Vick, sports memorabilia company not on the same page
They were supposed to be jersey boys. In fact, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick promised J.O. Sports the shirt off his back.
Now Vick is accused in local District Court of an expensive incomplete pass.
The controversial NFL star breached his agreement to provide "Game Used Equipment" to J.O. Sports after he received more than $100,000 in compensation from the memorabilia business, according to the company's lawsuit, filed May 24 by local attorney Spencer Judd.
Vick received $101,500 from the company on Aug. 6 after signing a contract, the lawsuit alleges.
Vick is also accused of failing to attend private signings and public appearances arranged by the company. He also agreed to allow J.O. Sports "to set up social media sites for Vick's use," the lawsuit alleges.
In April 2007, Vick was implicated in an illegal interstate dogfighting ring. He eventually pleaded guilty to felony charges and served 21 months in prison. He filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in July 2008.
For its part, J.O. Sports has made its share of negative headlines. In October, the FBI and U.S. attorney's office in the Northern District of Illinois announced the indictment of six men charged in separate similar frauds involving the sale of sports memorabilia.
On the list of those charged with fraud: Jarrod Oldridge, "a resident of Nevada, involved in business operations of J.O. Sports, Inc., a Nevada business."
HOA BOWLING: Fourteen more pins fell Thursday in U.S. District Judge James Mahan's courtroom in the government's investigation of corruption inside local homeowners associations and construction defect specialists.
Among those who signed off on single felony mail and wire fraud conspiracy charge: former Metro cops Frank Sutton and Morris Mattingly, and disgraced attorneys Jeanne Winkler and Brian Jones.
All those who accepted plea deals agreed to cooperate in the investigation.
Mahan set sentencing for the group for early February, which leaves plenty of time for Justice Department Fraud Section attorneys Mary Ann McCarthy and Charles La Bella to decide whether to use the grand jury process to enter the next phase of the investigation.
Courthouse handicappers are still taking odds on how far the government will go.
DAVIDSON'S DIVE: At last, disbarred local attorney Lawrence Davidson has pleaded guilty in federal court to numerous felonies. As the Review-Journal has reported, he faces up to 8½ years in federal prison.
I'm in no position to broker a deal for the guy, who surely has earned whatever sentence Senior U.S. District Judge Roger Hunt decides to issue when Davidson stands before him on Sept. 3. But if I could, I would trade a big chunk of that penitentiary time in exchange for some straight answers about all the political corruption in the county that the former lawyer knows plenty about.
Davidson certainly could give us candid details about the level of thievery on display at the Clark County Commission under a previous regime that included the felonious Erin Kenny, Mary Kincaid-Chauncey, Dario Herrera and Lance Malone.
Sounds like Davidson will have plenty of time to jog his memory.
ON THE BOULEVARD: Clark High graduate Jay Abdo, who died recently at 52, loved the outdoors like few people I've ever known. Jay was a downhill racer and an uphill climber who loved Lake Tahoe and heard the call of the wild.
BOULEVARD II: "The War at the Shore," gaming industry executive Richard "Skip" Bronson's memoir of the battle between Donald Trump and Steve Wynn for supremacy in Atlantic City, is set for publication this month . With a big assist from the pros at Barry Boxing, the recent industry amateur fight night on Fremont Street was so successful that more events are being planned.
Have an item for the Bard of the Boulevard? Email comments and contributions to Smith@reviewjournal.com or call 702-383-0295. He also blogs at lvrj.com/blogs/smith. Follow him on Twitter @jlnevadasmith.
