Oak Island man convicted of helping Dick’s VP get kickbacks

UTICA, NY (SYRACUSE.COM) — A federal jury in Utica has convicted a former lawyer for Dick’s Sporting Goods of money-laundering and fraud in connection with the establishment of 22 new stores across the country.

Benjamin Viloski, 62, of Oak Island, N.C., was convicted Friday of nine counts of fraud, money-laundering and making false statements for helping former Dick’s vice president Joseph Queri Jr. collect $2 million in kickbacks from developers building new stores from 1999 to 2004.

Queri, formerly of Syracuse, pleaded guilty in February to taking the kickbacks while he was Dick’s vice president of real estate. Viloski got little of the kickback money, but benefited from the scheme by getting Dick’s business as a lawyer and broker on real estate deals, Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven Clymer said.

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