Bryan Zuriff, the executive producer of the Showtime hit “Ray Donovan,” pleaded guilty today in a high-stakes illegal sports gambling business run by the mob. The announcement was just made by Preet Bharara, US Attorney in the Southern District of New York. Zuriff  will pay a $500,000 fine and could be sentenced to up to five years in prison in November.

Zuriff also produced Tobey Maguire’s still born dark comedy “The Details” and Oren Moverman’s “The Messenger.” It’s not the first time Maguire’s name has turned up in a major gambling sting. Like pal Leonardo DiCaprio, Maguire is close pals with Helly Nahmad, also recently indicted for being part of an international gambling scheme. Nahmad is awaiting trial. Zuriff is part of the same group as Nahmad.

Zuriff, who has a short Hollywood history, lives in a 6,500 sq foot house in Brentwood, California– the same mansion used for Judd Apatow’s “Knocked Up” and “This is 40.”

Bharara said in a statement: “Bryan Zuriff spanned the coasts with his crimes, by operating his own illegal gambling enterprise in Los Angeles, and helping to operate a vast illegal gambling enterprise in New York. With his plea, he becomes the first defendant, but not the last, to be convicted in this sprawling script of criminal conduct.”

For a short time DiCaprio distanced himself from Nahmad after his arrest spring. But sources in the Hamptons spotted the pair, with a posse of friends, making the scene over July 4th weekend. These people are not DiCaprio’s first friends to wind up in trouble with the government. In 2000, DiCaprio’s pal Dana Giacchetto went to jail after he bilked celebrities and New York locals out of at least $14 million.

Here’s the full press release:

ZURIFF was charged in April 2013 in a 34-defendant indictment charging members and associates of two Russian-American organized crime enterprises with various crimes, including racketeering, money laundering, extortion, and various gambling offenses. ZURIFF is the first defendant in the case to plead guilty.

According to the Indictment, other documents filed in this case, statements made at various conferences and at the guilty plea, and other information in the public record:

ZURIFF operated his own illegal gambling business that catered to gamblers seeking to bet on the outcome of various sporting events (commonly referred to as a “sportsbook”) in Los Angeles, California. He also assisted Hillel Nahmad, Illya Trincher, and others in operating their own high-stakes sportsbook in New York that catered to millionaires and billionaires. Those clients typically placed bets online through various accounts maintained on gambling websites that were operating illegally in the United States. Tens of millions of dollars in bets were placed through those online accounts each year.

ZURIFF, 44, of Brentwood, California, faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison and three years of supervised release. As part of his guilty plea, he agreed to forfeit $500,000 to the United States. ZURIFF is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Furman on November 25, 2013 at 3 p.m.

The charges against Hillel Nahmad, Illya Trincher, and the other 31 defendants in this case are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Mr. Bharara praised the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Internal Revenue Service, and the New York City Police Department.

The case is being prosecuted by the Office’s Organized Crime Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Harris M. Fischman, Joshua A. Naftalis, Peter Skinner, and Kristy J. Greenberg of the Organized Crime Unit are in charge of the prosecution. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander Wilson of the Office’s Asset Forfeiture Unit is responsible for the forfeiture aspects of the case.

The original release: http://www.fbi.gov/newyork/press-releases/2013/manhattan-u.s.-attorney-charges-34-members-and-associates-of-two-russian-american-organized-crime-enterprises-with-operating-international-sportsbooks-that-laundered-more-than-100-million

Okay, now I’ve seen everything. Completely deluded “Oliver!” star Mark Lester and Michael Jackson ex wife Debbie Rowe are having a vicious war on Twitter. It looks like it started on July 24th when Lester, an osteopath and acupuncturist, began needling Rowe.

Convinced he’s the bio father of Paris, Rowe’s daughter, the child star now in his 50s, Tweeted her: “Hi Debbie I think we need to talk for the good of Paris. We have strong family ties here it can only be for the best x”

Hah! That set off the volatile Rowe and there’s been no looking back. Rowe’s response is protected. But Lester responds: “Why so aggressive?” And “I come in peace.” When Rowe again responds in a protected message, Lester baits her: “When the mother of my children deserted them there was only one parent. Sound familiar? I speak to my kids every day. Do you?”

