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Dear Friends,

The recent news of Patrice’s and her family’s situation has left us all stunned.  As a husband I feel terrible for Patrice and I will continue to stand by her in these trying times. On behalf of Patrice and our family, I want to thank you for your prayers and your kind words of support. Over the past days, I have done my best to answer all of the questions I can, all the while knowing that I am often being asked to give answers to things about which I knew nothing and have only recently learned. I must admit that it has been difficult.  At times, that has shown through but I hope it has not detracted from my intention to address this matter head-on.

Please know I am committed to providing answers to all the appropriate questions that have been asked of me. To this end and to provide the transparency we all believe is important of government officials, I have posted on my website a list of questions and answers. 

Further, I intend to do my best to keep this matter from taking our attention away from the fundamental differences between us and our opponent including his desire to eliminate the Department of Education, repeal Wall Street reforms, overturn Roe v. Wade and impose new restrictions over women's medical decisions.  Our campaign will continue to tell our neighbors how we will develop a new, innovative national policy so that we return to making and manufacturing goods and products in America, provide a quality, affordable education for all our children, and protect us from Wall Street interests who care only about their profits and not our families' budgets.

With your help, we can redouble our efforts to rebuild our community and nation.

I sincerely thank you for your support and your friendship.

Sincerely,

John

Q&A with John Tierney about recent events concerning his wife, Patrice

In recent days, the media, constituents and supporters have asked for additional information concerning this matter.  While this election is about a choice between fundamentally different approaches to representing you in the United States Congress, I understand that people would like their questions about this matter answered as well.  I continue to be committed to doing so.  I have held many press interviews and it has been noted by reporters like Maria Stephanos of Fox25 that “you’ve answered the questions”.

However, I realize it will be easier for some to have the answers in one location.  To that end, I offer the following recap of frequently asked questions and my answers:

I do not understand the parts of the case.  Why was Patrice running an account for her brother?

For those who know Patrice, this question may seem a bit odd.  Patrice is a great human being who cares for her friends and family.  In this case, her brother moved to Antigua, leaving behind three teenage kids.  Patrice took on the task of helping her brother and his family.

It has been reported that Patrice believed at the time that her brother was working for a legitimate business.  How did she come to that conclusion?

Patrice’s brother reported to the judge in his previous case that he was going to Antigua to be a computer consultant, and the judge gave him permission to do so. My understanding is that funding going into the account was supposed to be from that activity.

I keep hearing that tax payments were made or not made.  What is the truth and how does that fit into the case.

Despite the claims of my opponent, much of the money in the account was actually for her brother’s tax payments.  To the best of my knowledge the issue was never about taxes being unpaid.  The focus has been that Patrice’s brother’s taxes were paid but were reported as legitimate income from the software consultancy. The situation in the court did not include anything about Patrice’s taxes.

Did you have any knowledge of what was happening with the account Patrice managed for her brother?

I believed Patrice’s brother funded the account and she paid the bills he asked her to pay. These included bills and expenses for his three children in Lynnfield, his income taxes and to help out his and Patrice's mother.

Did you ever speak with Patrice about her brother’s account and what she was doing for him?

I viewed this at the time as simply an effort by Patrice to help out her family, including her brother's children and mother. This involved much more than writing checks, since she spent countless hours trying to be a second mother to the children. We never got any more specific than that and I did not believe there was anything wrong in what Patrice was doing.

I believe it is important to note that every marriage is different in its own ways.  For Patrice and I, we feel most comfortable with each of us dealing with our own family’s financial situations. For example, Patrice was extremely supportive when my mother passed away.  However, the financial matters were something I dealt with.

How is it that you did not know about the money coming into and going out of your family account?

It is important to understand that the account Patrice was assisting her brother with was not the account for our household.  It was a separate account for her brother, which she had access to.

Unfortunately, she found herself caught up in a mess her brother made and she regrets her role in it. I was not aware of any wrongdoing. As far as is known, I was not involved in any investigation. No charges were ever made against me

Did you profit from Patrice’s management of the account for her brother?

I did not get a dime from Patrice’s brother’s business.

The media has reported that as much as $7 million passed through this account.  How did you not know there was $7 million in an account being managed in your home?

Since these transactions were spread out over many years and because I did not participate in any transactions, I was unaware of any sum, large or small, that passed through the account. As it now appears, the lion’s share of money was for quarterly and annual income taxes for his business that were paid. 

Did your campaign ever receive any contributions from the account Patrice managed for her brother?

No, my campaign did not receive any contributions from the account Patrice managed for her brother. 

Did Patrice’s mother make contributions to your campaign from funds she received from the account Patrice managed for her brother?

There is no indication that any contributions made by Patrice’s mother came from funds from the account Patrice managed for her brother.  I have a great relationship with my mother-in-law.  She chose to make a few contributions to the campaign in connection with fundraising events over many years. Should it be determined that any money contributed by my mother-in-law came from her son’s illegal gambling business the campaign will certainly contribute a like sum to charity.  

I cannot find the statement you issued on this matter.  Would you please share it again?

My full statement released on October 6, 2010 is as follows:

Eight years ago, my wife Patrice, the Federal Court and Office of Probation collectively believed in the statements of her brother, Robert Eremian, when he sought and received permission to travel abroad to pursue a career in selling or licensing software to legal Internet gaming businesses. 

While Patrice disagreed with his decision to leave his family behind to move abroad, at the request of her brother, Patrice agreed to care for their ailing mother and serve as a de facto second mother to his three teenage children. Patrice agreed to do so out of care for her family, trust in her brother and belief that what he had at that time told the requisite authorities of his proposed venture was accurate.

Recently, allegations surfaced indicating Patrice’s trust in her brother was sorely misplaced as, according to prosecutors, Mr. Eremian violated the law. 

While devastated to learn that her brother might have deceived her and so many others, Patrice has acknowledged and agreed that she should have done more to personally investigate the true nature of Mr. Eremian’s business activities in the course of carrying out his requests in paying his children’s household expenses, family medical bills, and his personal bills and taxes from a checking account in which he deposited funds.

Accordingly, Patrice has entered into an agreement with the United States Attorney’s Office wherein she accepts full responsibility for being “willfully blind” to what her brother was doing.

She now realizes that the trust she formerly had in her brother was misplaced and she should have more aggressively questioned Mr. Eremian when he asked her to pay his personal, some family obligations and tax payments from an account he funded.  More specifically and while there are not any allegations of any income tax loss to the government, Patrice deeply regrets the role she played in forwarding his tax-related information that listed his earnings as “commissions” rather than “illegal gambling” income.

I stand by Patrice in this difficult time.

As she moves on with her life, she continues to be the primary caregiver to her own mother; a loving wife, mother and grandmother to her family; and a friend to the hundreds who know her.