There are reports of Russian fishermen salting fresh caviar in their bathtubs and selling it to shady operators.

"A crook, a confidence man, an all-around shady operator."

There were no shady operators or allegations of financial payoffs.

"I'm sure there are any number of shady operators out there who would pay all sorts of money to have you in their hip pocket."

Yet market forces aren't weeding out the shady operators, either.

Among the shadier operators, the costs to investors can be far higher.

"This involves famous dealers and art houses, not just shady operators."

But the public is thought to be opposed to bailing out shady operators of failed credit unions.

Some sort of big business tycoon-but a shady operator.

If the consolidator cannot tell you which airline you will fly on, this is not a sure indicator of a shady operator.