Longtime sportscaster arrested after scandal-plagued Hall of Fame tenure

Mike Raita made a name for himself for more than 20 years as a sportscaster in Birmingham, Alabama. As the executive director of the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in Talladega, Raita helped himself to some perks under the table. MORE: Hero of unlikely Final Four team dies in tragic car accident Raita sold two cars belonging to the museum to himself and his wife at a discount without permission from the state of Alabama, a violation of the Hall of Fame’s rules.

An investigation revealed Raita’s wife paid $15,000 for a restored 1968 Chevy Camaro convertible pace car, which had undergone $22,917. 72 in repairs from the Hall’s internal budget. Raita’s wife also bought a 1998 Ford F-150 truck from the Hall of fame for $1,000, the investigation revealed .

On April 2 , Raita was arrested after a grand jury found him guilty of using his position on a local board for personal gain. Raita was the lead sports anchor at ABC 33/40 from 1996-2017, and the executive director of the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in Talladega from 2020-24. The International Motorsports Hall of Fame dismissed its entire board, including Raita, in December .

“Mike has not engaged in any conduct that he believed to be unlawful,” Raita’s attorney Tommy Spina told Jonathan Hardison of WBRC in Birmingham . “To the contrary, every action he took was done openly, in good faith, and with the knowledge, authority, and approval of the Hall of Fame’s chairman and board of directors. We have been aware of this investigation for some time and have fully cooperated with the Attorney General’s Office at every stage.