He adds: “Their mother was into horses and dogs too. Sadly not into her own kids”
And that does it. Debbie comes out of protection:

@MarkalesterMark why don’t you go to hell

— Painted Desert Ranch (@DJRJPDR) July 24, 2013

@MarkalesterMark soooooo shut up unless of course the English papers are paying you installments you get extra for twitter

— Painted Desert Ranch (@DJRJPDR) July 25, 2013

   @MarkalesterMark good for you stay away from me and my kids

— Painted Desert Ranch (@DJRJPDR) July 25, 2013

 

@Etmoietvous he's too much of a coward to contact me directly he tweeted

— Painted Desert Ranch (@DJRJPDR) July 25, 2013

Will Debbie Rowe really take the stand for AEG Live in the current Michael Jackson trial? Reports suggest she will, and tell the jury that Michael had a “secret” drug problem which he hid from the concert promoter. In doing so, Rowe will be advocating against the plaintiffs—her two children, Prince and Paris, and their grandmother Katherine Jackson. Will Debbie choose the money—meaning AEGLive and the Jackson estate—over her own kids and relationship with Mrs. Jackson?

This has always been the dilemma for Debbie Rowe. In 2003, when Michael was in deep trouble over his Martin Bashir interview, Rowe showed up, and filmed a special interview to support Jackson. It’s unclear whether or she received remuneration.

In 2005, Rowe was up against the wall financially. I wrote about her threat to sell her Michael Jackson engagement on ebay when he wasn’t sending her checks. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,143134,00.html  

She testified in his defense at the child molestation trial, basically saving his neck, after telling prosecutors she would testify for them. That switcheroo on the stand paid off in 2006, when she and Jackson finally settled once again their financial issues. Rowe got her money. http://www.foxnews.com/story/2005/08/08/jacko-in-exile-with-20-year-old-proteacutegeacute/

In 2009, after Jackson died, Rowe again re-negotiated, this time with the estate. She agreed to let Katherine Jackson become the childrens’ guardian. Some reports say she received $4 million.

In 2010, I reported that Rowe had quietly started visiting the children and spending time with them. http://www.showbiz411.com/2010/06/21/michael-jacksons-kids-spending-time-with-debbie-rowe

Now Rowe is back in the center of the discussion. Her 15 year old daughter with Jackson has tried to commit suicide, is said to be in a depression, and has been sent to Utah for treatment. This came after Rowe suddenly became very close to Paris. But Prince, the son, so far wants nothing to do with her. And the only thing that binds her to her children is a tenuous friendship with Katherine Jackson.

But testify for AEG? Rowe’s testimony would almost certainly damage Katherine Jackson’s wrongful death suit. TMZ says Rowe would offer evidence that her former employer, Dr. Arnold Klein, gave Michael Jackson shots of Demerol and let him sleep in his office.

However, Rowe—who wasn’t in touch with Michael for at least three years leading up to his death—wouldn’t be the only source of this information. Dr. Klein sued the Jackson estate for $48,000 in unpaid medical bills. Those bills covered March 22- June 22, 2009. There are 51 shots of Demerol on there and loads of other medications. The AEG people were shocked – I wrote it about then—when Dr. Klein presented this bill. They had no idea what Jackson was doing in Klein’s office. And I wrote about a Klein patient who said she saw Jackson in the office on one those days.

Whatever Debbie Rowe does now in this trial may determine the future of her relationships with Prince and with Paris. It’s decision that will affect everyone.  Will she pull another switcheroo and come in for one side, but endorse the other?

