Final Report on NYRA Delayed

The firm Getnick & Getnick, the federal monitor overseeing the operating procedures of the New York Racing Association (NYRA), has delayed submitting a report of their findings to the United States Attorney's office, which will turn over the report to Judge Arthur Spatt, the federal judge overseeing the matter. The report had an original submission date of Aug. 23 but that date has been pushed back to Sept. 13 at the request of the monitoring firm.

"The delay really doesn't impair us from doing our job and putting on a quality race meet," said Bill Nader, senior vice president of NYRA. "We've gone through this process now for 18 months and we can wait a little longer. It's a nervous time, but it's something we can handle. We're just hoping for the best."

The final report will serve as the basis for whether prosecutors end its case against NYRA or pursue a conviction that could shut down the group that runs Aqueduct, Belmont, and Saratoga.

The firm began monitoring the racing franchise in March 2004 and concluded its observations at the end of Belmont Park's spring/summer meeting July 24.

Getnick & Getnick was originally appointed to keep an eye on NYRA for prosecutors in the U.S. Attorney's office in the Eastern District of New York as part of a deal in which NYRA would open up its operations to a monitor. If it violated the specific terms of its deal, NYRA would be prosecuted for its role in a tax-avoidance scheme by former pari-mutuel tellers.