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Prankster Allegedly Offers Big-Name Coaches Phony Jobs With Pro, College Teams

HOLLYWOOD (CBSLA.com) — A Hollywood man accused of hoaxing well-known and respected athletic coaches with phone calls into believing that they were being offered jobs with professional and college teams was arrested early Monday at his home.

Kenneth Edward Tarr, 32, was charged with eavesdropping and is in custody on $20,000 bail, according to LAPD officer Sally Madera.

"Such eavesdropping is a felony and the investigation is ongoing. We want to see if there are additional victims," Madera said.

NBC News' website provided additional details, reporting that Tarr "pranked big-name coaches from the NBA, NFL and college football into believing he was offering them jobs with pro or college teams."

Among the victims to receive calls were former USC offensive coordinator and current University of Hawaii head coach Norm Chow, Minnesota Vikings head coach Leslie Frazier and San Diego Chargers offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt.

Tarr allegedly also contacted former Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy to offer him the previously vacant head coaching job at USC.

Tarr is alleged to have boasted of having successfully "hoaxed" dozens of sports personalities with his phone calls and was apparently surprised when his calls were returned.

Tarr reportedly told Los Angeles sports reporter Fred Roggin that he considered himself to be on the "new frontier of broadcast journalism and sports media" and had supplied a video recording of a phone conversation he had with NBA coach Mark Jackson.

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