Did Wyly Coyotes Ill-Gotten Loot Buy White House?
by Greg Palast Monday, April 11, 2005 When the feds swoop down and cuff racketeers, they also load the vans with all the perp’s ill-gotten gains: stacks of cash, BMWs, hideaway houses, whatever. Their associates have to cough up the goodies too — lady friends must give up their diamond rocks. Under the racketeering law, RICO, even before a verdict, anything bought with the proceeds of the crime goes into the public treasury. But there seems to be special treatment afforded those who loaded up on the ‘bennies’ of crimes committed by George Bush’s buddies. On Friday, the Manhattan District Attorney’s office announced it had captured a couple of Texas varmints, the Wyly Brothers, Charles and Sam. The two have ‘fessed to concealing half their holdings in one of the rich boys’ companies, Michaels Stores. The grand jury is still out on deciding to indict the two for the crime of fraud upon the stock market. Who are these guys? The billionaire brothers are “Pioneers” – not the kind that buil