Syracuse assistant coach Bernie Fine, accused by two middle-aged men of sexual abuse they say started in the s and '80s when they were ball boys, is facing allegations from a third, much-younger man who says Fine molested him in when he was Tomaselli, a resident of of Lewiston, Maine, who grew up 78 miles north of Syracuse, told the newspaper he was interviewed by Syracuse police for more than four hours in Albany, N.
Tomaselli is facing sexual-assault charges in Maine involving a year-old boy, the report said. His estranged father, Fred Tomaselli, told the paper his son is a liar and that the allegations aren't true, saying he has never met Fine nor had he allowed Zach to travel to Pittsburgh with the Syracuse team in Tomaselli's father also denied his son had attended a party at Fine's house in , The Post-Standard reported.
Tomaselli told the newspaper he didn't have physical evidence to support the accusations and that no one had been witness to the alleged abuse. In a statement released Sunday, Fine's attorneys, Donald Martin and Karl Sleight, said he would not comment "beyond his initial statement. Fine remains hopeful of a credible and expeditious review of the relevant issues by law enforcement authorities. Police who performed the search had on Friday declined to comment on the purpose of their search.
In the affidavit, Tomaselli describes the inside of Fine's house, details gleaned during a party after another Orange game, according to the newspaper, which cited a friend of Tomaselli who said she was present during the police's interview with him at a hotel room. Rose Ryan also said she provided police with a signed statement saying Tomaselli had told her two years ago Fine molested him in Tomaselli, who was arrested in April on an indictment warrant, faces charges of gross sexual assault, tampering with a victim, two counts of unlawful sexual contact, five counts of visual sexual aggression against a child and unlawful sexual touching, the newspaper reported.
He has pleaded not guilty. The charges stem from Tomaselli's tenure as a camp counselor, during which he is accused of having sexual contact with a year-old. On Friday, the year-old Fine watched as authorities conducted the search, which started at about p. ET and lasted until 9 p. The Post-Standard reported that three filing cabinets were taken away and officers from the U.
