VANOVER SENTENCED TO FOUR MONTHS' CONFINEMENT

Former Chiefs kick returner Tamarick Vanover was sentenced to four
months' confinement Thursday for his conviction on a federal
car-theft charge.

U.S. District Judge Gary Fenner ordered Vanover to serve the first
two months in a federal facility with the remaining time in home
detention.

The sentencing was another step in an ongoing federal investigation
of drug dealing and car theft that has touched states on both coasts.
The drug ring smuggled more than 200 pounds of cocaine to Kansas City
each month, and the car-theft ring sold stolen luxury cars around the
country.

Last February, Vanover pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting the sale
of a stolen sport-utility vehicle that had crossed state lines.

Chris Whitley, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office, said
Thursday's sentence reflected the help Vanover has given to federal
authorities investigating related stolen car and drug cases.

"The sentence was commensurate with his level of cooperation," Whitley said.

At the hearing, Assistant U.S. Attorney Mike Oliver said information
gleaned from interviews with Vanover has led to the convictions of at
least six other persons, including former Chiefs running back Bam
Morris.

Addressing the judge, Vanover apologized and asked for mercy.

"I'm truly ashamed of my conduct and sorry for my actions," Vanover said.

His wife, Deidra, told Fenner she was shocked at her husband's crime
because it was out of character. She said that since his guilty plea,
he has redoubled his devotion to her, his church and their two young
sons.

"Please have mercy on my husband," she said. "I know what he did was
wrong, and I know he'll never do it again....I need him in my life."

Vanover also was ordered to pay a $10,000 fine and make $6,241 in
restitution to an insurance company for its losses related to the
vehicle theft.

Vanover first came to the attention of federal authorities in the
spring of 1999 as they investigated the Kansas City end of a cocaine
trafficking ring based in Fresno, Calif. On Jan. 25, prosecutors
charged Vanover's friend and personal assistant, Gregory E. Burns,
with cocaine trafficking. The same day, Vanover agreed to cooperate
with investigators and began four days of interviews with federal
agents.

Investigative records reviewed by The Kansas City Star show Vanover
immediately disclosed his involvement in two drug deals. In one case,
he acknowledged giving Burns $8,000 to buy cocaine in Miami during
the middle of the 1998 football season.

Burns later pleaded guilty to unrelated drug trafficking charges.

Vanover also told agents that he gave teammate Morris $40,000 to buy
marijuana in Texas in April 1999. Morris also later pleaded guilty to
drug trafficking charges.

With Vanover emerging as an important witness, his defense lawyer,
Michael Yonke, negotiated a deal with prosecutors that other defense
lawyers have envied.

Despite financing drug deals, Vanover was allowed to plead guilty to
helping sell a stolen sport utility vehicle to a friend in Florida.
While still a felony, the charge carried a lower penalty than a drug
conviction.

Yonke on Thursday defended the agreement and said the judge had been
fair to Vanover in light of his cooperation.

"(Vanover) understands his actions were wrong," Yonke said. "While he
was hoping for a lighter sentence, he understands the judge has been
fair with him. He's willing to serve his time and put this behind
him."

Morris could face 10 or more years in prison, though he, too, is
meeting with federal agents, recent court records show.

Vanover's case is a small part of a much larger and still active
federal probe that has touched California, Texas, Arizona, Kansas,
Missouri, North Carolina and Washington D.C. The investigation has
resulted in 20 convictions in Kansas City alone.

Last week, a federal jury in Fresno, Calif., convicted the leader of
the cocaine ring, Victor Lamont Brown, who faces from 30 years to
life in prison.