Sports Offshore case hears evidence

Patrice Tierney

Patrice TierneyOne of two brothers that operated the one time Antiguan-based online gambling site Sports Offshore are up in court with a witness doing all the work so that he avoids time. William Means, a former trucking salesman, gave the courtroom an “insider’s tour” of the site’s Antigua HQ that sat inside a former Chinese Embassy with reports of servants and helicopter pilots from the man that used to work there.

Brother-in-law of Republican congressman, John Tierney, Daniel Eremian, has taken the stand in the federal racketeering and money-laundering trial. Alongside him stands runner Todd Lyons, who is alleged to have met Means in downtown Boston to collect $400,000 in cash stuffed into a red carry-on bag. Means traveled by the “T” to meet him. Daniel’s younger brother, Robert, has escaped the law’s clutches by virtue of no extradition agreement with the country where he currently lies, Antigua.

The Sports Offshore case has struggled to exit the limelight since it was revealed that Patrice Tierney was involved. She was jailed earlier this year for a month on “money laundering” charges. Tierney encountered a crossroads faced by many a US citizen in this, the 21st century. You have to pick between breaking tax laws or admitting working in the online gambling industry. Either way, you’re expected to spend time sleeping in a cell where the shitter is only a few metres away

Means has been granted immunity for becoming nothing but a snake in the long, long grass. In his time at Sports Offshore, he managed over 100 bettors taking around 55% commission on all losing bets. The case goes to show the choice US citizens are forced to make to work in an industry that is regarded as a moderately benign branch of the entertainment in large sections of the world.