Mickleson Says He Did Nothing Wrong: Cooperating in Probe Involving Billy Walters
Hall of Fame Golf pro Phil Mickelson confirmed to the Associated Press that FBI agents approached him at the Memorial Tournament in regard to an insider trading probe. Mickelson insisted Saturday he did “absolutely nothing wrong”.
The FBI and Security Exchange Commission are conducting an investigation into trades of the company Clorox Mickelson made with professional sports bettor and golf course owner Billy Walters, a man once profiled on the CBS news magazine “60 Minutes”.
"It's not going to change the way I carry myself," Mickelson said of the allegations. "Honestly, I've done nothing wrong. I'm not going to walk around any other way."
Atlantic City Tropicana Casino owner and corporate raider Carl Icahn was also questioned as he had attempted to acquire Clorox at the time of the suspicious trades.
Mickelson did not offer any details into his relationship with Walters, though the two were reportedly involved in trades of another company, Dean Foods, in 2012.
Walters is one of the biggest names in the world of sports betting. As seen in the clip below the professional gambler once won $3.5 million betting the 2010 Super Bowl.
Walters was said to have single-handedly put early offshore sportsbooks out of business by providing the wrong sides of wagers to those who worked for him if he suspected these individuals were betting on said plays or otherwise providing them to the bookmakers. Sportsbook operators would not only take lopsided action on the games provided, they would also wager on them at other betting shops.
One of Walters cronies who routinely touted the Las Vegas pro’s plays on his own website, TheRx.com, Kenneth Weitzner, would ultimately end up owing bookies well over a million dollars. He and his wife later committed suicide by lighting up a charcoal grill in a sealed room of their Chesapeake, Virginia mansion in 2010. One of Weitzner’s many lovers would later tell Gambling911.com “he would often talk about the different methods to commit suicide. He was always in debt”.
Walters is also known for his philanthropy, particularly toward Opportunity Village, which trains developmentally disabled adults.
The FBI and SEC would not comment on the ongoing investigation when approached by the AP.
- Jagajeet Chiba, Gambling911.com
