white house crasher bio on wikipedia..read while still available

[medeak]

Tareq Salahi
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This is related to the following current event: 2009 White House gatecrash incident. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses.

Tareq Dirgham Salahi (born May 26, 1968) is a vintner known for being accused for crashing, along with his wife Michaele, the November 24, 2009 White House state dinner in honor of visiting Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.<1><2>

Contents
1 Family & Early Life
2 Oasis Winery
3 Public Service
4 Polo
5 Controversies
6 References
7 External Links

Family & Early Life
Tareq's father's side of the family is from Pakistan though his father Dirgham Salahi was born in Jerusalem. His mother Corinne is from Belgium. Dirgham was educated as a petroleum geologist and worked in the Middle East and United States. He retired and settled in Virginia where he became manager of an estate farm which he then subsequently bought. Corrine Salahi is the founder and director of the Montessori School of Alexandria, Virginia.

Tareq is a graduate of the University of California, Davis with a bachelors degree in business management and oenology.<3><4>

Tareq met then model Michaele Holt at the 2000 holiday party thrown by McLean, Virginia real estate developer N. Casey Margenau and his wife Molly. Tareq married Michaele in 2003 in a lavish ceremony at Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in Washington DC with 28 bridesmaids, 28 groomsmen, and, according to a video posted on YouTube and her Facebook page, enjoyed a reception at the Tareq family winery prepared by 46 chefs hosted in a 36,000 square-foot tent, capped off with a 30-minute fireworks display and an eight-foot wedding cake. The guest list included 1,836 guests featuring Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy and former U.S. Ambassador to Ireland Margaret Heckler. The wedding originally scheduled for October 2002 was postponed numerous times prompting Kennedy to quip that he needed to issue "subpoenas" to the bride and groom<2><5><3>.

Oasis Winery
In 1977 the Salahi family planted on their estate farm some of the first Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot vines in Virginia starting the Oasis Winery in Hume, Virginia, at the time the fifth winery in the commonwealth<6>. The vineyard and winery were expanded and the estate developed so that ancillary income could be brought in through use as a function and polo venue. In 1994 Tareq was named the winery's managing director<3>.

The vineyard's Meritage line won Gold Medals at 1994 and 1996 world wine championships. In 1998 Tareq launched a Cuvee "Celebration" sparkling wine, which also garnered top awards.

In 2005 health problems caused Dirgham to become an alcoholic prompting Corrine to take a more active role in the winery. Tareq and Corrine feuded bitterly over spending and the dispute ended up bankrupting the operation. At its high point the winery's assets included a bottled water business, a fleet of town cars and limos, a $3 million luxury yacht for charters and a rental condo in St. Thomas. Disputes with neighbors added another $2 million to the winery's legal bills.<7><8>

In September 2007, Hurricane Isabel wiped out the entire Oasis crop. On November 27 2007, Fauquier County Judge Jeffrey W. Parker who was overseeing the bankruptcy of the winery approved the sale of the property and assets of Oasis Vineyard Inc. for $4.15 million to a partnership headed by Margenau, that is to be run by Tareq. The Salahis plan to reopen Oasis to the public in 2010<6><3>.

Public Service
In 2000 Virginia Governor Jim Gilmore impressed with Salahi's plan to market Virginia wine to the world appointed Tareq to a three year term on the Virginia Wine Board. At the conclusion of that term Virginia Governor Mark Warner nominated Tareq chairman of the Virginia Wine Tourism Office. Tareq is currently one of 15 board members of the Virginia Tourism Corporation, a "board that shapes Virginia's tourism policy", appointed by Gov. Tim Kaine in 2006. During his time in office the Virginia Wineway, Loudoun Wine Trail, Blue Ridge Wineway and Virginia Wineries Alliance were created, attracting, according to a USDA study, 980,000 wine tourists to the state, of which 336,000 visited Piedmont wineries<3><9><10><11><12><13><14>.

Polo
Salahi is an accomplished polo player, having started show jumping at 5, competed in numerous international Grand Prix events, before taking up polo at 16. He was a regular competitor on the U.S. National Team and his Oasis squad won two U.S. Polo Association National Arena Titles in 1997 and 1998<15>.

