OPEN LETTER
From: Oksana Baiul
To: Entertainment Tonight (CBS)
Date: February 20, 2014
Dear Entertainment Tonight:
You had invited me to do an interview concerning the Ladies’ Figure Skating results and my advice for gold medal winners. I had agreed subject to you allowing me to also use the interview to raise awareness to the more than 70 people killed and 600 injured in the Ukraine in their fight against Ukrainian government corruption.
Unfortunately, you pulled a “bait and switch” on me and instead dealt with issues in your program irrelevant to anything that we had agreed to discuss. I should have known better than to trust you after having only recently learned about the frauds and thefts from me of millions of dollars that began when I was a minor before my Olympic gold medal. Since your program did not address the issues upon which we had agreed, I take this opportunity to comment on what was supposed to be in your program.
The people of the Ukraine are fighting a vicious battle against organized crime, corruption and the forces of evil. While we shook the Soviet yoke in 1991, many of the corrupt, communist apparatchiks unfortunately managed to hold onto their positions. The crime and corruption continued but the Ukrainian people have finally had enough and are bravely making their stand. I pray for and support the valiant people of the Ukraine and wish for ultimate peace and happiness.
I likewise have made my stand against the organized crime and corruption that I have only learned about in the last two years. I filed a lawsuit in New York in October 2013 against numerous defendants for violations of RICO and other claims. William Morris Endeavor Entertainment, LLC (my former agents), Wallin, Simon & Black (my former business managers, financial advisors and accountants), Galina Zmievskaya (my former coach), Victor Petrenko, Nina Petrenko and Joseph Lemire are among the defendants. While I am not risking my personal health in my lawsuit like the people of the Ukraine are in their fight, we are nonetheless fighting the same thing, organized crime and corruption.
My advice to gold medal winners is to trust nobody and especially not talent agents, accountants, coaches or Entertainment Tonight.
God bless the newly crowned gold medal winners and God bless the people of the Ukraine.
OKSANA BAIUL
1994 Olympic GOLD Medalist, Ladies Figure Skating
1993 World Championship GOLD Medalist, Ladies Figure Skating
www.OksanaBaiul.com
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