Bodog Beat

A US grand jury indicted 2 owners of the horse Curlin on charges of them defrauding customers of a $94 million settlement over the diet drug fen-phen. (AP Images)

Owners William Gallion and Shirley Cunningham Jr. were charged on September 3, 2008 with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and eight counts of wire fraud relating to their management of a $200 million legal settlement.

Prosecutors are seeking the forfeit of $94 million dollars from legal fees and other settlement funds handled by Culin’s owners.

Stephen Dobson, the attorney for Cunningham, called the new indictment disappointing and said it contained little new information in the way of allegations against his client.

"I hope this isn't vindictiveness on the part of prosecutors, all of this information was known at the time it was presented to the grand jury last year."

Gallion, who remains in a Federal jail, is awaiting a retrial, and Cunningham, who posted $1.25 million in bail last month, are the original owners of Curlin through Midnight Cry Stables; they had originally bought Curlin for $57,000 at a public auction. In February of 2007, Gallion and Cunningham sold an 80% interest in Curlin for $2.6 million to a group led by Kendall-Jackson Winery; owner Jess Jackson. Gallion and Cunningham retain a 20% interest in Curlin.

A state judge ordered the two owner’s assets turned over to the plaintiffs to satisfy a $42 million judgment stemming from the lawsuit however Attorney Angela Ford has approached a state judge and asked that Gaillion and Cunningham should also be forced to sell the horse in addition to the seizure of their assets.

Get all your online horse betting in the Bodog Racebook today.