Philly Man Pulls NY-Only Crime

Sarah and I always wonder how the video store near her apartment stays in business. The Hollywood Video down the street closed a long time ago, the West Coast Video location on 15th was last seen hosting a Scientology anti-psychiatry exhibit, nobody under 40 rents videos, et cetera.

Not everyone just downloads movies or catches them on TV, I know, but video stores are on the long road to extinction. Some owners might get desperate, like the FBI says one Philadelphia man allegedly did. Philly’s own Farid Gilani owned the recently-closed Flik’s Video in New York, and he’s in a bit of a pickle:

Mr. Gilani, 54, lives in Philadelphia. He has been charged with trademark counterfeiting in the second degree (manufacturing, distributing or selling goods with a retail value of more than $1,000 that bear a trademark the defendant knows to be counterfeit) and failure to disclose the origin of a recording in the first degree (involving at least 100 unauthorized audiovisual recordings). Both are felonies. [...]

Mr. Flicker, 38, who lives on the Upper West Side, said he had not filed any formal complaints, though he had followed the breakup of Flik’s. “I bumped into a guy who worked at the store,” Mr. Flicker said. “He told me he kind of thought they were using duplicate DVDs. He told me in the middle of the night he sold all his inventory to another video store in the city. Isn’t that amazing? Only in New York.”

Bootleg DVDs? Shady late-night business deals? Yes, yes: Only in New York! Whew.

A Shuttered Video Store, With Troubles Still Brewing [City Room]
Image by John Manoogian III, Creative Commons license

Ref’s Help Unnecessary Against 76ers

In the ongoing saga of the Most Interesting Sports Scandal Going On Right Now™, the NBA held a press conference to address the Tim Donaghy scandal. NBA commish David Stern said Donaghy, who went to Villanova and Cardinal O’Hara (of course), is the only referee the league believes bet on games, but that won’t stop every single basketball ref at every level from being accused of being the new Tim Donaghy for the next 10 years or so.

(It will never get old. The rollouts for next year’s St. Joe’s-Nova game are going to be awesome.)

Meanwhile, in a recent STEPHEN A. SMITH column in the Inquirer, the master of the written word quoted an NBA source on Donaghy: “He’s disliked by a whole lot of people. He’s viewed as a loner by other referees, separate from the pack. Still, absolutely no one assumed he would be involved with something like this. The entire NBA community has to be shocked.” A loner! Did Tim Donaghy murder someone or something?

Also, a January 76ers-Raptors game reffed by Donaghy could be one of the games the FBI is looking at. Heavy betting on the Raptors shifted the 76ers from a one-point favorite to a one-point ‘dog. Donaghy’s help was apparently not needed, as the Raptors won by 18. Samuel Dalembert probably did more to help the bookies than Donaghy ever could.

Stern: Bet probe ‘worst situation that I have ever experienced’ [ESPN.com]
Stephen A. Smith | Gambling probe is worst blow for NBA [Inquirer]
Sixers-Raptors game in January likely to interest investigators [Daily News]

Things Keep Getting Worse For Tim Donaghy

Last week, reports revealed the FBI was investigating whether Villanova grad and NBA official Tim Donaghy made calls to influence games in order to ease gambling debts. The mob might also be involved.

Uhh, yeah. My reaction was, plainly, “Guh, wha?” Yeah, Tim Donaghy made some questionable calls. He made some bad calls. But every referee makes bad calls. That’s because every single basketball referee on the planet is a terrible ref. Especially that one in my intramural league senior year of college, the one where I fouled out in pretty much every game. And that one in that three-on-three tournament my freshman year. And that ref who managed to trample me while backpedaling when I was like nine.

Okay, you get the point. Well, anyway, now the police have apparently been called to Donaghy’s Florida home after he received threatening phone calls. Most certainly the call came from an irate, moronic Suns fan.

One thing we know, the threatening phone calls weren’t from a St. Joe’s grad. I think they’re happier than ever, pretty much.

Police Called To Home Of NBA Ref Donaghy [NBC 10]
Friday: ‘Nova Grad, NBA Ref Investigated For, Uh, Pointshaving?

‘Nova Grad, NBA Ref Investigated For, Uh, Pointshaving?

Cardinal O’Hara and Villanova grad Tim Donaghy is being investigated for allegedly helping to fix games for the mob. Wait, what?

Betting scandals in professional sports are kind of a thing of the past, since almost all the players are millionaires nowadays; what are you going to do, give Donovan McNabb his own country? The only player I could think of who could possibly throw a game would be a kicker in the NFL, but the likelihood of a game coming down to a field goal isn’t perfect, etc., etc. (Maybe a goaltender, too, I guess.) Oh, and that kid in Finding Forrester threw the game, too, but that was high school.

Anyway: Yeah, pro athletes make too much money nowadays to throw games. But a referee? Yeah, I guess. I had a friend in college who insisted college refs had to bet on games, it made too much sense. And allegedly Donaghy may have made calls that affected the outcomes of games in order to ease gambling debts.

