By Betsy Scheinbart
A New Jersey prosecutor is considering bringing a rape charge against former New York Knick star and Springfield Gardens native Anthony Mason, who was accused of statutory rape in 1998 but cleared after his DNA failed to match samples taken from teenage sisters.
A 29-year-old Brooklyn woman has told Brooklyn cops that on July 10 Mason picked her up in a limo, took her to a Tinton Falls, N.J. hotel room and raped her, said Monmouth County Prosecutor John Kaye.
“I have been in touch with Mason’s attorney and Mason is not going to cooperate,” Kaye said. “I am going to make a decision within a few weeks as to whether to pursue this case.”
Mason, 35, is a 6-foot, 7-inch forward for the Miami Heat, weighing 255 pounds. After playing for the Portland Trail Blazers, New Jersey Nets, Denver Nuggets, New York Knicks and Charlotte Hornets, he had one of his highest-scoring seasons last year with the Heat.
Before his NBA positions, Mason played for Tennessee State and Springfield Gardens High School.
In 1998, when he was 31, Mason was accused of statutory rape by 14-year-old and 15-year-old half sisters from Jamaica. The pair alleged they met Mason at a charity basketball game at York College and that they each had sex with him.
DNA tests from the basketball player, however, did not match samples taken from the teens in an examination shortly after the alleged incident.
Instead, samples from the teens matched the DNA of Mason’s cousin, William Duggins. Duggins pleaded guilty to rape and child endangerment and was sentenced to five years probation and 800 hours of community service.
Mason pleaded guilty to endangering the welfare of a child and served 200 hours of community service.
Mason’s first brush with the law was in 1989, when he faced felony gun charges and received five years’ probation and 200 hours of community service for the offense.
In 1996 he was accused of fighting with New York City cops in Times Square in a dispute over a parking ticket, and was also sued by a Manhattan restaurant patron for allegedly attacking him.
And in 2000, Mason was arrested with four of his buddies from Laurelton, accused of being in an early-morning brawl outside a Harlem bar at 553 Manhattan Ave.
According to his profile on the NBA website, Mason sees a career in criminal justice when his basketball career ends.
Reach reporter Betsy Scheinbart by e-mail at Timesledger@aol.com or call 229-0300 Ext. 138.
