New London-Waterford Speedbowl owner Bruce Bemer was sentenced to 10 years in prison Monday after being convicted in April of five felony charges, including participation in a sex trafficking ring involving drug addicted and mentally ill young men.
The 65-year old Bemer was also sentenced to five years probation and will be forced to register as a sex offender.
Bemer, who had been free on bail, was taken into custody after the sentencing. Judge Robin Pavia set an appeal bond of $750,000 for Bemer, who posted the bond and was out by 3:45 p.m. today.
According to the Hartford Courant, Bemer will be mandated to wear a GPS monitor, observe a 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. curfew and will not be allowed to leave the state.
On April 10 a jury in Danbury Superior Court found Bemer guilty of four counts of patronizing a trafficked person and one count of being an accessory to human trafficking. The jury had deliberated for about two days.
Before the conviction Bemer had been free on a $500,000 bond since his arrest in March 2017. That bond was increased to $1.25 million on April 10 by Pavia. Bemer posted the increased bail and had been free since the conviction.
Bemer faced a possible 60 years in prison. He had reportedly rejected a plea deal that would have spared him jail time previously.
Bemer’s attorney’s are expected move quickly on their appeal motions.
Bemer was the high bidder in a foreclosure auction of the Speedbowl in October 2014.
It’s unclear what the sentencing will mean for the future of the Speedbowl. The track has not opened for the 2019 season but current general manager Mike Serluca has continued to express optimism that the track would open for events this year.
Serluca continued to express that optimism on a Facebook Live posting on the Speedbowl Facebook page Monday afternoon.
“In light of recent developments today … I can’t really speak on that because I’m not a lawyer and that matter does not really concern me,” Serluca said. “… I can relay what I have been told from my boss, my higher up, who is Bruce Bemer, is that the construction project – no matter what happened today – would still be moving forward.”
The Speedbowl had announced a 22-event weekly racing schedule for their Saturday night weekly divisions for the 2019 season. The track was scheduled to open for the 2019 season with the running of Blastoff weekend May 11-12. The main grandstand at the Speedbowl was razed in January. There is no current expressed timetable for the construction of the new grandstand.
So this low life scumbag gets 10 years what happened to 60 May he die a slow painful death
Agree.
Not a fan of the out on bail during the appeal but hey……it’s the law.10 years sounds OK to me. Out years earlier with good behavior if he lives long enough. With a reduced bank account for sure.
Couple interesting morsels regarding the Speedbowl:
-Facebook-Speedbowl- June 5- Mike Serluca:
” The hold up at this point is still unfinalized plans from the engineers, and that’s the 100% only truth.”
” also, it has not been stagnant, that is an incorrect assessment. Other major work has been done within the supervision of town officials”
-Facebook -Blaise Brodeur-5/30/19
“Started New Job at New-London Waterford Speedbowl Marketing Director/ Announcer”
“I don’t know who’s worse, Palozi or Warren! I’m going with Warren! Nasty democratic bitch!!!”
Just put that last quote in there to show how perfect Brodeur is for the job of “Marketing Director”. at the Speedbowl. Making it clear from the start that women he doesn’t like or respect are bitches. Excuse me. It’s worse then that. Bitches and Democrats as well.
Just what the track needs. A backward stereotype to try to attract new patrons.
Wait, Blaise Brodeur is now the “Marketing Director” for the Speedbowl? Doesn’t he have an arrest record as well? Not a good sign of the things to come when you go from one convict to another.
Brodeur spoke the truth! Lol
Oh boy!!!!
Well, now we move on to appeals, and perhaps a retrial, just a few more years.
Things should really speed along now.
LOL!!!!
-Facebook-Speedbowl- June 5- Mike Serluca:
” The hold up at this point is still unfinalized plans from the engineers, and that’s the 100% only truth.”
I feel so much better that he said it was the 100% only truth. Don’t you? 🤣😂🤣😂
When you are dead, you don’t know that you are dead. It is only difficult for the others. It is the same when you are stupid. – unknown
If it was announced in like January that the season opening was going to be in May, how is it that on June 5th, engineering *PLANS* are still not ready? There are weeks or months of construction that take place AFTER the plans are approved. I do believe I was the first to predict there was no way the place was going to open in May. I made that prediction shortly after the opening schedule was announced. These engineering plans should have been done long before the place was demo’d. 🤣🤣🤣🤣
What a 🤡!!! A total 💩 show!!!!
The bowl is a great source of entertainment even when it isn’t open for business!!!!
🤡🤡🤡🤡😂🤣😂🤣
Yupper, expected that and Kathryn delivered.
I suspect many here and maybe even a strong majority feel that way.
The point was when you’re trying to sell something or hopefully you will be selling something in the Speedbowls case. Especially since it has an owner identified with objectifying human beings and you’re trying to dig yourself out from under that public relations disaster. It might be a good idea to avoid turning off large segments of potential customers by using locker room taunts from decades past to objectify a prominent woman that some may very well like. Or at the least don’t like the B-word used to describe any woman.
Then again it’s the Speedbowl so maybe it’s exactly the image they are shooting for. Kathryn seems to like it.
Bemer’s defense attorneys know that the witnesses did not like testifying, they were clearly ashamed, humiliated and embarrassed. The defense also knows that in a couple years it will be harder to find Bemer’s victims and to get victims to testify. Of all the victims this case created, they could only get a couple to testify as it was.
Or maybe because he’s sick of the liberal bs agenda, and the two he’s talking about are two that hold up the lying liberals agenda perfectly and ruin this country. You could just as easily put Schumer in there. Then what would the issue be?
