MONTGOMERY, Alabama – A federal grand jury has indicted a former Auburn University basketball player on charges that he conspired with gamblers to throw basketball games during the 2011-’12 season.

The indictment, handed down by a federal grand jury in Montgomery last week and unsealed today, charges Varez Ward with two bribery-related counts. It alleges that the former guard conspired with others to "commerce to influence, in any way, by bribery a sporting contest, with knowledge that the purpose of such scheme was to influence by bribery that contest" in January of last year.

The indictment offers few details of the allegations and does not name any of the alleged co-conspirators.

Read the indictment here

But the FBI acknowledged last year that it was looking into point-shaving allegations involving the team. The story became public just hours before the team played its first-round Southeastern Conference tournament game against the University of Mississippi.

The university suspended Ward on Feb. 25 last year as the FBI looked into whether he received money for trying to influence the outcome of games so that gamblers could win by betting against the Tigers.

A source close to Ward last year said the player denied the accusations. He could not immediately be reached for comment this morning.

Ward barely played in the Jan. 25 game cited in the indictment. Ward suffered what was described as a thigh bruise just moments into the 56-53 loss at Arkansas and never returned. Auburn played well and nearly snapped what was then a 15-game winning streak for the Razorbacks at Bud Walton Arena. Arkansas was favored by 9 points and failed to cover the point spread.

The FBI said last year that it was investigating Ward’s performance in another game, a 68-50 loss to the University of Alabama on Feb. 7. Coming off a career-high 24 points against Mississippi State – in which the team scored a season-high 88 points – Ward scored 3 points against the Crimson Tide and committed six turnovers.

The Tigers committed an unusual three technical fouls in that game.

The indictment, though, does not cite that date.

Ward is a native of Montgomery who signed with Texas out of high school. After a season-ending injury in 2010, he transferred to Auburn. Last season he averaged 8.9 points and 3.8 assists per game prior to his suspension.

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