|
The
following article appeared in the Las Vegas Sun last week. Here's a
little background information. National Sports Services is the name
of Jim Fiest's company. It supposedly houses five completely independent
sports entities; Jim Fiest, Dave Cokin, Wayne Root, Scott Spreitzer
and Glen McGrew. The article gives you a glimpse of the actually goings
on inside the biggest sports service conglomerate in the country. Here's
what you're buying into when you give people like this your money. ...MAC
Five former employees
of National Sports Services Inc. of Las Vegas denied
allegations in a lawsuit that they misappropriated its customer lists
to
start a competing telemarketing business called Monaco Sports, and plan
to
file a $10 million counterclaim alleging unethical work practices and
an
unsafe and hostile work environment.
In
an Oct. 20 in a Clark County District Court suit, National Sports Services
sought an injunction against its former telemarketers, who are now employed
by Las Vegas handicapper Jimmy Spats, alleging they were bound by an
employment agreement to not engage in any competing sports information
business in Nevada until Oct. 15, 2000.
We believe this is an invalid
contract because it was signed under duress,"
said Paul Wommer, the defendants' attorney.
The defendants, Perfecto Bobadilla, Bernard Peraino, Roy Perry, Joseph
Panzica and Michael Roshkind, said in response to the lawsuit that they
were
forced by National Sports to participate in an alleged wire fraud scheme
where customers were allegedly duped into thinking they were receiving
sports betting information from several unrelated sports services
when these
services allegedly belong to handicapper Jim Feist.
The sports services are trying to perpetuate the
myth that they are in
competition when in fact they are all part of the same organization,"
Wommer
said. "All
the information is being sold by the same entity but they're
giving the illusion you are getting information from different sources."
The defendants allege the customers aren't aware
that five sports services
were related because the mailing addresses of these services were at
different locations in Las Vegas. They allege these services were actually
all located in one office in Las Vegas.
Once a customer calls in
to Jim Feist, within the next five days, whether
he wins or lose, his name and information will be passed on to the five
other services," said Bobadilla.
Perry agreed. "I would ask Jim Demasi (National Sports' vice-president)
if I
could keep my customers to myself. He told me this is the way we can get the
most money out of the customer."
The defendants said National
Sports also didn't tell customers they were
allegedly being recommended to place their bets with an alleged offshore
sports betting company in Costa Rica called Guardian Guarantee, which
is
allegedly owned by Feist.
They disputed National
Sports' allegations they had stolen their customers.
"Cynthia Gordon (National Sports' president) sold its leads (customers)
to
Jimmy Spats even before we joined his company," said Roshkind.
The defendants also disputed allegations that they sabotaged National
Sports
business by telling customers to "charge back" the payment
for the purchase
of the information on their credit cards.
The defendants also disputed National Sports' allegations that they
illegally operated and unfairly competed against the company when they
failed to obtain a telemarketing licence and a $50,000 surety bond for
Monaco Sports.
"There is no such company as 'Monaco Sports.' Jim Feist called
Jimmy Spats
and spoke to him two days after we left... He called us 'unsavory
characters.' He knew we are now working for Las Vegas handicapper Jimmy
Spats, and still he claims we're working for this fictitious 'Monaco
Sports'
" Roshkind said.
The defendants said they
plan to seek an injunction prohibiting National
Sports from releasing false information about them and allege they suffered
abusive treatment and intimidation and unsafe working conditions.
Now
that you’ve seen the inner workings of a classic boiler room organization,
why would you ever consider giving any of these people your hard earned
money again? Jim Fiest, National Sports Services, Monico Sports, Jimmy
Spats and all the slime bag salesmen, have
exposed themselves for all the world to be exactly what they
are. Frankly, I think they did everyone a big favor.
|