Republicans are stepping up pressure on Massachusetts Rep. John Tierney in the wake of fresh claims he knew about his in-laws’ illegal offshore gambling ring and let his wife take the fall for it.

The claims against the eight-term Democratic congressman rekindled the gambling scandal as a campaign issue — his wife’s brothers are at the center of it and have faced charges for running the Antigua-based operation. The congressman’s wife also was sentenced to 30 days in jail in January 2011, but so far Tierney has stayed above the allegations.

Last week, though, Tierney’s brother-in-law Daniel Eremian reportedly called Tierney a “liar” and said he “knew everything” after Eremian was sentenced to three years in prison. The next day, another brother-in-law — Robert Eremian, who is still living as a fugitive in Antigua — told the Boston Globe the same thing.

“I will verify everything that my brother said, which will show John Tierney is lying,” Eremian told the newspaper, in a phone interview from the island. He has been indicted on illegal gambling and money laundering charges for running Sports Off Shore there. He also alleged Tierney “threw my sister under the bus for his political career.”

Read more