
RESIGNATION WAS - QUOTE: "NO
ADMISSION OF MALFEASANCE."
BUT COMMUNITY WATCHDOG NATE
MORABITO LEARNED THE
UNIVERSITY'S AUDIT DETAILS
REPORTED FRAUD AND ABUSE
DATING BACK TO THE YEAR 20-10.
E-T-S-U GAVE DISTRICT ATTORNEY
TONY CLARK A COPY OF
THE FINDINGS TODAY AND SUGGESTED
FOUR LAWS THAT YASER
ZAATINI MAY HAVE VIOLATED,
INCLUDING THEFT, FORGERY AND
OFFICIAL MISCONDUCT.
CLARK TOLD ME THIS AFTERNOON HE
HASN'T YET REVIEWED THE
REPORT.
WE HAVE...AND THE 37-PAGE
DOCUMENT E-T-S-U GAVE US IS
REVEALING...SUGGESTING ZAATINI
OFTEN FORGED DOCUMENTS IN
CITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND
HERE AT HOME.
WHILE HIS PLAYERS WERE WELL ON
THEIR WAY TO YET
ANOTHER CONFERENCE
TITLE...AUDITORS WERE ZEROING IN
ON WHAT'S DESCRIBED AS A
SOPHISTICATED SCHEME BY THEIR
FORMER COACH TO COMMIT FRAUD AND
ABUSE.
"IT'S AN AUDIT THAT TELLS A
STORY VERY DIFFERENT THAN
THE STORY THAT MANY OF US HAD TO
COME TO KNOW OF COACH
COMMIT FRAUD AND ABUSE.
(NOLAND 22:26:34) "IT'S AN AUDIT
THAT TELLS A STORY VERY
DIFFERENT
THAN THE STORY THAT MANY OF US
HAD TO COME TO KNOW OF COACH
ZAATINI."
PROMPTED BY CONCERNS FROM
STUDENT ATHLETES,
AUDITORS BEGAN AN INVESTIGATION
THAT IDENTIFIED $85,000 ALONE IN
QUESTIONABLE COSTS DATING BACK
TO 2010...INCLUDING
WHAT THEY SAY ARE FORGED
REGISTRATION AND STRINGING
EXPENSES AS WELL AS TRAVEL AND
MEAL EXPENSES.
(GOLDEN 22:16:38) "A LITTLE BIT
OVER TIME KIND OF ADDS UP TO A
LOT."
AUDITORS ALSO SAID THE E-T-S-U
HALL OF FAMER ABUSED THE
UNIVERSITY'S VACATION POLICY AT
A COST OF $20,000.
(NOLAND 22:27:48) "IN ANY
SITUATION THAT'S SAD AND
UFNORTUNATE,
SOMETHING GOOD CAN EMERGE AND I
THINK THE GOOD THING IS WE'RE
GOING TO MAKE THE UNIVERSITY
MORE ACCOUNTABLE
THAN WE WERE IN THE PAST."
ZAATINI HAS MAINTAINED FROM DAY
ONE, HE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING
WRONG.
IN A STATEMENT FROM HIS
ATTORNEY, THE HALL OF FAMER
SAID "HIS DETERMINATION TO FIELD
CHAMPIONSHIP
CALIBER TEAMS MADE THE FINANCIAL
MANAGEMENT OF
SUCH A CHALLENGE EXTREMELY
DIFFICULT.
YASER APPRECIATES THE SUPPORT OF
THE EAST TENNESSEE
STATE COMMUNITY AND AT THE
APPROPRIATE TIME HE WILL FULLY
EXPLAIN THE COACHING AND
BUDGETARY DECISIONS HE
MADE DURING HIS TENURE."
(GOLDEN 22:20:34) "IT DOESN'T
LOOK LIKE IT WENT TO THE PROGRAM
TO
MAKE IT COMPETITIVE, ONE COULD
ARGUE IF ANYTHING IT TOOK
MONEY FROM THE PROGRAM."
THIS ISN'T THE ONLY REVIEW OF
THE SITUATION.
THE AUDIT COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN
CONFIRMED THE
TENNESSEE COMPTROLLER'S OFFICE
IS IN THE MIDST OF AN
INVESTIGATIVE AUDIT TOO.
NATE MORABITO, NEWS CHANNEL 11,
IN YOUR CORNER.
THE UNIVERSITY HAS PROMISED
RANDOM AUDITS OF ALL OF ITS
COACHES FROM NOW ON, AS WELL AS
A MORE DETAILED
CHECKLIST WHEN REVIEWING COACH
EXPENSES AND LIMITING THE
AMOUNT OF CASH GOING FORWARD.
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