Cardinal Timothy Dolan longshot as oddsmakers peg favorites to replace Pope Benedict XVI

New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan is a longshot at the holy book to become Catholicism’s new world leader and first American pope.

Offshore oddsmakers have pegged Peter Turkson and Angelo Scola as slight favorites in a wide-open race to replace Pope Benedict XVI, who retired today in the first papal resignation in nearly 600 years.

Ghanaian Cardinal Turkson is nearly a 5-to-2 choice, according to various offshore bookies. Turkson’s papal hopes are pinned on conventional wisdom that cardinals want to pick a new leader from outside Europe, in a nod to the church’s new world growth.

G.N.Miller/New York Post

Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan.

But several Italian cardinals, playing with home-field advantage, could just as easily emerge on top when a new man is picked, according to oddsmakers.

Archbishop of Milan Scola is a little more than a 5-to-2 selection, while Vatican Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone [5-to-1 consensus] and Archbishop of Genoa Angelo Bagnasco [9-to-1] are also in the mix.

Canadian Cardinal Marc Ouellet appears to be the third pick in most virtual sportsbooks, hovering at about 4-to-1.

Cardinal Dolan, the popular, jovial leader of Big Apple Catholics, is a longshot with odds anywhere between 10-to-1 and 25-to-1.

No American has ever been pope.

Even though Turkson has emerged as the gambling favorite, oddsmakers are struggling to peg the next most likely challengers.

For example, Bagnasco is a 5-to-1 pick at British book William Hill but a 12-to-1 longshot at BetUs.com.

Nigerian Cardinal Francis Arinze is a hot 4-to-1 selection at BetUs.com but a 25-to-1 dog at Bovada.lv.

“Anytime you are dealing with non-sports related odds, it’s always difficult as we are setting these odds based on what so-called experts are saying about each candidate,” said Bovada.lv sportsbook manager Kevin Bradley.

“We will monitor how each candidate is bet and that is why you will see some movement in these odds.”

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Don’t get too personal on LinkedIn

Have you ever received a request to connect on LinkedIn from someone you didn’t know or couldn’t remember?

A few weeks ago, Josh Turner encountered this situation. The online request to connect came from a businessman on the opposite coast of the United States. It came with a short introduction that ended with “Let’s go Blues!” a reference to Turner’s favorite hockey team in St. Louis that he had mentioned in his profile. “It was a personal connection … that’s building rapport.”

LinkedIn is known for being the professional social network where members expect you to keep buttoned-down behavior and network online like you would at a business event. With more than 200 million registered users, the site facilitates interaction as a way to boost your stature, gain a potential customer or rub elbows with a future boss.

But unlike most other social networking sites, LinkedIn is all about business — and you need to take special care that you act accordingly. As in any workplace, the right amount of personal information sharing could be the foot in the door, say experts. The wrong amount could slam it closed.

“Anyone in business needs a professional online presence,’’ says Vanessa McGovern, the VP of Business Development for the Global Institute for Travel Entrepreneurs and a consultant to business owners on how to use LinkedIn. But they should also heed LinkedIn etiquette or risk sending the wrong messages.

One of the biggest mistakes, McGovern says is getting too personal — or not personal enough.

Sending a request to connect blindly equates to cold calling and likely will lead nowhere. Instead, it should come with a personal note, an explanation of who you are, where you met, or how the connection can benefit both parties, McGovern explains.

Your profile should get a little personal, too, she says. “Talk about yourself in the first person and add a personal flair — your goals, your passion … make yourself seem human.”

Beyond that, keep your LinkedIn posts, invitations, comments and photos professional, McGovern says.

If you had a hard day at the office or your child just won an award, you may want to share it with your personal network elsewhere — but not on LinkedIn.

“This is not Facebook. Only share what you would share at a professional networking event,” she says.

Another etiquette pitfall on LinkedIn is the hit and run — making a connection and not following up.

At least once a week, Ari Rollnick, a principal in kabookaboo, an integrated marketing agency in Coral Gables, gets a request to connect with someone on LinkedIn that he has never met or heard of before. The person will have no connections in common and share no information about why they want to build a rapport.

“I won’t accept. That’s a lost opportunity for them,” Rollnick says.

He approaches it differently. When Rollnick graduated from Emory with an MBA in 2001, he had a good idea that his classmates would excel in the business world. Now, Rollnick wanted to find out just where they went and reestablish a connection.

With a few clicks, he tracked down dozens of them on LinkedIn, requested a connection, and was back on their radar. Then came the follow-up — letting them know through emails, phone calls and posts that he was creating a two-way street for business exchange. “Rather than make that connection and disappearing , I let them know I wanted to open the door to conversation.”

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Jurors deliberating in money-laundering trial linked to South Florida ‘Ponzi scheme’

One-time Fort Lauderdale executive Steven Steiner and his former live-in partner, Henry Fecker III, had a taste for the finer things in life.