After a match in 1999, Salahi, who had been playing on the American team at a polo match at Windsor Castle in Great Britain, was afterwards invited to a private reception honoring HRH Prince Charles, then a player on the British team. At the exact moment that Salahi was to extend his hand to Charles for a simple “grip and grin” photo, an associate suddenly emerged from behind a curtain and thrust a magnum of Oasis Vineyards Special 2000 Millenium Sparkling Wine into the hands of the surprised prince<7>.

During preparations for the 400th Anniversary of the founding of Jamestown in 2007 Salahi founded the America's Polo Cup to bring more attention to the sport. Salahi and his wife are co-chairs of the event, with family friend and former American Gladiator Jonathan Byrne assistant chair in 2007. However, after a physical altercation between Salahi and Byrne during the inaugural match, Byrne left the organization.<16>

The current chief sponsor of the Cup is Land Rover (which, along with Jaguar Cars, was recently sold by Ford Motors). The traditionally British auto brand currently belongs to Tata Motors, controlled by Indian industrialist Dr. Ratan Tata, who was one of the guests in attendance at the White House.<17>

Controversies
Tareq Salahi has been involved in numerous controversies over the years, most famously the 2009 White House gatecrash incident where he and Michaele are accused of entering a state dinner without an invitation. Michaele Salahi is rumored to be one of the featured housewives on Bravo's upcoming The Real Housewives of DC and sources say cameramen for the show filmed their preparations for the dinner and followed the couple to the White House.<18><19><20>

Tareq and Michaele have been accused of running a bogus charity, and Virginia State Attorney General Bill Mims told reporter Alex Bogdonovich of The Fauquier Times-Democrat in May 2009 that the Salahis’ charitable organization, Journey for a Cure, was not registered with the State Corporation Commission and warned givers that the State “could not be assured that funds were being spent for charitable purposes.”<21><7>

Tareq was a board member of the American Task Force on Palestine, Since the gate crashing incident mention of Salahi has been removed from the group's website.<22>

The Salahis have had numerous fights with their neighbors, stemming from the expansion of the winery and disputes over live music, disputes that in 2005 caused the Fauquier County Zoning Office limited event activities to 12 wine tastings per year. That action prompted Michaele Salahi to register as a lobbyist in Richmond and her efforts succeed in passing House Bill 2643, which removed the power of county zoning authorities to regulate "customary or usual" vineyard activities, such as wine dinners or weddings.<3>

The Salahis are reported to be embroiled in as many as 15 civil suits. Sheila Johnson, the co-founder of Black Entertainment Television and proprietor of Salamander Resort & Spa in Middleburg, Virginia, claimed in Loudoun County General District Court in a filing last year that her catering business is owed more than $300,000 by the Salahi for a 2008 America's Polo Cup event, a Hume-based caterer, Jerome Farmer, told Washington Life he is still owed $30,000 from Salahi for catering services for the 2009 America's Polo Cup, and Robb Levin told Time magazine that he won a $15,000 judgment against the Salahis, but has yet to collect a penny.<23><2><24><25><8><26>

