Evidently Boulis and the attorney with the best name in the gambling biz, Ace Blackburn, were having a little too much fun in the sun.
The two must have simply forgotten about the civil case filed in early August in federal court that alleged that Boulis had violated a fairly arcane 1916 federal shipping law by registering his commercial casino boats under someone else's name.
Boulis and his attorney filed for several extensions, but, when SunCruz failed to appear in court last week, it meant at least technically that SunCruz Casinos owed the U.S. government up to $47 million, according to John Schlesinger, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Miami.
Don't worry about poor Gus and Ace, though. The government plays fair. No one is going to make SunCruz cough up that much cash just because they didn't show up in court, Schlesinger says.
And as promised, on October 14, the federal court judge decided to give the gamblers another roll of the dice. Boulis now has until October 23 to put up or shell out.
Check's in the mail. So says Dennis Green, whose SGZD Management Inc. put together last Wednesday's "Battle of the Mistresses" S&M event at the Button South in Hallandale. The $100 check to which he's referring is a donation made out to Women in Distress of Broward County, Inc. (WID), which provides shelter and services for victims of domestic violence.
But here's the rub: When Green and his girlfriend, Shawn Green (the common last name is only a coincidence, he says), first pitched their idea to WID -- we host an evening of S&M, you guys get some of the proceeds -- WID told them: We don't want our name associated with whips, chains, and alcohol.
But money's money, Dennis Green says, and besides, the battling dominatrixes were role-playing professionals. "The portrayal of violence of any kind, whether real or imagined, would not be endorsed," says Eli Jordfald, WID's support and development director.
OK, how about this: The event featured women dominating men, not the other way around. Doesn't matter, Jordfald says. Five percent of all domestic-violence victims are men.
Still, the question remains: When Green's check arrives, will WID take the money? "We'll have to cross that bridge when we get there," she claims, adding that WID has accepted donations from anonymous sources in the past.
Bingo. Green's check reads "SGZD Management," not "Battle of the Mistresses." "They'll never know where it came from," he says.
Here's our suggestion. The Greens are about to have a baby. Why not put the $100 in a trust fund for Green Jr.? That way, 21 years from now, with interest earned, it'll be worth something. Then, if the kid wants to, he or she can give it to WID.
Sounds charitable to us.
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