Police raided the home of Latonya Holmes-Ivey on Thanksgiving Day, the Indianapolis Star reports. Holmes-Ivey, who gets Section 8 assistance for the apartment she lives in with her three children, claimed she has no income. But investigators charge that Artest pays all of her bills through a company that he set up. They said she failed to report this income, defrauding taxpayers out of more than $34,000.
While tearing through his Thanksgiving meal, Artest fired off a series of inflammatory tweets that exploded in cyberspace.
“Why did the state of Indiana have to bother this black family on Thanksgiving?” Artest tweeted from his ThugRaider37 Twitter account. “Couldn’t it wait until tomorrow? … I will get back to eating. But it was important to show what Indiana was [doing] to me on the American holiday. Happy Turkey Day!!!!!”
Artest ignited the worst fan-player brawl in NBA history five years ago in Auburn Hills, Mich., when he ran into the stands to pummel players in response to someone throwing a cup of beer on him. Following that fan clash at the close of the Detroit Pistons game, Artest (an Indiana Pacer at the time) was suspended for the remainder of the season, levied a record fine and traded to the Houston Rockets before landing with the Lakers this year alongside Kobe Bryant. Back in the mid-1990s, his famous on-court rough play broke Michael Jordan’s ribs during a summer workout. Artest is one of the most feared players in the game because of his unpredictability, chiseled physique and thunderous temper.
However, Artest’s philanthropy has been overlooked, as he tweeted on Thanksgiving: “Ron Artest fraud? I just gave out multiple scholarships to American citizens and fed cancer patients at a L.A. hospital for Thanksgiving.”
Unfortunately for Artest, his community deeds are mostly overshadowed by his penchant for outbursts and trouble. And the police, it appears, are following suit. He acknowledged that authorities have searched his property, though the Indianapolis Star says he’s not a focal point of the investigation. Also, Artest tweeted that his car was recently searched in Los Angeles for drugs and guns because, as he says, his friends look like thugs. –terry shropshire