The Inquirer’s David Aldridge also reported this:

Donaghy sold his West Chester home in 2005 and moved to Bradenton, Fla. The sale occurred after Donaghy was sued for harassment and invasion of privacy by a neighboring couple who claimed that Donaghy had stalked them and vandalized their property.

And the obligatory: Another fine Villanova graduate.

FBI investigating area NBA referee [Inquirer]

Weldon Accuses 95 Percent Of America For FBI Raid

Monday’s FBI raid of Congressman Curt Weldon’s daughter and friend’s houses and offices was met with the usual list of suspects: Democrats, the Liberal Media, etc.

But yesterday Weldon came up with another one: A former FBI agent said someone in opponent Joe Sestak’s campaign knew the raid was going to happen! Because political neophytes usually have inside info with the Bush Justice Department. But that’s not all. KYW 1060 recaps who Weldon has accused so far:

In an interview with the Daily Pennsylvanian this week, Weldon accused former President Bill Clinton, the left wing group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, former CIA official Mary McCarthy and others of involvement in sparking the FBI probe.

Actually missed that one on the DP interview, but, yep, that’s the old Bill Clinton chestnut. Geeze. All he needs to do is all liberal gays and communists and he’ll pretty much have blamed everyone in the whole entire world. For the Bush Justice Department’s investigation of his daughter and his friend.

Let’s just put this really clear: Curt Weldon is a blithering idiot. If you vote for him, so are you.

Weldon Says He Knows Who is Behind FBI Investigation [KYW 1060]
Archives: Curt Weldon

Curt Weldon Drums Up New Conspiracy Theory

Yesterday, the FBI raided the house of Curt Weldon’s daughter — among other places connected to her — as part of an investigation whether Weldon improperly helped steer contracts her way. (Weldon is shown here speaking at the “coronation” of Rev. Sun Myung Moon — which named Moon the God of the Earth or something and which Weldon helped organize — standing next to a photo of himself pinning a medal on Moammar Al Qadhafi. Right.)

The deal involves contracts Weldon’s daughter and Delaware County GOP bigwig Charles Sexton’s company — Solutions Worldwide — received from Itera, a Russian natural gas company. The main deal was a $500k contract Itera awarded the company while Weldon was lobbying Congress on behalf of the company. Dun dun dun.

Of course, Weldon thinks the raid is politically motivated, since the Bush justice department usually raids Republicans right before the election. Weldon said:

“The person who filed the one complaint against me with the Justice Department, Melanie Sloan, was a key staffer for John Conyers, who stands to become the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee assuming the Democrats win control of the Congress. I think it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that this district could swing control of the Congress.”

Right. Except the complain was filed over two years ago. She really couldn’t have known the Justice Department would investigate Weldon two years-plus later, right. Unless Melanie Sloan is some sort of prophet. Perhaps Weldon could worship her along with Rev. Moon.

Weldon inquiry boils as FBI seizes material [Inquirer]
Weldon Calls Investigation ‘Suspicious’ [KYW 1060]
Yesterday: Curt Weldon Never Gave His Daughter Anything
Archives: Curt Weldon

Curt Weldon Never Gave His Daughter Anything

Noted goofy congressman Curt “Gogolyguk” Weldon had had his daughter’s home raided by the FBI this morning, as well as the home of a family friend and four other sites in Philly and Jacksonville.

The congressman is being investigated for possibly improperly helping his daughter’s consulting firm win lobbying contracts. (Uh, this is illegal?) Weldon named his outers to — who else? — black people don’t care about Darfur columnist Steven Morse of the Daily Pennsylvanian. He says that it’s Melanie Sloan, executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, as well as former NSA head Sandy Berger.

Of course, this is the same man who said that Osama Bin Laden had secretly died in Iran, so take this with a grain of salt.

Weldon, for his part, says it’s a politically-motivated attack, and that his daughter is fine on his own:

“I’ve never helped my daughter get anything. My kids are qualified on their own,” Weldon said.

Curt Weldon never helped his daughter get anything? That asshole.

FBI raids home of congressman’s daughter [AP/CNN.com]
Congressman Weldon outs alleged leaker [DP's The Spin]
Archives: Curt Weldon

Quickies: The Shocker

• Photos of women flashing patrons at Kildare’s in West Chester on Mardi Gras found their way into the hands of city officials, who are shocked! Shocked, I tell you, that people would flash for beads on Mardi Gras! Soon, West Chester officials are going to learn about “adult book stores” that actually sell pornographic movies! Gasp! [NBC 10]

• Philadelphia police may have your stolen power tools. So, if you’re missing a jackhammer or something, contact the popo. [KYW 1060]

• Lots of FBI employees don’t have email because the government can’t afford it. No, really. [AP/CNN]

• Does it get any cuter than this itty bitty wittle pomeranian? [Cute Overload]

• Okay, this is close, maybe: Eva Longoria playing with a little doggy. [What Would Tyler Durden Do?]