[Grizli]

Tevez Brother Jailed For Bungled Armed Raid

2:00pm Monday September 13, 2010

Carlos Tevez's brother has been jailed for a bungled armed robbery after trying to put the blame on the Manchester City football star.



Tevez's half-brother Juan Alberto Martinez (C) in court (Pic: Momento24)

Juan Alberto Martinez, 31, and Tevez's brother-in-law Carlos Avalos Veron, 30,dressed up in police uniforms to hold up a bank security van in Cordoba, Argentina. After the pair were arrested, Tevez' half-brother Martinez told police one of the mobile phones linked to the attempted raid belonged to the footballer, according to The Sun.

Tevez had been in his native Argentina after winning the Premier League and Champions League double with Manchester United, the summer before his move to rivals City. Martinez used Tevez's nickname "Pitbull" during phone calls recorded by police, rather than his own alias "Baldie", the newspaper said.



Argentinian striker Carlos Tevez in action for Manchester City

He reportedly told officers he had been at the striker's home in Cordoba at the time of the botched robbery. But the paper said police discovered the house was uninhabitable at the time and Tevez had been at a concert. Prosecutor Laura Battistelli is quoted by Momento24 as saying: "The rented house had no water, no light, no furniture, and it was clear that Carlos Tevez was not going to live there in those conditions." Martinez has always denied his part in the raid. Veron, married to Tevez's half-sister Patricia, admitted his role, while a third man was cleared. Martinez and Veron were both sentenced to 16 years behind bars.