More on Jackson, Rowe, Klein and other doctors to come…

My friends, do you recall the fuss people made about MoNique when “Precious” first screened? By the time she finished torturing Gabby Sidibe, people were engraving her gold Oscar statue and trying to remember where the apostrophe went. Well, in Lee Daniels’
“The Butler,” which screened today for SAG and a smattering of press, I can tell you what happened: another woman known by one name caused the same stir.

I can’t review the movie yet because it’s still early– the it doesn’t open until August 16th. Chalk this up as an Oscar observation.

Her name is Oprah, although she will have the Winfrey name on her nominations certificate and maybe even that statue. This is what happens: Oprah, who really hasn’t acted since “The Color Purple” and “The Women of Brewster Place,” makes a startling return as the wife of White House butler Forest Whitaker. She plays Gloria Gaines, who I think is kind of a fictitious character inspired by the life of the real butler’s wife.

Oprah is simply off the charts mesmerizing as Gloria. It’s as if she’d been acting this whole time. (Some will say she has been, but I disagree.) Among the many powerful performances in this landmark movie, Winfrey jumps out because of her long absence from the screen. People in our showing–which was a very good cross-section of black and white, young and old– people were crying through this movie. And Oprah gets a scene stealing Oscar moment that is going to take her right into every awards show. If I had to bet now, I’d say she wins Best Supporting Actress. She’s that good.

And by the way, among the audience were none other than Mike Nichols and Diane Sawyer. Mike gave the movie a hearty thumbs up on the way out. He wasn’t the only one.

Well, “Let it Be,” a ‘celebration’ of the Beatles, opened last night on Broadway. You may have seen the huge ad campaign: “This production is not endorsed by Apple Corps or the Beatles.” Ouch. No, there is only one authorized Beatles show in the world, in Las Vegas, the amazing Cirque du Soleil creation called “Love.” This one, like “Rain” before it and “Beatlemania” years ago, is something the Beatles “allow” to make them lots of money. But they will never acknowledge it.

The deal is: Sony/ATV Music Publishing licenses the music. They keep an arm’s distance from it otherwise. The Beatles– meaning, Paul. Ringo, Olivia Harrison and Yoko Ono, turn a blind eye to the whole thing. As one person noted, “Yoko likes the checks.” Ono has fewer money making opportunities than McCartney, so you can’t really blame her.

Indeed, during the show, you might not even know the performers are playing the Beatles. It’s a concert, basically, largely based on Paul McCartney’s touring show (on tour now, by the way) and TV clips from the old days.The results vary. Those parts that do have a correlation to existing material are fine. But the section devoted to “Sgt. Pepper”– basically invented by the show’s creators– is awkward, corny, and painful.

Many names are not uttered during the two and a half hours– like any of the individual Beatles, or even Ed Sullivan. I’m not sure, but I’d wager that that’s part of the deal. The performers can’t even say that they’re playing John, Paul, George, and Ringo, just people who look and sound like them.

A two and a half hour Madame Tussaud’s production without any story of any kind is a bit enervating. Some songs and numbers are fine, others are wretchedly bad. On the upside, George Harrison’s “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” is the highlight of the whole show, incredibly moving. It’s a surprise since John Brosnan, who plays George, has less to do for most of the show than George did with the real Beatles.

The other high point, I thought, was the rendition of “In My Life.” Rarely heard anymore because John Lennon is dead and Paul McCartney doesn’t perform it, “In My Life” blossoms as an elegiac ballad. It’s one of the few moments in which the Lennon character really gets to shine.

Most of the hits are here. There’s no songlist but suffice to say they cover a lot of ground, from “I Want to Hold Your Hand” to “Let it Be.” There’s actually no reason to call the show “Let it Be,” by the way. They could have called it “The Long and Winding Road” or “Get Back” or a half dozen other things. There’s a total mindlessness to the entire production. But for kids who don’t know much about the Beatles, for tourists, and ‘nostalgists’ it’s harmless entertainment.

PS I could say this now about every show. But to the two idiots sitting in my row who kept using their phones, checking texts, and weather, the day is coming, my friends, when you will need insurance for that thing. That’s all I’m saying…