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U.S. Department of Justice

Federal Bureau of Investigation
In Reply, Please Refer to Release No.

2111 West Roosevelt Road
Chicago, Illinois 60608
(312) 829-1199

 

February 23, 2007

NEVADA MAN CHARGED WITH INTERSTATE THREATS

Robert D. Grant, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); Philip J. Cline, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department (CPD) and Thomas Dart, Cook County Sheriff announced today the arrest of DANA C. MERINO, age 56, whose last known address was in Boulder City, Nevada. MERINO was arrested on Wednesday, without incident, by FBI Special Agents from the Las Vegas field office.

MERINO was charged in a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Chicago with one (1) count of Transmitting in Interstate Commerce a Threatening Communication, which is a felony offense. According to the complaint, MERINO has been involved in a lengthy dispute with the Chicago based Wilson Sporting Goods company over a product he developed for picking up tennis balls. In June of 2000, MERINO entered into a License Agreement with Wilson Sporting Goods to promote and sell this device, called the "Ballboy".  However, MERINO filed a civil complaint against Wilson Sporting Goods in May 2005, alleging fraud and conspiracy. Merino's case was dismissed by the District Court in Chicago and an appeal of this ruling is pending with the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago. Apparently dissatisfied with the status of the case and his relationship with Wilson Sporting Goods, MERINO is alleged to have sent a letter to several Wilson employees, threatening them and others with physical harm if his appeal was denied.

MERINO appeared in U.S. District Court in Las Vegas late yesterday, at which time he was ordered held without bond pending his next scheduled court appearance. The government will seek to have MERINO returned to Chicago to stand trial on the charge that has been filed against him. If convicted of this charge MERINO faces a possible sentence of up to 5 years incarceration.

This case was investigated by the Chicago FBI's Violent Crimes Task Force (VCTF), which is comprised of FBI Special Agents, Detectives from the CPD and Investigators from the Cook County Sheriff's Police Department.

The public is reminded that a complaint is not evidence of guilt and that all defendants in a criminal case are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

EDITOR'S NOTE: A copy of the criminal complaint filed in this case is available from the Chicago FBI's Press Office at (312) 829-1199.