Democrat's Wife Gets Wristslap for Aiding and Abetting Fugitive Brother

Frankly, I'm amazed she got any jail time at all. Apparently they're really cracking down on these criminal Democrats in Massachusetts.

A federal judge hit the wife of U.S. Rep. John Tierney (D-Mass.) with an unexpected 30 days in the slammer yesterday for helping her fugitive brother scam the IRS, while in the same breath insisting the congressman remains above reproach.

The 6th District Salem Democrat “is not implicated in this in any way, shape or form,” U.S. District Court Judge William G. Young boomed from the bench.

Asked later whether the judge’s assertion is true, assistant U.S. Attorney Fred Wyshak said, “No comment.”

Patrice Tierney, 60, is to surrender to authorities on Feb. 28. It was unclear yesterday in which of 28 federal facilities housing female inmates she’ll serve her time. The closest is in Danbury, Conn.

The jewelry designer pleaded guilty in October to aiding and abetting the filing of a false tax return by providing information to Robert Eremian’s tax preparer that he earned commissions as a consultant to a multimillion-dollar Internet gambling operation in Antigua. Prosecutors allege he was deriving illegal income from gaming.

Robert Eremian, 58, formerly of Lynnfield, is a fugitive from racketeering, gaming and money laundering charges. With check-writing authority on his bank account, Wyshak said Tierney spent between $20,000 and $30,000 on items such as her own Volkswagen Beetle payments and a cell phone family plan.

Sure, the husband has no knowledge whatsoever that his wife was laundering nearly $8 million.

Did you notice how John Tierney hung back out of camera range as his wife’s lawyer, Donald K. Stern, Felon Finneran’s savior, talked to the press? Tierney, a lightweight’s lightweight, had just gotten a clean bill of health from the judge. Tierney knew nothing. Consider him the Sgt. Schultz of the delegation.

There’s so much about this case I can’t figure out.

How could Patrice be laundering close to $8 million in gangster gelt, and her solon husband was totally in the dark? Let me put it this way — if you started using dirty cash from your on-the-lam jailbird racketeering brother to make the monthly car payments, do you think your wife would start asking questions?

You bet she would. She’d want to know, how much more money are you pocketing that I don’t know about, and where’s mine?

Curious how much money Tierney has received from people named Eremian.

For those keeping score at home, that makes two Democrat wives now in the slammer, also including Monica Conyers.

Somehow, Rush Limbaugh and Sarah Palin have to be responsible for this.