Former Trojan Malani Gets Two Years for Theft

HONOLULU — Former USC baseball player Shon Malani was sentenced Wednesday to two years in federal prison for stealing nearly $500,000 from the federal credit union where he worked.

U.S. District Judge Helen Gillmor rejected a request for leniency made by Malani’s attorney, who said he stole the money to pay off gambling debts totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Malani played at USC as a freshman in 1992 and batted .314 with a 15-game hitting streak. He was projected for a pro career until a rotator cuff injury in his right shoulder in his sophomore year led to several surgeries and and his eventual decision to leave USC in 1995.