DeWitt, NY

Investigators from various agencies, including officers from the U.S. Secret Service, searched the house of Bernie Fine as part of the investigation of sexual abuse allegations against the Syracuse University associate men's basketball coach.

Dozens of federal agents, officers from Syracuse police and New York State Police converged at about 1:45 p.m. Friday at Fine's $300,000 DeWitt home at the 7001 Tiffany Circle searching for evidence.

The search was conducted after the U.S. Attorney's Office obtained a search warrant Friday afternoon.

The officers spent more than 8 hours searching the house of Fine. They searched both inside and outside the home, as well as the surrounding woods.

Authorities looked through items in plastic bags and also examined two SUV's that were parked in Fine's driveway.

Their work also included taking pictures, looking through trash and removing three filing cabinets.

According to Syracuse.com, a two-foot high metal filing cabinet was wheeled down the driveway by Syracuse police just before 8 p.m.

It was loaded into the back of a Syracuse police-owned pickup truck, before a second filing cabinet, measuring four-feet, was also loaded into the back of the truck about 15 minutes later.

It was followed by another 4-foot cabinet 15 minutes later.

All the drawers of the said cabinets were secured with tape repeatedly marked with the world "Evidence", Syracuse.com reported.

Friday's action suggests that the probe has taken a new direction. Federal prosecutors and the Syracuse police are now working together in the investigation.

There is a dispute between the Syracuse police and the Onondaga County District Attorney's Office regarding the case.

The search warrant came eight days after allegations against Fine became public. Fine, who has been a mainstay at Syracuse, is being accused of sexually abusing two Central New York men, beginning when they were children.

Fine, who will turn 66 next month, is now in his 35th season as assistant coach under Jim Boehiem. He was placed on administrative leave last week by the University, pending the outcome of a police investigation.

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