Re: Holy smazole, Batman!
Stolen from Publisher's Lunch, July 28:
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Khouri May Call Conference Soon; Papers Find Multiple Court Cases in Chicago, Along with Allegations that She Was Being Sought By FBI When She Left America
Embattled author Norma Khouri has indicated through her Brisbane lawyer that she will call a press conference Friday or Saturday to present evidence to support the veracity of her book. The call to her attorney, however, came after she didn't appear for two meetings at the firm's office. Khouri and her two children have left their Bribie Island home in Queensland, Australia. The Sydney Morning Herald says Khouri has been unreachable by her Australian publisher, and alleges that she "fled" the country for the U.S.
A publicist hired by Khouri over the weekend quit by Monday, "after trying unsuccessfully to contact Khouri when the Herald published further evidence that the writer had been living in Chicago with her husband and children."
An additional investigation from The Australian found numerous court cases against the author in the United States. They say that her mother-in-law, Zoi Toliopoulos charged her with battery in 1998, but the case was dropped when Ms. Toliopoulos did not appear at trial. Another case seeking to recover rent allegedly due from Khouri was dropped when the plaintiff's lawyer was told she had left the country.
In a third case, Ms. Khouri's mother is said to have alleged that her daughter fraudently transferred ownership of a family home, which was then mortgaged. An attorney for a bank in that case said in an affidavit that her firm had been contacted by the FBI, claiming that the agency had been seeking Ms. Khouri for questioning, and that an agent said she had "fled the country in an effort to avoid prosecution." An FBI spokeswoman was looking into the reporter's query about the case.
The Chicago Sun Times repeats this account, saying she "May have feared the FBI more than Jordanian Muslims. It was not clear what the alleged fraud was, and an FBI spokesman could not confirm the probe."
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What a tangled web we weave, when we practice to deceive...
I also read that both her US and Australian publishers have withdrawn her book.