They owned multimillion-dollar homes on the waterfront in Fort Lauderdale and Camden, Maine, along with a Manhattan condo.

Now, a federal jury in Miami is deliberating whether the former partners laundered millions of dollars in ill-gotten profits from an investment scam allegedly run by Steiner’s former company, Mutual Benefits Corp. The company sold $1.25 billion worth of life insurance policies, held by people dying of AIDS, to investors who lost $830 million — among Florida’s biggest financial frauds, federal authorities say.

Both men, who stood trial for the past month, are charged with laundering millions through homes, hiding assets from authorities and lying to a court-appointed receiver who was seeking to reimburse Mutual Benefits investors who bought the so-called viatical policies.

The 54-count indictment charges them with conspiracy, money laundering and obstruction of justice, which carry potentially lengthy sentences.

Steiner, 60, a former Mutual Benefits vice president, has been detained at the Federal Detention Center in downtown Miami since his arrest in August 2011. Fecker, 58, who was arrested in Maine that summer, has been out on bond.

During trial in February, Steiner testified that no fraud was committed at Mutual Benefits and that he complied with his settlement obligations with the Securities and Exchange Commission and the court-appointed receiver, who took over the bankrupt company in 2004. Steiner also testified that his company was a “victim” of the receiver’s decision to wind down the business.

On the witness stand, Steiner name-dropped Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton and Phil Donohue as friends.

Fecker’s lawyer, Valentin Rodriguez, argued that his client was a dupe who was misled by Steiner.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jerrob Duffy depicted Steiner and Fecker as partners in crime, claiming they used “money from a massive Ponzi scheme” at Mutual Benefits to support their “lavish lifestyle.”

“When we started, we told you this case was about a crime spree, involving fraud, lies and deception,” Duffy said in closing arguments last week. “Now that you have heard all the evidence, you know that it is about ‘catch me if you can,’ a game of hide and seek.”

According to the indictment, Steiner and Fecker plotted to funnel nearly $11 million of Mutual Benefits proceeds through a consulting business, using the money for their Northeastern homes and lying about the real value of their assets to the court-appointed receiver for Mutual Benefits.

The receiver, Bob Martinez, was named by a federal judge in 2004 when the Securities and Exchange Commission shut down the company and froze its assets. The receiver recovered about $120 million for Mutual Benefits investors.

To obtain a favorable settlement with the SEC, Steiner and Fecker submitted a series of false and misleading documents to conceal their true financial condition, according to the indictment. In 2007, the SEC agreed to settle their liability for $5 million and later reduced the penalty to $3.95 million. But to date, Steiner and Fecker have paid only $750,000, according to Duffy and fellow prosecutor Dwayne Williams.

At trial, Duffy and fellow prosecutor Dwayne Williams sought to show that Steiner and Fecker actively thwarted the efforts of the court-appointed receiver and the Securities and Exchange Commission,

In one example, Fecker refinanced the waterfront Maine property in 2006 and placed the proceeds of $480,000 into a series of certified checks to conceal their existence from authorities, according to evidence at trial. Fecker then cashed the checks from 2008 through July 2011 to support him and Steiner.

In another instance, evidence showed that in late 2009, Steiner sold their luxury Manhattan apartment for $1.3 million but said the sale was for $1.1 million in documents submitted to the SEC and Mutual Benefits receiver.

Steiner allegedly provided “false and misleading testimony under oath” to the receiver about his assets, according to prosecutors.

Separately, Steiner is awaiting trial this spring on charges accusing him, his brother, Joel Steinger, and a one-time Mutual Benefits lawyer of conspiring to bilk investors between 1994 and 2003. (Although Steiner and Steinger are brothers, they spell their last names differently.)

Fecker was not charged in that fraud indictment, which was first filed in 2008.

So far, several former company employees, including president Peter Lombardi, have pleaded guilty and been sentenced to lengthy prison terms.

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Bobby Brown Sentenced to Jail for DUI

Bobby Brown has been sentenced to 55 days in jail for his second DUI conviction in a year.

The 44-year-old singer received the sentence Tuesday after his lawyer entered a plea of no contest on his behalf to charges that Brown was under the influence and driving on a suspended license when he was arrested in October 2012.

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He was ordered to report to jail beginning March 20 and was also placed on four years of informal probation and will be required to attend Alcoholics Anonymous sessions each week.

Brown also pleaded no contest last year to another charge of driving under the influence in connection with an arrest last April.

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Bernanke defends Fed's low-interest-rate policies

WASHINGTON — Facing criticism from Republican lawmakers, Chairman Ben Bernanke stood behind the Federal Reserve's low-interest-rate policies Wednesday and sought to reassure members of Congress that the central bank has a handle on the risks.

