--Just an update to stay away from ESB as they are mass marketing with football startingto help pay their legal bills and recently they had FCC trouble. They are as bad as it gets
Good day everyone,
If you ve been cheated or know anyone who has been cheated or defrauded by English Sports Betting, now is the time to step up and share any experiences or information. I m a police officer from Virginia who posted awhile back. The reason I am involved is I have a family member that was cheated of several thousands of dollars. He came to me with the problem and had no idea how to file a formal complaint. Believe me when I tell you that the Irish Government is very interested in any information that may be supplied. Please do not contact the irish embassy or consulate as they will refer you to the Office of Enterprise, Trade & Employment then to the Director of Corporate Enforcement.
Since late fall I opened a folder and began an investigation on my own time into their questionable business practices, little by little myself and others were able to gather useful information from not only existing and former clients, but also a former employee.
I cannot stress enough how important it is for you and others to share any information, however insignificant it may be to the Director of Corporate Enforcement within the Irish Government. Here is your opportunity to make a difference. Here is a link to the Complaint form which goes directly to Corporate Enforcement. All contact information is also listed on the site.
I wish I could do more for my cousin and his family however when I saw the hardship it caused them, I immediately thought there would be many others. In my position of authority if I can help a positive cause, frankly it s part of my job description. Good luck to you all!
http://www.odce.ie/contact/default.asp
--------------------------
st an update on these guys, this is recent news, May 2004
Former star athlete George Atiyeh of Allentown, convicted of gambling charges 19 months ago, is facing new federal charges involving bankruptcy fraud.
A federal grand jury accused Atiyeh on Wednesday of embezzling about $280,000 from his real estate business, which was supposed to be under the control of a bankruptcy court.
Atiyeh said Wednesday he didn't know about the charges. ''It sounds absurd and bizarre,'' he said. ''I have no idea what they're even talking about.''
Atiyeh was supposed to report to federal prison in March 2003 to serve a 15-month sentence for the gambling conviction. But a federal judge allowed him to remain free until an appeals court rules on the case. That appeal is still pending.
In the bankruptcy case, the grand jury charged him with embezzlement from a bankruptcy estate and concealment of bankruptcy estate assets. That means he allegedly took money that could have gone to pay creditors and tried to hide his actions.
According to the indictment, he was the president and co-owner of Quality Realty Construction Inc. when it sold a downtown Allentown building in 1996 for $425,000. The new owner agreed to make 60 monthly payments ending in 2001.
In February 1997, Quality Realty filed for bankruptcy protection, meaning a bankruptcy court would have to approve withdrawals from the company's bank accounts.
But from March 1997 to August 2000, Atiyeh allegedly made withdrawals totaling $280,000 that were not authorized by the bankruptcy court. The bankruptcy court had not authorized any withdrawals, except to attorneys.
To conceal funds, according to the indictment, Atiyeh submitted false monthly financial reports to the bankruptcy court. He allegedly created false inflated account balances by writing checks with insufficient funds.
If convicted of bankruptcy fraud, Atiyeh could be given a prison term and a fine.
On Wednesday, Atiyeh said the investigators could have dealt with the issues by asking him questions about the bankruptcy case.
''It seems to me like there's a lot of confusion and once the confusion is resolved we can come to the bottom of this,'' he said. ''It seems to me that an issue like this could have been resolved out of court.
''As far as I know, I'm innocent of all the charges. … Anybody who knows me knows I'm not going to do anything intentionally to harm anybody. That's not the way I was raised.''
Atiyeh, 45, was a star wrestler and football player at Dieruff High School and Louisiana State University. He later played briefly for several professional football teams.
He also is known for renovating old buildings, then selling or leasing them. In addition, he owned Allentown's Acorn Hotel.
This is the second time that the U.S. attorney's office in Philadelphia has pursued charges against him.
In September 2002, he was convicted of 15 criminal counts involving his sports betting business. After a two-week trial, the jury convicted him of running a gambling business in violation of Pennsylvania law, using telephone lines to take bets, conspiracy and money laundering.
Atiyeh advertised his business, International Casino, as an offshore operation in the Caribbean, where gambling is legal. But he also had an office in Pennsylvania, where such sports betting is illegal.
International Casino accepted bets on college and professional sports, taking in more than $1 million in 14 months from 1995 to 1997, according to prosecutors.
A judge dismissed more than half of the convictions, then ordered the 15-month prison term.
