BOCA RATON, FL (BocaNewsNow.com) — Our news gathering partners at BrowardNetOnline.com this morning tipped us to the Broward County arrest of 29 year old Darron Bostic, the coach of the Boca Raton Braves. Bostic, according to police, engaged in “bookmaking” — allegedly fixing games and betting on games involving children in the Pop Warner league.
Bostic, of Deerfield Beach, is being held in the Broward County jail.
While Bostic is listed in the press release below as a coach of a Delray team, Florida Youth Football League president Mike Spivey said he was coach of the Boca Braves.
From the Sun Sentinel:
Another arrestee charged with bookmaking, Darron Bostic, is listed by BSO as a coach of the Deerfield Packer Rattlers. But Spivey says that’s also incorrect, and that Bostic was a coach at the Boca Braves, part of the Pop Warner program in Boca Raton.
According to the Broward County Sheriff’s Office:
The investigation revealed that coaches, team affiliates and the president of the South Florida Youth Football League routinely set point spreads prior to each game. Deputies and officers also conducted search warrants Monday at two businesses that served as gambling houses. Detectives say illegal bets were routinely made at Showtime Sports and Apparel, 3685 N.W. 19th St., Lauderdale Lakes, and Red Carpet Kutz Barbershop, 1835 N.W. 38th Ave., Lauderhill. Gamblers would place bets on mostly professional and collegiate games at those locations, but detectives discovered many bets were placed on youth football games.
Of the nine people involved, all have direct ties to the South Florida Youth Football League and six have extensive criminal histories. They were charged with felony bookmaking, and some were charged with keeping a gambling house. They are:
• Brandon Bivins, 3/19/76, coach/president of the Ft. Lauderdale Hurricanes
• Darron Lashawn Bostic, 1/16/83, coach of the Deerfield Beach Packer-Rattlers
• Darren Jerome Brown, 8/17/71, coach/affiliate of the Ft. Lauderdale Hurricanes
• Brandon Marlon Lewis, 8/4/87, affiliate of the Ft. Lauderdale Hurricanes
• Brad Donte Parker, 7/17/75, affiliate of the Ft. Lauderdale Hurricanes
• La Taurus Tarmayne Fort, 10/12/77, coach of the Northwest Broward Raiders
• Dave Constantine Small, 11/25/70, coach of the Lauderhill Lions
• Willie Tindal, 2/13/76, coach of the Northwest Broward Raiders
• Vincent Gernard Gray, 8/26/70, coach of the Ft. Lauderdale Hurricanes (not in custody)
Anyone with information about youth football gambling in Broward County can report information to BSO’s Organized Crime Unit’s Youth Football Hotline at (954) 888-5259.
