Track owners withhold comment on allegations

Track owners withhold comment on allegations Owners of the Belmont greyhound track decided yesterday to withhold comment on Attorney General Kelly Ayotte's allegations that they have broken state and federal gaming laws. "We would very much like to publicly respond because obviously we have differences with the attorney general," said Rick Newman, spokesman for the Lakes Region Greyhound Park. "But we must do this properly and we cannot engage in a public debate." Yesterday, at Ayotte's request, the state Pari-Mutuel Commission, which oversees the state's racetracks, scheduled a preliminary hearing for March 28 to evaluate criminal allegations against the Belmont track. Commissioners will ultimately decide whether to maintain or revoke the track's gambling license. Two of the track's top managers, Richard Hart and Jonathan Broome, were indicted by federal prosecutors in January on money laundering and illegal gambling charges. Tuesday, Ayotte announced that her own preliminary investigation had convinced her that the Belmont track had violated state laws as well, by hiring people with gambling convictions and allowing Broome and Hart to run an illegal gambling operation from the premises. Ayotte said she had asked the Pari-Mutuel Commission to revoke the track's license. - Annmarie Timmins