In his second day of testimony on Capitol Hill, Bernanke told members of the House Financial Services Committee that the bond purchases are needed to boost a still-weak economy and that they have helped create jobs for average Americans.

The bond purchases are intended to lower long-term interest rates. That encourages more borrowing and spending, which generates growth.

AP

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke testifies on Capitol Hill today.

Still, Republicans said the bond purchases could generate higher inflation.

"We have gone too far in monetary policy and the monetary easing and it is in this member's opinion time to pull back," said Rep. Gary Miller, R-Calif.

Bernanke said the Fed is weighing the costs and the benefits.

"We plan to have a continual discussion and review of both the costs and the benefits and try to make sure that we are taking the right steps given those costs and benefits," Bernanke told the House panel.

Bernanke's remarks during his semiannual monetary report to Congress largely repeated comments made a day earlier to a Senate panel.

The Fed chairman made clear that the Fed's low-interest-rate policies are giving crucial support to an economy still burdened by high unemployment. He also acknowledged the risks of keeping rates low indefinitely. But he expressed confidence that such risks pose little threat now and gave no signal that the Fed might shift away from those policies.

The aggressive program to buy $85 billion a month in Treasurys and mortgage bonds had kept borrowing costs low, he said. And that, in turn, has helped strengthen sectors such as housing and autos, he said.

Bernanke rejected a suggestion by Rep. John Campbell, R-Calif., that the Fed's policies were mainly helping the federal government with its borrowing needs and big banks and foreign governments.

"This is very much focused at the average American citizen," Bernanke said. "Our estimates are that we've helped create many private-sector jobs. ... People are able to buy houses at very low mortgage rates, refinancing at low mortgage rates. People are able to get car loans at low rates."

The low borrowing rates have boosted demand, Bernanke said, and that has helped to lift home prices, making home owners feel more financially secure.

"In a lot of dimensions, we have, I think, benefited Main Street and that's certainly our objective," Bernanke said.

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Drivers line up for $2.27 gas at the Finish Line in Sweetwater

Hundreds of cars were backed up for more than four blocks waiting for gas Wednesday at the Finish Line in Sweetwater.

Drawing the crowd: a special promotion at the gas station and convenience store on 109th Avenue and West Flagler Street.

Drivers started lining up at 5 a.m. to pay a cash price of $2.27 per gallon, close to a 50 percent savings.

The promotion was part of the “14 Days of Neighborly Love,” an event hosted by Miami-Dade Commissioner Jose “Pepe” Diaz. It started on Valentine’s Day and ended Wednesday.

Miami-Dade residents were able to take advantage of other services and goods at a discount or for free, such as tax preparation, marriage counseling, car washes, and free SunPass transponders.

Finish Line owner Tony Cuevas and Roly Ramirez, owner of Doral Collision Center and Exclusive motoring, sponsored the $2.27 gas on the event’s opening and closing day.

“We’re very grateful for the success that we have,” Ramirez said. “I always give back in some way or another.”

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Jurors to decide fate of Miami imam accused of aiding Pakistani Taliban

For two months, federal prosecutors portrayed Miami imam Hafiz Khan in the worst possible light: terrorist sympathizer, Taliban supporter and pathological liar.

“His whole defense is a lie,” Assistant U.S. Attorney John Shipley told 12 jurors Tuesday during closing arguments.

The 77-year-old Khan, with his hunched shoulders and flowing white beard, testified that he sent about $50,000 to Pakistan to help a religious school, the poor and his extended family overseas — not to arm Taliban militants bent on killing Americans and Pakistanis.

“This is America, folks,” his attorney, Khurrum Wahid, said during closings. “You don’t have to accept what the government tells you.”

Now, the jurors must decide the fate of Khan, the former Muslim cleric at the Flagler Mosque in Miami. Khan, who was arrested along other family members in May 2011, has stood trial on four counts of conspiring to provide material support to terrorists and to a foreign terrorist organization, as well as providing actual support in both conspiracies.

Each count — built upon evidence of FBI-recorded phone conversations, a wired informant and bank transactions between 2008 and 2010 — carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.

The prosecution’s case has had its share of setbacks. U.S. District Judge Robert Scola found that the evidence against Khan appeared “overwhelming” when he rejected the defendant’s bid for an acquittal at the end of trial. But the judge had also ruled midway through the trial that the government’s case against Khan’s son, Izhar Khan, a Broward imam, lacked evidence and threw it out.

Moreover, last summer prosecutors dropped the charges against another of Khan’s sons, Irfan, a Miami cab driver, without explanation.

Both brothers, along with another sibling, Ikram Khan, attended the closing arguments Tuesday with other supporters from the elderly imam’s mosque.

The case ultimately may come down to whether jurors believed Hafiz Khan, who was often evasive, unresponsive and rambling on the witness stand during four days of testimony last week.