References
1.^ "Feds: Couple crashed Obama's state dinner". 2009-11-26. http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/11/25/state.dinner.crashers/index.html.
2.^ a b c Cristina Corbin (2009-11-26). "Who Are the White House Party Crashers?". Fox News. http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/11/26/white-house-party-crashers/.
3.^ a b c d e f John Arundel (2007-12-05). "Feud Ends: McLean Realtor Buys Oasis Vineyard". Fairfax County Times & WTOP. http://www.wtop.com/?nid=728&pid=0&sid=1304144&page=2.
4.^ Elisabeth Frater (2002) Breaking Away to Virginia and Maryland Wineries. Washington, D.C. Capital Books. p 54. ISBN:1892123797
5.^ "HOLT-SALAHI OCTOBER WEDDING". http://www.washingtonlife.com/backissues/archives/02mar/weddings.htm.
6.^ a b <1>
7.^ a b c John Arundel (2009-11-27). "WL Exclusive: White House Crash Not Only Issue for Salahis". http://www.washingtonlife.com/2009/11/27/wl-exclusive-white-house-crash-not-only-issue-for-salahis/2/.
8.^ a b Ian Shapira (2008-11-05). "Tangles in the Vine: A Storied Va. Winery Is Up for Sale, but a Complex Family Dispute Has Confronted Potential Buyers". Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/04/AR2008110403492.html.
9.^ Virginia General Assembly, House of Delegates (2001) Journal of the House of Delegates of the State of Virginia, Volume 1. Richmond. Commonwealth of Virginia. p 26
10.^ Virginia General Assembly, House of Delegates (2004) Acts of the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Virginia, Volume 2. Richmond. Commonwealth of Virginia.
11.^ Minutes Virginia Tourism Corporation Board Of Directors Meeting. 2007-09-24. http://www.virginia.gov/cmsportal3/cgi-bin/calendar-minute.cgi/minute.doc?details_f=C0726414563129931.
12.^ White House dinner crasher on Va. tourism board, Associated Press news item, November 28, 2009
13.^ Virginia Tourism Corporation Board of Directors
14.^ "Preident's Notes". Tourism Dashboard. 2006-08. http://www.vatc.org/newsletter/dashboard2006/dashboardAug06.htm.
15.^ Vicky Moon (2002) The Middleburg Mystique: A Peek Inside the Gates of Middleburg, Virginia. Washington, D.C.. Capital Books. pp. 86-87. ISBN:1931868026
16.^ "Va. Event Aims to Prove Polo Isn't Just for Princes". 2007-05-12. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/11/AR2007051102154.html. 7
17.^ http://www.americaspolocup.com/military.cfm
18.^ "The Real Housewives of DC". Pop Tower. http://www.poptower.com/real-housewives-of-dc.htm.
19.^ Roxanne Roberts and Amy Argetsinger. "'Housewives' Won't Come Clean". Washington Post. http://voices.washingtonpost.com/reliable-source/2009/10/rs-housewives5.html.
20.^ Helene Cooper, Janie Lorber, and Brian Stelter (2009-11-26). "Network Cameras Followed White House Crashers". http://www.gossiprocks.com/forum/u-s-politics-issues/118212-state-dinner-crashers-sad-lonely-reality-wannabes.html.
21.^ Marion Horsley (2009-05-13). "State warns public about charitable solicitation by Journey For The Cure Foundation". http://www.vdacs.virginia.gov/news/releases-b/051309journeycure.shtml.
22.^ Judi McLeod (2009-11-28). "Guess who came to dinner?". Canada Free Press. http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/17302.
23.^ Robb Levin (2009-11-27). "Quotes of the Day". http://www.time.com/time/quotes/0,26174,1943197,00.html.
24.^ Andrea Rodgers (2009-11-26). "Tareq and Michaele Salahi: Sari Behavior". http://askmissa.com/2009/11/26/tareq-and-michaele-salahi-sari-behavior/.
25.^ Amy Argetsinger and Roxanne Roberts (2009-11-26). "Off the list, but somehow on the South Lawn". Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/25/AR2009112504113.html?hpid=topnews.
26.^ "Tareq Dirgham Salahi's Rap Sheet". http://www.webofdeception.com/whitehousepartycrasher.html.
29. http://www.kabobfest.com/2009/11/tarek-salahi-coolest-arab-of-the-moment.html

[peacebird]

1. so a Pakistani crashes a state dinner for the Indian premiere? this just gets better all the time

:eyes:

[cali]

2. Oh, please. He's not a Pakistani anymore than President Obama is a Kenyan.

[peacebird]

3. corrected - a man born in Jerusalem with a Pakistani father and Belgian mother

gate crashes a state dinner for an Indian premier.

[cali]

4. bzzzt. He was born here, dear. try frickin' reading.

His father was born in Jerusalem. You sound just like the birthers about Obama. The guy's a total asshole, but he's an all American homegrown asshole.

[leveymg]

5. Flim-flam man. The incident with Prince Charles is telling. He's a self-promoting creep with

expensive tastes who will do anything for a buck. Anything to anybody.