| HeraldNet - Snohomish County's online news source |
 WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2010 7:17 am |
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Nation & World 
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White House party crashers’ life not all glitz The gate-crashing couple was beset with both financial and family problems. WASHINGTON — Before Tareq and Michaele Salahi catapulted to international notoriety as possible White House gate-crashers this week, the Virginia socialites had their pictures taken with President Obama during his inauguration, Prince Charles at a polo match and Oprah Winfrey at another event. They had Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy speak at their elaborate wedding, which more than 1,800 guests attended.Friends describe the 40-something pair as “fun-loving” and unabashed about pursuing the spotlight and playing the debonair couple who know and are known by all the right people. But now, Secret Service agents have been seen trying to track down the pair to learn how they managed to get into Obama’s first state dinner; interviews and court records also show the couple have a far less glamorous side. These documents and statements include dozens of civil suits alleging non-payment for services, a long-running feud with Tareq Salahi’s parents about ownership and control of their now-idle 108-acre winery and claims the couple made about accomplishments that can’t be verified. Casey Margenau, a McLean, Va.-based real estate agent and longtime friend of Tareq Salahi, said he had talked with the couple on Thursday. He said the investigation was “hard on them,” because the couple believed they “really were invited guests.” “There’s a video out there of Tareq opening a champagne bottle with a saber,” Margenau said. “That’s him. That’s his personality ... they’ve always loved living large, always loved living in the spotlight. They have strong personalities and are very outgoing. Some people like that and some people really dislike it, so much that, well, sometimes people hate you when you’re like that.” The circumstances of the state dinner at the White House on Tuesday remain unclear. The Post asked the couple via Facebook how they happened to attend the dinner. Tareq, captain of the America’s Cup Polo team, responded: “India is the challenger in the America’s Polo Cup World Championships June 11-12 2010, and they are very excited in this first ever cultural connection being hosted on the DC National Mall since Polo is one of the primary sports in India.” When pressed about why they did not appear on the official list, he added, “It was last-minute attending.” The pair is slated to be on “Larry King Live” show Monday night. The couple was featured in DC Style magazine during its short-lived run a few years ago. They are posed at mid-distance in a stylish, high-ceiling bar. He’s wearing black slacks with a white tuxedo top, hands in pockets. She is next to him in a tight, short dress, turned away, both hands pressed against a wall, head tilted forward, lips pursed into a pout, left leg arched up on tiptoe. It’s a glamorous image. Tareq Salahi’s stake to local fame and wealth stems from the family winery, Oasis, in Fauquier County. It is one of Virginia’s oldest, founded in 1977 by Dirgham and Corinne Salahi. It was known for its sparkling blended wines, and it hosted large social events and provided an attractive tourist destination. But it had fallen into debt in recent years. The family put it up for sale in 2007, and a year ago it was still on the market for $4.7 million. In February 2009, according to court records, the winery filed for bankruptcy. In a civil suit in Fauquier County, Va., Circuit Court last year, Dirgham and Corinne Salahi alleged that Tareq had interfered with the winery’s sale. The bankruptcy papers describe the repossession last year of a 2004 Aston Martin valued at $150,000, and a Carver 350 Mariner boat valued at $90,000. The document lists $334,000 in assets and $965,000 in liabilities. According a video posted on YouTube, the couple’s wedding and the reception (the latter held at the winery) featured “28 Bridesmaids, 28 Groomsmen, 8 Flower Girls ... a 36 piece Big-Band during dinner & dancing ... 186 catering food servers ... 36,000 square feet of tenting ... 50 Bar tenders ... 46 Chefs ... 15 Official photographers ... 8 Video cameras with full film crew/sound team ... one camera man standing on a Construction Crane 300 feet above the Cathedral.” On Wednesday, the day after the state dinner, Michaele Salahi came into Georgetown’s Roche Salon. She had been there the week before, a visit that was filmed for possible inclusion in “The Real Housewives of Washington,” a potential reality show planned for Bravo. On her second visit, she was excited about the White House event. “She was telling me all about the dinner,” the owner said. “She was like, it was really great. She said they didn’t get home until 5. Then she came back in here.” As to how she got into the event, “she alluded to me is that she had White House clearance,” the owner said. “I took that to mean, if she had White House clearance, she had an invitation.” Diane Weiss, tasting room manager at Oasis, said secret service agents came to the winery Friday, seeking the couple. She quoted one agent as saying: “We’re not here to arrest them today. We’re just looking to talk to them. It’s very imperative that we talk to them.” |
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- State already raising fees and rates that restrict business growth
- Some legislators again targeting people’s initiative petition rights
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