Khan testified that he lied about his ostensible support for the Pakistani Taliban because he wanted to obtain $1 million from a purported Taliban sympathizer — who was actually an FBI informant — to help innocent victims of war in the Swat Valley region of Pakistan near the Afghanistan border.

Khan, who was unaware his conversations were being recorded, said he wished Americans would die in pursuit of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden and that terrorists would destroy the Pakistan government. He was also recorded praising the attempted 2010 Times Square bomb plot in New York City.

But on the witness stand, Khan testified his recorded statements were “all lies,” meant to curry favor with the FBI informant, known as Mahmood Siddiqui, who was paid $126,000 by the federal government for his undercover work. Siddiqui had promised Khan the money to help poor victims of the war between the Taliban and Pakistan.

“There are many times I am agreeing with him, but that does not mean that I mean it,” Khan testified.

Khan, a naturalized U.S. citizen who came to this country in 1994, sparred during cross-examination with Shipley, who grew frustrated as the frail yet feisty imam dodged his questions about his true beliefs about terrorism.

Shipley, however, pointed out that Khan made similar comments in other telephone conversations with friends and relatives that also were intercepted by the FBI.

Shipley’s colleague, prosecutor Sivashree Sundaram, said during closing arguments that the case was “straight forward.”

“This defendant convicted himself with his own words and actions,” Sundaram told jurors. “These are not the words of a peace-loving man.”

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Derek Hough Talks Maksim Chmerkovskiy Dancing with the Stars Exit

ET caught up with the brand-new cast of Dancing with the Stars season 16 after their big Good Morning America announcement Tuesday morning, where one looming question couldn't be ignored -- can the show survive without popular pro dancer Maksim Chrmerkovskiy?

"It's the nature of the show, you know. People aren't asked back certain seasons and come back later," pro dancer Derek Hough says. "It'll be a different dynamic but that's what it's about I suppose. I'm excited for the new pros."

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However, he did share that the producers of the ABC hit are trying to bring back a more "positive" vibe to the show -- and it's no secret that Maksim was a controversial figure in seasons past.

"We had a meeting with the producers, and like, we really want to bring the innocence back to the show and the positivity and the fun and not -- [yes] be competitive -- but we don't want to make it a negative competitiveness," Derek shares.

Derek, already a three-time winner of the coveted mirror ball trophy, is paired up with country star Kellie Pickler this season, who just happens to be the first crossover contestant from American Idol!

"It's exciting to kind of get the whole 'pick Pickler' thing going again and I don't know, it's great to step outside your comfort zone and try something new and I think it's when you do things like that you grow," an excited Kellie tells ET.

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Check out the video to hear thoughts from brand-new DWTS contestants like Olympic gymnast Aly Raisman, D.L. Hughley, Andy Dick, NFL wide receiver Jacoby Jones, Wynonna Judd and Real Housewives' Lisa Vanderpump.

Dancing with the Stars premieres March 26 on ABC.

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Carrie Fisher hospitalized after strange cruise performance: report

Carrie Fisher was hospitalized briefly after a strange, off-key performance she delivered aboard a Caribbean cruise, according to published reports today.

Fisher was treated for her bipolar condition, according to celebrity Web site TMZ.com, citing the actress' publicist.

"There was a medical incident related to Carrie Fisher’s bipolar disorder,” the rep said. “She went to the hospital briefly to adjust her medication and is feeling much better now."

The iconic “Star Wars” actress has openly discussed her battles with addiction and bipolar disorder.

Video surfaced last week of Fisher on a cruise ship, belting out a rambling, off-key standard. Her dog is on stage, where the pooch relieved himself.

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Univision bumps NBC into fifth place

A failing NBC has left Univision the fourth most popular network in the United States — at least for now.

The latest ratings from the February “sweeps” race — a milestone moment for network ratings in the television business — had NBC fall behind its Spanish-language rival. The Doral-based network finished the sweeps period with a viewership that amounted to 1.5 percent of all adults between 18 and 49. That’s considered the key demographic for television advertisers, and it’s the most common yardstick for measuring a network’s success.

The 1.5 percent share was ahead of NBC’s 1.2 percent share. CBS dominated the contest with a 4.9 percent share, followed by Fox (2.0 percent) and ABC (1.7 percent), according to EW.com.

Univision has beaten CBS before in the ratings race, but this is the first time the Spanish-language powerhouse has bested NBC. The victory is a bit sweeter since NBC owns Univision’s cross-town rival, Telemundo. As NBC slid, Univision saw audience for its news programs and telenovelas grow.

But the ratings pecking order can be topsy-turvy. In November, NBC took the fall sweeps contest with a No. 1 ranking, thanks to big audiences brought in by The Voice, Revolution and Sunday Night Football.

DOUGLAS HANKS

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