Aide: Pitino gave $3K to pregnant woman
July 30, 2010
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP)—Rick Pitino asked a longtime aide to give $3,000 to awoman now accused of trying to extort millions from the Louisville men’sbasketball coach after she claimed Pitino got her pregnant in a one-night flingat a restaurant, the aide testified.
Tim Sypher told jurors on Thursday that Pitino asked him to take his nowex-wife Karen Cunagin Sypher to get medical aid and counseling in August 2003.Sypher ended her pregnancy with an abortion in Cincinnati and pocketed the bulkof the money given by Pitino, Tim Sypher said. Tim Sypher drove her to theappointment and the trip started a romance, he said.
Pitino
“We hugged,” he said. “I walked out the door and she said, ‘Is thatit?”’
The two would marry less than a year later.
Tim Sypher is due to continue testifying on Friday.
Karen Sypher, 50, has pleaded not guilty to extortion, lying to the FBI andretaliating against a witness. Prosecutors say she demanded money, cars and ahouse from Pitino to keep secret their tryst in August 2003 at Porcini, anItalian restaurant in Louisville. She also has claimed Pitino raped her thatnight but he has not been charged.
Tim Sypher and other witnesses said he and his ex-wife went to Louisvillefunctions with Pitino, including a holiday party at the restaurant where thecoach and the ex-model had sex.
“She was very friendly with everyone,” Tim Sypher said. “No problems.”
By 2007, Tim Sypher said, finances were tight and the marriage was fallingapart. Attorney Dana Kolter of Louisville sent Tim Sypher a letter on behalf ofKaren Sypher asking for a separation. That’s the first time Karen mentioned therape allegation, he said.
“All of the sudden she started using the ‘rape’ word. It just came out ofthe blue,” said Tim Sypher, who speaks with a strong Massachusetts accent.
Over the next two years, Karen Sypher was “wishy washy” about the marriage— at times hugging and kissing her husband, at other times exploding when Pitinocalled for something work related, Tim Sypher said. All the while, the rapeallegation would pop up periodically, Tim Sypher said.
When Pitino received threatening phone calls in February 2009, Tim Syphersaid the coach sent him a text message asking him to bring Karen Sypher to thebasketball practice facility immediately.
“I didn’t know what to think,” Tim Sypher said.
Tim Sypher arranged three meetings between the coach and Karen Sypher overthe next two days. During those, Pitino and Tim Sypher testified, Karen Syphersaid she didn’t know who made the calls and started demanding money and cars.
Jurors earlier heard testimony from Lester Goetzinger of Louisville, whoacknowledged making the calls in exchange for sexual favors from Sypher.
On March 6, Karen Sypher had a letter delivered to Tim Sypher, withinstructions to forward it to Pitino. Tim Sypher said he gave the coach theletter the night before a game against West Virginia.
“I really didn’t know what was in there. I don’t know,” Tim Sypher said.“She’s nuts.”
The letter, shown to jurors, included a list of seven items Karen Sypherdemanded, with the promise that “If all is accepted, I will protect RickPitino’s name for life.”
Pitino said in March 2009, he received a letter from Kolter, accusing Pitinoof rape and forcing Sypher to have an abortion and demanded a monetarysettlement to prevent a lawsuit from being filed. Jurors saw the letterWednesday
Pitino, worried that his wife and kids would find out he had a one-nightstand, acknowledged Thursday that he didn’t immediately tell police aboutdemands for cars, cash and housing in order to keep the tryst secret.
He told jurors he kept quiet for nearly two months, hoping he could“contain” the damaging information.
No one else has testified to witnessing the sexual liaison after hours at anupscale Italian restaurant. The owner said he left for the night after showingPitino and Sypher how to get out through a self-locking door. Pitino’s driversaid he didn’t see or hear anything because he had stepped behind a partial wallto leave the couple some privacy.
When Pitino’s testimony ended, he had spent about six hours on the witnessstand. His attorney, Steve Pence, said Pitino would return to recruiting laterin the day.
“This matter, certainly his portion, is behind him now,” Pence said. “I’mvery proud of coach Pitino in how he handled this.”
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