©The Taunton Gazette 2006
ACTION ALERT - October 13, 2006
Friends,
Late
last week, GREY2K USA filed a complaint
with Massachusetts Attorney General Tom Reilly, asking him to
open a criminal investigation into alleged acts of perjury committed
by officials of the Massachusetts State Racing Commission and employees
of Wonderland and Raynham-Taunton Greyhound Parks. The Massachusetts
Bureau of Consumer Affairs, which oversees the Racing Commission, will
be opening its own inquiry as well.
Under new state law, Massachusetts dog tracks are required to keep records on all dogs that compete, including dogs injured while racing. These state greyhound injury and disposition reports are filled out by racetrack veterinarians and signed under the pains and penalties of perjury.
An analysis of injury and disposition reports, conducted by GREY2K USA president and general counsel Christine Dorchak, uncovered a dozen recent omissions, contradictions and other irregularities, including:
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State greyhound records directly contradict each other. In one case, two reports indicate that the same dog was euthanized twice - on two different days three months apart. "Fuzzy's Kono" last raced at Raynham-Taunton Greyhound Park.
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A dog named "Iruska Big Jake was seriously injured while racing at Wonderland Greyhound Park, but no injury or disposition reports were filed with the state.
The public deserves to know what happens to greyhounds whey they are no longer fast enough to be profitable. Please write to Attorney General Tom Reilly today, and ask him to thoroughly investigate these irregularities. Also, tell him that if acts of perjury have been committed by dog track workers and Racing Commission officials, that you expect him to prosecute these crimes to the fullest extent of the law.
You can reach Attorney General Reilly at:
Massachusetts Attorney General Tom Reilly
1
Ashburton Place
Boston, MA 02108
ago@ago.state.ma.us
Below, you will find a sample letter to use as a guide in writing your own letter. Also, you will find a news story about this development.
Please write your letter to Attorney General Reilly today!
For the greyhounds,
Carey Theil & Christine Dorchak
GREY2K USA
PO Box 442117
Somerville, MA 02144
(866) 247-3925
Sample Letter to Attorney General Tom Reilly
NOTE: IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT THIS SAMPLE LETTER NOT BE COPIED WORD FOR WORD; PLEASE SUBMIT A LETTER WITH YOUR OWN THOUGHTS.
Attorney General Tom Reilly
1 Ashburton Place
Boston, MA 02108
Dear Attorney General Reilly:
I applaud you for investigating irregularities that have been discovered in Massachusetts greyhound injury and disposition reports.
As you know, a recent letter of complaint filed by greyhound protection group GREY2K USA shows twelve recent examples of falsified or missing records. One dog was destroyed because of a broken leg, but there is no injury report to show when or how this injury occurred. Another dog was supposedly euthanized twice, three months apart. Is this sloppy recordkeeping or an attempt to hide the true number of dogs injured and killed while racing in the Commonwealth?
I am counting on you to thoroughly investigate the Massachusetts dog tracks. If in fact acts of perjury have been committed, I expect you to prosecute such crimes to the full extent of the law.
Respectfully,
Carey M. Theil
By
Gerry Tuoti
October 7, 2006
Taunton Gazette
Raynham-Taunton Greyhound Park's dog injury records could soon come under the scrutiny of a state investigation.
An animal rights group Wednesday asked Attorney General Tom Reilly's office to investigate whether employees of Raynham-Taunton Greyhound Park, Wonderland Greyhound Park and the State Racing Commission committed perjury by falsifying or omitting information about greyhound injuries at the racetracks.
"We requested the records and found quite a few discrepancies," said GREY2K USA President Christine Dorchak, whose group requested the investigation in an Oct. 4 letter.
"It looks like the tracks don't want to admit how many greyhounds are being injured," she added.
Chris Carney, the son of Raynham-Taunton park owner George Carney, said he doesn't directly deal with that aspect of the racetrack's operations, but said he doubted the validity of Dorchak's allegations.
"I find it highly unlikely in such a highly regulated industry," he said.
George Carney was unavailable and track manager Gary Temple did not return
calls for comment.
David Guarino, a spokesman for Reilly's office, confirmed the letter's receipt.
"It is being reviewed by the criminal bureau," he said.
Dorchak's complaint outlines 12 irregularities in official state greyhound disposition and injury reports. She said she found numerous cases in which it appears that a dog was injured while racing, but there is no official injury record. In another case, records indicate that a dog racing at Raynham-Taunton was euthanized twice on two different dates three months apart.
The injury reports and dispositions are signed under penalty of perjury.
Carney said he thinks Dorchak filed the complaint because her group's attempt to put a dog racing ban on the state ballot was defeated in the Supreme Judicial Court.
"We're seeking compliance with the law," Dorchak said. "In 2001, a law was passed requiring the two dog tracks to begin reporting the number of injuries at their tracks. We are concerned that they may be perjuring themselves."
Nicole St. Peter, a spokeswoman for the Massachusetts Bureau of Consumer Affairs, which oversees the State Racing Commission, said an internal investigation is underway.
"The state racing bureau is looking into these allegations," she said.
"There's nothing else to say at this point."
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Know someone who cares about greyhounds as much as you do and wants to make a difference? Please forward this update to them. You can also encourage friends to join our e-mail list by sending their e-mail address to joinlist@grey2kusa.org.
Thank you for your continuing commitment to protect greyhounds.
**************************************************************************************************************GREY2K USA is a national non-profit organization dedicated to protecting greyhounds and ending the killing and cruelty of dog racing. For more information, or to make an immediate financial contribution to our efforts, go to
www.grey2kusa.org.GREY2K USA is a national, non-profit 501(c)4 organization. Personal and corporate contributions are acceptable, and there are no limits on how much one individual can contribute. Personal and corporate contributions are acceptable. Because GREY2K USA actively lobbies for greyhound protection, contributions are not tax deductible.
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