A year earlier, his brothers, Dennis and Joseph, were cleared of gambling-related charges in the same courthouse.
Good day everyone,
If you ve been cheated or know anyone who has been cheated or defrauded by English Sports Betting, now is the time to step up and share any experiences or information. I m a police officer from Virginia who posted awhile back. The reason I am involved is I have a family member that was cheated of several thousands of dollars. He came to me with the problem and had no idea how to file a formal complaint. Believe me when I tell you that the Irish Government is very interested in any information that may be supplied. Please do not contact the irish embassy or consulate as they will refer you to the Office of Enterprise, Trade & Employment then to the Director of Corporate Enforcement.
Since late fall I opened a folder and began an investigation on my own time into their questionable business practices, little by little myself and others were able to gather useful information from not only existing and former clients, but also a former employee.
I cannot stress enough how important it is for you and others to share any information, however insignificant it may be to the Director of Corporate Enforcement within the Irish Government. Here is your opportunity to make a difference. Here is a link to the Complaint form which goes directly to Corporate Enforcement. All contact information is also listed on the site.
I wish I could do more for my cousin and his family however when I saw the hardship it caused them, I immediately thought there would be many others. In my position of authority if I can help a positive cause, frankly it s part of my job description. Good luck to you all!
http://www.odce.ie/contact/default.asp
--------------------------
st an update on these guys, this is recent news, May 2004
Former star athlete George Atiyeh of Allentown, convicted of gambling charges 19 months ago, is facing new federal charges involving bankruptcy fraud.
A federal grand jury accused Atiyeh on Wednesday of embezzling about $280,000 from his real estate business, which was supposed to be under the control of a bankruptcy court.
Atiyeh said Wednesday he didn't know about the charges. ''It sounds absurd and bizarre,'' he said. ''I have no idea what they're even talking about.''
Atiyeh was supposed to report to federal prison in March 2003 to serve a 15-month sentence for the gambling conviction. But a federal judge allowed him to remain free until an appeals court rules on the case. That appeal is still pending.
In the bankruptcy case, the grand jury charged him with embezzlement from a bankruptcy estate and concealment of bankruptcy estate assets. That means he allegedly took money that could have gone to pay creditors and tried to hide his actions.
According to the indictment, he was the president and co-owner of Quality Realty Construction Inc. when it sold a downtown Allentown building in 1996 for $425,000. The new owner agreed to make 60 monthly payments ending in 2001.
In February 1997, Quality Realty filed for bankruptcy protection, meaning a bankruptcy court would have to approve withdrawals from the company's bank accounts.
But from March 1997 to August 2000, Atiyeh allegedly made withdrawals totaling $280,000 that were not authorized by the bankruptcy court. The bankruptcy court had not authorized any withdrawals, except to attorneys.
To conceal funds, according to the indictment, Atiyeh submitted false monthly financial reports to the bankruptcy court. He allegedly created false inflated account balances by writing checks with insufficient funds.
If convicted of bankruptcy fraud, Atiyeh could be given a prison term and a fine.
On Wednesday, Atiyeh said the investigators could have dealt with the issues by asking him questions about the bankruptcy case.
''It seems to me like there's a lot of confusion and once the confusion is resolved we can come to the bottom of this,'' he said. ''It seems to me that an issue like this could have been resolved out of court.
''As far as I know, I'm innocent of all the charges. … Anybody who knows me knows I'm not going to do anything intentionally to harm anybody. That's not the way I was raised.''
Atiyeh, 45, was a star wrestler and football player at Dieruff High School and Louisiana State University. He later played briefly for several professional football teams.
He also is known for renovating old buildings, then selling or leasing them. In addition, he owned Allentown's Acorn Hotel.
This is the second time that the U.S. attorney's office in Philadelphia has pursued charges against him.
In September 2002, he was convicted of 15 criminal counts involving his sports betting business. After a two-week trial, the jury convicted him of running a gambling business in violation of Pennsylvania law, using telephone lines to take bets, conspiracy and money laundering.
Atiyeh advertised his business, International Casino, as an offshore operation in the Caribbean, where gambling is legal. But he also had an office in Pennsylvania, where such sports betting is illegal.
International Casino accepted bets on college and professional sports, taking in more than $1 million in 14 months from 1995 to 1997, according to prosecutors.
A judge dismissed more than half of the convictions, then ordered the 15-month prison term.
A year earlier, his brothers, Dennis and Joseph, were cleared of gambling-related charges in the same courthouse.
