PITTSBURGH -- The former girlfriend of boxer Paul Spadafora was arrested in the Pittsburgh portion of a larger, region-wide drug sweep that also included the death of an FBI agent in Indiana Township.

Nadine Russo, of Beechview, was taken into custody during a big drug roundup that took place throughout Allegheny County Wednesday morning, Pittsburgh police Sgt. John Fisher said.

Related: Indictment With Full List Of Suspects' Names

A federal grand jury indictment names Russo as one of dozens of suspects in an alleged cocaine and crack conspiracy that took place between October 2007 and September 2008.

Nadine Russo, Paul Spadafora's Ex, Among Arrests In Drug Sweep

From the indictment: "On or about August 5, 2008, in the Western District of Pennsylvania, the defendant, Nadine Marie Russo, did knowingly, intentionally and unlawfully possess with the intent to distribute a quantity of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of cocaine, a Schedule II controlled substance."

Earlier this year, Russo was charged with arson, insurance fraud, conspiracy and false reports for her alleged role in what Pittsburgh police said was a scam to burn her car for insurance money.

Russo was released on house arrest when Channel 4 Action News reporter Janelle Hall interviewed her Wednesday afternoon. She said she knows some of the people listed on the indictment, but she claimed innocence and said she just ran with the wrong crowd.

"I guess I just got involved with, I don't know, the wrong people. Like I know some of the people on there, but I don't know what they did or anything," Russo said.

"Her role is the same as others, she's involved in the sale of illicit drugs and conspiracy," said Pittsburgh Police Sgt. John Fisher.

Russo said she was sleeping on her couch in the morning when city police came to get her. She didn't know much about the case, saying that she had already given the paperwork to her lawyer and that the arresting officers only told her it had something to do with pills and cocaine.

"We all got indicted. There was like a whole bunch of us down there. Some of us got on house arrest and some of us, I guess went to prison. I mean, some are in holding until our court hearing," Russo said.

Fisher told Hall that those arrested are upper and mid-level dealers, something Russo denies.

"That's not true. I'm not a mid to high level drug dealer," Russo said. "I guess I just got involved with, I don't know, the wrong people. Like I know some of the people on there, but I don't know what they did or anything."

Russo said she is now on house arrest. She is staying at her father's home.

When asked about the drug bus, Russo's father told Hall "I hate drug dealers. I hate drug people. And I don't want to have anything to do with it."

The mother of Spadafora's child, Russo was shot during an argument in Spadafora's car in McKees Rocks in 2003. The former world lightweight champion pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and served time in a state prison.

On Wednesday, Russo told Hall that she and Spadafora recently broke up and that she's with somebody else now.

Russo said her son was with a family friend when she was arrested.

---

Related Links:

• More Allegheny County News
• Add Us To Your iGoogle Or My Yahoo Page
• Download Our Free Desktop Alert For Breaking News

---