On Monday, August 29, an Ontario Racing Commission appeals panel ruled that the hefty fines and suspensions which were issued to drivers Kevin Wallis and Gene Piroski due to alleged race fixing were to be lifted. The pair of reinsmen have now been cleared of all charges
.
According to a report by The Windsor Star, the panel ruled that the fines and suspensions be lifted due to a lack of evidence. The article did not include an update on the status of Brad Forward, another driver which had been implicated, fined and suspended in relation to the situation.
The report has quoted Wallis' lawyer as saying, "The Ontario Racing Commission appeals panel cleared him (Wallis) today in a lengthy, written decision, about 36 pages."
To read the ruling, click here
In a short and to-the-point comment, Piroski was simply quoted as saying, "I have been cleared."
In early September of 2010, the ORC announced that the ORC Investigations Unit – including members of the OPP Illegal Gambling Unit seconded to the ORC – had teamed with the Michigan State Police (MSP) and the Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB) in the investigation of 'races of interest' at Michigan race tracks and Windsor Raceway.
The Canadian Pari-Mutuel Agency (CPMA), the federal agency responsible for supervising licensed pari-mutuel betting systems in Canada, had also assisted in the investigation. The collaborative effort examined races from January 1, 2008 to March 31, 2010.
Suspensions and fines were a result of an investigation into allegations that certain licensees racing at Windsor Raceway were conspiring to affect the outcome of horse races.
Those that had received suspensions and fines were:
Brad O. Forward, Woodstock, Ont. - 5 years, fine of $5,000
Gene T. Piroski, Cottam, Ont. - 10 years, fine of $100,000
Kevin W. Wallis, Maidstone, Ont. - 12 years, fine of $100,000
In addition, Arthur McIlmurray, (who was not licensed by the ORC at the time the fines and suspensions were handed down) of Northville, Michigan was ruled ineligible to be licensed in Ontario until such time as he appeared before the director.
(With files from The Windsor Star)
Related Stories
• Suspended Drivers File Appeals
• Michigan Charges Imminent For Race Fixing
• Windsor Welcomes ORC Action
• Forward, Piroski, Wallis Fined, Suspended
• More On Wallis Suspension
• ORC Suspends Wallis
• Harmon: "I Am Innocent, 100 Per Cent"
• Five Suspended In Michigan
• Race Fixing Investigation In Michigan
why don't we see brad
why don't we see brad forward back driving???possibly because he was too honest????
It was Marcellus, thanks to
It was Marcellus, thanks to Shakespeare, who said 'Something is rotten in the State of Denmark.' I hasten to agree, especially when the accusers becomes the defenders.
One of the greatest Judicial
One of the greatest Judicial minds in Canada once said that "when it comes to judging credibility he relied on the axiom that the testimony of a man who implicates himself in a crime/s is generally reliable". Mr.Mcllumurray and Mr.Forward did exctly that. In England there are 3 possible verdicts Not Guilty,Guilty,and Unproven. I defy anyone to read the ORC Ruling in it's totality and deny that at best Mr. Wallis and Mr. are Unproven!
Now that the ORC has had to
Now that the ORC has had to retract thier accusations and penalties due to lack of eveidence, maybe they should go public, especially here in Windsor with an apology to these guys and the rest of the horsemen/women in the area for darkening that cloud.
The court of public opinion
The court of public opinion will have the last word on this matter. That same opinion will be expressed in the nightly handle.
Will the ORC be compensating
Will the ORC be compensating these guys for lost wages?
In reply to Will the ORC be compensating by mywifeisnotstable
Mr Patrick, has the ORC ever
Mr Patrick, has the ORC ever been held accountable for their mistakes? I don't think so. They very well should be though. But again its us, the horsemen/women that suffer from this most recent BLUNDER
I would love to read the
I would love to read the ORCs reason for repealing the fines.
Yet another dark day for
Yet another dark day for racing. Not with reguards to Kevin and Gene getting off(great for them) but due to the fact the the ORC created such a stir and black cloud over racing again and couldn't follow through with it. There is enough of a misconception about race fixing and we as horsepeople are having a hard enough time promoting our industry and getting people back into the grandstands WITHOUT THE ORC MAKING YET ANOTHER HUGE BLUNDER TO HELP SET US BACK ANOTHER 2 STEPS.