Mitch (and everyone else),
This is not going to turn into a comments section debate on politics. The point Doug was trying to make was pretty clear, that someone with the title of Marketing Director for a public event entity probably shouldn’t be using public forums to post degrading and vulgar remarks about women, whether they’re politicians or anything else. I happen to agree that it’s a bad look for the business involved and that most typical businesses – especially those looking to welcome families into their events – would likely not want to see their employees using public forums in that fashion.
If I could just add one more thing. I’d bet I’m just as passionate regarding the political landscape as Mitch is even if I don’t share his conclusions.
My issue is with the B-word. I can say this. In almost 50 years of racing at but mostly going to Stafford as a fan, if I ever read a principle in management use that word to describe a women on social media or in public there would be no more visits to Stafford. Furthermore I don’t believe their culture or the Arute family that include some pretty influential women would ever allow that to happen or condone it if it did.
If you’re a fan of Waterford, want to see them make the improvements. open for racing and get past the never ending morass of bad publicity you should want an attitude that matches the gleaming new aluminum stands. That shouldn’t include 1950’s era attitudes toward women or minorities or any other group that many of we old white guys seem to have such a hard time understanding.
Pervs and misogynists running the place.
Then marketing the bowl as a family fun oriented place. Bring the family, bring the kiddies, and spend your hard earned discretionary money.
Which then begs the question: What kind of family? Know your audience. Surprised the bowl hasn’t hired Alex Jones to make special appearances and promotions. He’s desperate and will probably do so for a very cheap fee.
Here’s the funny thing about this… media outlets get flak for publishing these reports. What would be different if the media did not report on this stuff? Nothing… these deviants would still be deviants… they would still be in trouble… and the track would still not be any closer to opening. Just goes to show that facts denied are still facts.
I call women bitches all the time when I’m singing along to my favorite rap songs. If you got a problem with that then I’d call you a racist. And if anybody has an issue with keeping politics out of posts it’s dafella.
Hillary,
I didn’t say keep politics out of posts. Yeah, plenty of people make comparisons or remarks. I said there will not be a political debate here. Secondly, what you do in your own privacy is your own matter and choice. And if that’s how you refer to women, then so be it, that’s your choice to be that person. The point I was trying to make is that someone who publicly identifies as a member of a management staff at a business – most especially a public event entity that caters to families and women – should probably be more careful about the slurs, vulgarities or references to people that they use on public forums. Those opinions or references obviously reflect on the business that person works for. It’s a bad look and I think most in any business management setting would agree with that sentiment.
Hillary 2020, you sing along to *favorite* rap songs?
🤣🤣🤣😂😂😂🤣😂😂🤣🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣😂😂
Shawn, look no further than the acting Sec. of Defense. He’s been turned down for the permanent job because of family violence and how he treated his wife. Many people in the current Administration have been removed for unacceptable behavior. The Mooch was infamous. Many public figures and business executives are forced out when their seedy personal lives are exposed. Sarah Huckabee Sanders was forced out because of her claims of support of innumerable FBI agents for firing Comey, and when questioned by Mueller, she called that a “slip of the tongue”. There are many, many examples of people being forced out for inappropriate behavior on the job. We’ll have to see how long this Blaise guy lasts.
Hillary 2020, let me get this image complete… do you sing your favorite rap songs while driving along in your jacked Ford pickup with Confederate flag decorations, Trump bumper stickers and wearing a MAGA hat?
Wow, getting deep here. Plain and simple. Bemer was convicted, now he’s appealing the conviction, and he’s out on bail while it happens. This happens every day in America, and with worse people. What’s this mean for the ‘Bowl? Nothing business as usual, which is absolutely nothing. Sucks for the racers, and fans. Best possible outcome: someone comes to their senses, and sells track, preferably to a racer. Will it happen? Probly no.
Lets see if I can reel this one back in.
I was addressing one comment in a public domain by one person. Overall I’m thinking it was pretty solid and that most people that respect women can support or at least they should.
What it was not was painting the entire Speedbowl fan base in a negative light like DGF did.. Nor making some broad condemnation of the current administration like DGF did. Nor use it like Hillary did with his support of rap that is actually a common tactic heard on talk radio employed by mostly old white guys to take a dig at the culture of African Americans as a group.
If you have a problem with Elizabeth Warren, Nancy Pelosi or any other women for that matter simply use your words to say why. Hopefully without using the slur our grandfathers used to describe their mother in law behind her back after powering down a few brews at the family picnic.
Hey Sybil, Cybil, Insipid Sybil, Doug, WeldingWonders, RickinMass, et al., you used to regularly refer to women as “the chicks”, “chicks”, etc. You see anything disrespectful with that? If you ever referred to women as “chicks” around some of my female friends, you would experience a significant emotional event.
Anyways, from what I’ve read about the appeal, in that the defense alleges defective instructions to the jury, it appears that the defense is concerned about a lesson in grammar and definition of words, common English language wordy words. Note that the defense is not challenging the jury verdict, but that they are challenging the court process. It will be interesting to see how this turns out. The Judge already refused to vacate the decision and order a retrial, stating that the defense can go through the normal appeal process. Stay tuned. 🍿
It’s fair to say that some women may find the word “chicks” offensive.
It’s not fair to say there is equivalency between chicks and the B-word. Starting with the fact that chicks is usually a noun and the B-word most offensive when used as an adjective. Proceeding into equivalency of the women in question with a female dog or some other carnivorous mammals. Chicks are cute little fuzzy things.
Nor is their equivalency in comparing a comment by one specific person that may be construed as vulgar and using it to condemn an entire fan base as you did DGF.
Sybil, Cybil, Insipid Sybil, Doug, WeldingWonders, RickinMass you got perfect but then again you’ve had a lot of practice.
Let me complete the image for you. I’m doing all that on my way to the nearest klan rally.