Celebrity boxing promoter Damon Feldman was in trouble when he showed up at district court yesterday.
He was in a lot more when he left.
That’s because Attorney General Tom Corbett seriously upped the ante on the Broomall entrepreneur, filing new felony charges of theft and bribery against him. Check out Cindy Scharr’s story here.
There’s an ugly underpinning to the charges filed yesterday by the A.G. What the state is claiming is that Feldman used the names of dead police officers and soldiers “to fill seats at his events and put money in his own pocket.”
Feldman’s attorney argued the evidence didn’t substantiate the charges. He was held for trial anyhow.
Among those testifying at yesterday’s preliminary hearing was radio D.J. Danny Bonaduce, who has taken part in several of the bouts promoted by Feldman. He said Feldman never asked him to rig a fight. That’s one of the original charges filed against Feldman by the state, that most of his shows were fixed and that he was operating without a proper license.
They must have been among the few that weren’t if the testimony of a state agent is to be believed. He testified that Feldman admitted to state investigators that 95 percent of the “fights” were not exactly on the up and up.
But that now seems to be the least of Feldman’s worries. It’s one thing to put on fixed matches. A lot of people make a great living doing just that. It’s called pro wrestling.
But it’s another thing altogether to use the names of fallen officers and soldiers to line your own pockets.
If that’s the case, as the state claims, several words come to mind.
Shameful would be right at the top of the list.
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