A former licensing agent for World Wrestling Entertainment and a former WWE executive were sentenced today for their roles in a $1 million kickback scheme, federal prosecutors said. Stanley Shenker, 61, of Royal Palm Beach, Fla., formerly of New Canaan, was sentenced to 33 months in prison and three years of probation. James K. Bell, 52, of Norwalk, received an eight-month sentence and three years of probation, prosecutors said. Shenker pleaded guilty in January to conspiring to defraud WWE of honest services by paying about $1 million in kickbacks to a Bell, a WWE insider. Bell pleaded guilty in 2005 to a related charge. Shenker was the sole corporate officer of Stanley Shenker and Associates Inc., which provided licensing services to WWE. He admitted that he agreed with Bell, WWE's senior vice president of licensing and merchandising, to defraud WWE by paying kickbacks to Bell for future business and concealing the payments. During the conspiracy from 1998 to 2002, Shenker secretly paid Bell about $950,000, a fraction of commissions Shenker received from WWE, prosecutors said. Shenker and Bell disguised the payments by falsely suggesting in invoices that Bell had earned the payments by providing consulting services, prosecutors said. With the fake invoices, Shenker was able to deduct the payments on his tax returns as purported business expenses, authorities said. Shenker was ordered as part of his sentencing to pay $2.8 million in restitution to WWE. Bell was ordered to pay a $6,000 fine and more than $950,000 in restitution.
source: wrestlezone.com
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May 1, 2007
Former WWE Exec. In Jail
Clinton, Obama to Attend N.H. Debate
MANCHESTER (AP) – The last two Democratic holdouts on New Hampshire’s presidential debate have agreed to attend.
Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama said Tuesday they would attend the June 3 debate sponsored by WMUR-TV, the New Hampshire Union Leader and CNN.
Clinton and Obama previously said they would participate only in six debates sanctioned by the Democratic National Committee, the first of which is scheduled for July. That changed Tuesday when Clinton’s campaign, followed about an hour later by Obama’s campaign, said both senators would participate in the New Hampshire event.
Clinton and Obama already participated in an unsanctioned debate last week in South Carolina that was scheduled before the DNC got involved.
Republicans will debate in New Hampshire on June 5. All major Republican candidates have agreed to attend.
source: nashuatelegraph.com
WWE thanks the Military
May is National Military Appreciation Month, and WWE is encouraging our fans to bring signs to live events this month to show their support for the troops. Tell them you love them and support them. Express yourself through a sign, and say you appreciate what our men and women of the military are doing for our country. WWE is proud to support the military and the organizations providing support to our soldiers and their families.
source: wwe.com
April 30, 2007
Marking out: The willing suspension of disbelief
Great article on the MIT wrestling blog
MIT Comparative Media Studies
April 29, 2007
April 28, 2007
Woman ‘Tricked into Sex’ by Penis Cream Treatment
A Syrian-born airline pilot allegedly tricked a schoolteacher from Haverfordwest into having sex with him by pretending he had to administer ointment on the end of his penis, a jury heard yesterday (Tuesday).
read more | digg story
Stewart Backpedals on WWE Comment
TALLADEGA, Ala. (AP) -- Before he was allowed in the racetrack, NASCAR made sure Tony Stewart knew the rules. Summoned to a 6 a.m. meeting Friday morning with top series officials, the two-time champion retracted every bit of the sharp rant he launched against NASCAR while admitting he damaged the sport's credibility by likening it to professional wrestling.
"I'm sure I did hurt the integrity of it, and unfairly," he said.
Although Stewart wasn't punished for the comments he made on his weekly Sirius Satellite Radio show, NASCAR did fine him $10,000 for skipping a postrace news conference in Phoenix last week. He also was placed on probation through the end of the year. "I can assure you, Tony Stewart knows where he stands with NASCAR right now," spokesman Jim Hunter said.
That was obvious as a humbled Stewart issued several mea culpas after his hour-long meeting with NASCAR. His team was forbidden from unloading Stewart's car until the meeting concluded, forcing his crew to wait at Talladega Superspeedway while the driver met with president Mike Helton, competition director Robin Pemberton and series director John Darby. "It's a little tender for me to sit down right now," Stewart deadpanned after the meeting.
But Stewart otherwise was serious about the controversy he started by accusing NASCAR of using bogus debris cautions to orchestrate the races. The comments were made on his Tuesday night radio show, and in comparing NASCAR to wrestling, Stewart perpetuated every stereotype that NASCAR battles in mainstream America.
For that, some believed Stewart should have been punished severely....More?
source: nbcsports.com
April 27, 2007
Crackhead Update
The crackhead that I work with (PK) told me that her boyfriend (the deputy sheriff) writes down the amount of money he spends on her every time he takes her out. She wanted to know what she should do about it. If she laid off the coke, she could probably figure it out for herself.
