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Clippers update: Ryan Gomes interviewed by federal agents in Connecticut probe

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Clippers forward Ryan Gomes told The Times that he was interviewed last month by federal agents in connection with an ongoing probe of Connecticut State’s Attorney John Connelly.

The Hartford Courant reported that a federal grand jury in New Haven is looking into the relationship between Connelly and defense attorney Martin Minnella, who represented Gomes’ cousin, Keith Gomes, after his arrest.

Keith Gomes agreed to a three-year prison term for first-degree assault in a 2007 plea deal but then received what the Courant called a ‘rare sentence modification,’ which cut six months off his sentence. At issue is whether Ryan Gomes reached out to Connelly in an effort to have his cousin’s prison sentence reduced, the Courant reported.

Gomes, following the Clippers’ 113-90 victory over Minnesota on Monday night, confirmed to The Times that he made a phone call to Connelly on behalf of his cousin. He said he ‘never’ offered Connelly anything for consideration.

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‘That’s all I did was make a call, to him, ‘can you look out for this?’’ Gomes said. ‘And that was it.’

Gomes said that his mother is scheduled to appear before the grand jury on Tuesday. He said he did not think he would be called to testify.

Gomes, a native of Waterbury, Conn., said that Keith Gomes is his first cousin. They were close as children but grew apart in later years, he said.

He said he also knew Connelly long before his cousin landed in legal trouble.

‘I met him when I was a sophomore in college,’ Gomes said. ‘At the end of the day, like I told you, it was his judgment to change anything.

‘My story will be the same today. It will be the same next week and the same five years from now because I didn’t do anything wrong. If I offered something, I would tell you guys. But I never did.’

-- Lisa Dillman

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