Did Ratner Enlist Ex-Nets in Money-for-Visas Program?
by Net Income on Oct 27, 2010 9:49 AM EDT
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PrintDarryl Dawkins and Otis Birdsong were in China last week not just to watch the Nets play the Rockets but to attend an investment "roadshow" where Bruce Ratner sought to raise nearly a quarter billion dollars through a controversial money-for-visas program, an Abu Dhabi newspaper reports.
According to a reporter who was at one of the "roadshows" in Beijing, the two were on hand to mix with about 200 prospects Ratner and advisors had invited to invest in the Atlantic Yards project. Under the EB-5 visa program, those who invest $500,000 or more can receive US green cards in return.
Although the "roadshow" made heavy use of the Nets' China games in promotions, documentation suggests the money would NOT be used to finance Barclays Center (which is already fully funded) but to build a nearby railyard and to retire some of Ratner's debt. The reporter suggested many of those on hand were more attracted to the prospect of political freedom U.S. residency would afford.
- Green Card scheme a slam dunk in China - Tom Spender - The National (Abu Dhabi)
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"It is easy to take liberty for granted, when you have never had it taken from you."
The reporter suggested many of those on hand were more attracted to the prospect of political freedom U.S. residency would afford.
I don’t begrudge these people anything for wanting to secure a better life for themselves and their families.
But if money was exchanged for Visas, it is truly despicable.
You've gone a million miles... How far'd you get
To that place where you can't remember... And you can't forget
If any of those potential Chinese investors could pick out Dawkins and Birdsong in a room full of retired NBAers,
then they deserve their green cards.
Outlaw is the new Yi - just with more money and longer contract without the 7.2 rebounds and occasional shooting streak.
my point being: the Chinese don't know who the heck Dawkins or Birdsong is.
Outlaw is the new Yi - just with more money and longer contract without the 7.2 rebounds and occasional shooting streak.
you have a point
but in a room full of 200 Chinese, two tall African American men would stand out, just a bit and raise the question, Did you play for the Nets?
Of course it shouldn't
This issue brings up a number of back room deals. If the money is used for this, then there will be concerns. If you asked me, this program sounds like backdoor outsourcing, and it needs to be stopped. Just hearing this alone is grounds for investigation, and it needs to be stopped.
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