Time to play that exciting game, "Name That Party!"
A multimillion-dollar sports betting Web site run by U.S. Rep. John Tierney's brothers-in-law "was truly a family affair" and paid $500,000 for a helicopter on top of at least $20,000 in personal purchases by the Salem Democrat's convicted wife, according to newly filed court papers.
The high-flying expenditure was part of a $10 million gambling profits money-laundering scheme outlined in the brief filed by federal prosecutors ahead of the trial of Patrice Tierney's brother, Daniel Eremian, next month. Meanwhile, at least $22 million in receipts were collected by the operation, the feds said.
Robert Eremian, 58, Patrice Tierney's fugitive brother, is accused of crafting Sports Off Shore in his Lynnfield home in the 1980s, relocating the business to Antigua in the 1990s. With the help of brother Daniel Eremian, 61, the illegal gaming site grew to "daunting" proportions, servicing hundreds of high rollers, funding $500,000 toward the purchase of an eight-passenger helicopter and resulting in the laundering of $10 million between 2003 and 2009 that was funneled through a bank account managed by sister Patrice Tierney, prosecutors claim.
Their late father and Patrice Tierney's son from a prior marriage also worked for SOS, prosecutors said, calling it, "truly a family affair."
Prosecutors revealed earlier this year that Patrice Tierney spent between $20,000 and $30,000 of Robert Eremian's money on a Volkswagen Beetle and a family cell phone plan. On probation after pleading guilty last year to aiding and abetting the filing of false tax returns, Tierney is one of 60 witnesses the government may call in her brother's racketeering, illegal gambling and conspiracy trial.
Free on a $250,000 bond, Daniel Eremian declined comment yesterday when reached at home in Florida. He will be tried alongside Todd Lyons, 38, of Beverly, who prosecutors say collected more than $22 million in debts for the brothers between 1998 and 2006. Charged with racketeering, illegal gambling and money laundering, he did not respond to a request for comment yesterday.
Translation: If congress does not give the President the money he's asking for, I cannot be held responsible for my police and fireman's unions and the safety of law abiding citizens.
A new book about Barack Obama, whose Pulitzer-prize winning author received extensive co-operation from the White House, portrays the American president as indecisive, out of his depth and facing insubordination from advisers
New mayor reaches out in a way that Daley did not Including...
While lobbying this spring for lawmakers to support a change in pensions for city workers, Emanuel called Democratic state Rep. Greg Harris, a longtime acquaintance who represents Emanuel's North Side neighborhood. Harris opposed the legislation, which never got traction in Springfield.
Emanuel pressed Harris to change his mind, and, according to several lawmakers who heard the story, began swearing at him and threatening to burn down his house if he didn't.
Harris didn't dispute the story but declined to provide details of the conversation. "It was a really heated exchange, but that's fine, that's politics," Harris said. "People are passionate about their positions, and sometimes things get intense. ... I also have a temper, and I know bad words too." Not a big deal, ya unnerstan. Just da way things get done around here, ya unnerstan... "It's just business, Michael..."
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
