Report: Bernie Fine accuser admits lying

SYRACUSE, N.Y. - The Syracuse Post-Standard is reporting that a Maine man who accused fired Syracuse assistant basketball coach Bernie Fine of molesting him wants police to end their investigation.

In a text message to the newspaper, 23-year-old Zach Tomaselli says he plans to ask police to drop the inquiry because he's "sick of this."

In an interview earlier Friday, Tomaselli told the Post-Standard he altered emails from Syracuse police before forwarding them to the paper in an attempt to bolster his account. But Tomaselli insists he told police the truth about Fine molesting him when he was 13. Two former ballboys also accused Fine of molesting them.

Fine has denied the men's allegations.

Only Tomaselli's case falls within the statute of limitations.

DA: Statute of limitations prevents Fine charges

Tomaselli is expected to be sentenced in February to prison for sexually abusing a teenage boy in Maine.

Earlier this week, a prison inmate who also accused Fine of sexual abuse admitted that he made up his claim.

One Bernie Fine accuser admits to lying

The accuser, Floyd VanHooser, wrote in a letter that he lied to police and in December interviews with The Associated Press and The Post-Standard newspaper of Syracuse. He said he wanted to get back at Fine, because Fine did not hire a lawyer to help VanHooser fight a criminal conviction.