Crime
Full Tilt Poker CEO Raymond Bitar Facing Prison Term 260 Times That of a Statutory Rapist
Some might be thinking, if Roman Polanski could evade US law enforcement for more than 30 years after being charged with raping a minor, surely the head man at Full Tilt Poker should have no problem remaining on the lam just as long. Bitar, after all, is not a rapist. He's simply a poker player who just happened to be running one of the largest online poker rooms in the world, and he made loads of money doing so.
Former Bookie Smothered in Bed: Wife and Daughter Sentenced to Life
The wife and daughter of a retired bookmaker, Don Banfield, have been found guilty of smothering the man to death for his insurance money.
Former tax inspector Shirley Banfield, 64, and her daughter Lynette, 40, admitted to two charges of conspiracy to defraud and charges of forgery as well as the perverting of course of justice, though they denied murdering Banfield 11 years ago.
The pair pocketed more than £120,000, some of which went into the purchase of their Canterbury, England home.
ScAYREy Fact: Bodog Founder’s Attorney Slotnick had Not Lost a Case in 12 Years
News of Bodog founder Calvin Ayre hiring the father-son tandem of Barry and Stuart Slotnick to represent him in a criminal case filed by the US Attorney’s Office in Maryland might not have resonated throughout the industry the way it should have. Hardly any industry media outside of Gambling911.com really reported on this story.
Man Who Bilked Charity Poker Events Out of $6k Gets 5 Years
A former Warrenville Adelman, Chris Halley, has been sentenced to 5 years for bilking $6000 from charity poker events.
The 28-year-old pleaded guilty last month to two counts of theft. Authorities say he accepted money to help two men run the events in Naperville last year.
Calvin Ayre Hires Slotnick Father Son Team to Take on Baltimore US Attorney
Bodog.com founder Calvin Ayre has hired the father son tandem of Barry and Stuart Slotnick to represent him just one month after being charged with money laundering by the US Attorney’s Office out of Maryland.
A-Rod Accused of Taking Part in Ponzi Scammer High Stakes Poker Game
A convicted ponzi scammer, Bradley Ruderman, testified in court on Thursday that he witnessed Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez (A-Rod) take part in one of his high stakes poker games, something Rodriguez has flatly denied in the past.
Gambling Addiction in Asian Community Highlighted After Quadruple Slaying in San Fran
Following the brutal slaying of five family members last week in their San Francisco home, New America Media’s Aruna Lee, Andrew Lam and Summer Chiang examined the gambling epidemic among Asians.
JetBlue Pilot Talked About ‘Sins in Las Vegas’ Before Diversion (Video)
JetBlue Airways captain Clayton Osbon’s erratic behavior Tuesday that forced Flight 191 en route to Las Vegas to make an emergency stopover in Amarillo, Texas included rants about the “Sins in Las Vegas”.
"We're not going to Vegas," Osbon said.
Judge Won’t Accept Guilty Plea in Online Poker Case
Just one day after banker John Campos entered into a guilty plea connected to the processing of payments for three large online poker rooms, a judge has disallowed the guilty plea.
Alderney Gaming Control Commission Publishes External Review of Full Tilt Poker
The Alderney Gaming Control Commission (AGCC) has published an independent external review of its investigation leading up to the revocation of Full Tilt Poker’s license last summer.
Full Tilt Poker was named in a US-Government indictment April 15, 2011. Executives from the beleaguered firm were charged with money laundering and bank fraud. Accounts connected to FTP were frozen. The company has not paid customers for nearly a year now.
Second Man Pleads Guilty to Charges Related to Full Tilt Poker, PokerStars Indictment
John Campos, the former vice-chairman of a Utah bank that processed payments for online poker firms Full Tilt.
Poker, UB.com and PokerStars has plead guilty to a single misdemeanor charge
San Francisco Murder Victims Identified: Suspect was Supposed to Have Been Deported
San Francisco medical examiner identified five victims in a grizzly early Friday morning slaying as Hua Shun Lei, 65, and Wan Yi Xi, 62, who were married, and their children Vincent Lei, 32, and Ying Xue Lei, 37. The other victim was Chia Huei Chu, 30, the girlfriend of Vincent Lei. All were found brutally murdered in an Ingleside district home.
Chad Elie Pleads Guilty in Full Tilt Poker, Black Friday Case
(Bloomberg) - Chad Elie, a Las Vegas man who processed payments for online poker companies, pleaded guilty to a scheme to deceive banks into processing hundreds of millions of dollars in Internet gambling transactions.
Elie, 32, was one of one of 11 people charged last April by prosecutors in the office of Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara in a revised indictment against the founders of PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker and Absolute Poker.
Gambling Debt May be at Center of Brutal San Francisco Quintuple Murder
Authorities in San Francisco now believe that a gambling debt could be the motive for a brutal quintuple murder that occurred in the Ingleside district Friday morning (March 23, 2012).
Laurent Tapie Relocates to Dublin to ‘Take Over Full Tilt Poker’
Laurent Tapie, the man behind the supposed deal to acquire shuttered Full Tilt Poker, has reportedly moved to that company’s Dublin base where he will reopen FTP for European players. Tapie’s firm, Group Bernard Tapie, operates out of France.
Full Tilt Poker is now going on one year owing customers millions of dollars after it had several bank accounts seized by US authorities. An indictment was handed down against two company executives charging them with bank fraud and money laundering. Full Tilt’s licensing arm eventually pulled the plug on the company last summer.
Full Tilt Poker, PokerStars, UB.com Given Extension by US Attorney
The US Attorney for the Southern District of New York has given online poker sites Full Tilt Poker, PokerStars and UB.com an extension deadline of May 14, 2012 in which to respond to an amended civil complaint.
Court Sketch Drawn of Online Poker Kingpin Turned Informant Daniel Tzvetkoff
An online poker payment processor turned informant, Australian Daniel Tzvetkoff, is due to become the US prosecutor’s star witness in a case against two defendants tied to the one-time “big three” Web cardrooms, Full Tilt Poker, PokerStars and UB.com.
A trial date is set for April 9 in New York City with defendants (and former colleagues of Tzvetkoff’s) electing not to enter into a plea bargain. Should this case not settle before the April 9 date, this could prove to be the "Trial of the Century", at least as far as the poker community is concerned.
Australian Online Poker ‘Snitch’ Daniel Tzvetkoff to Come Out of Hiding for Trial
The man many believe is solely responsible for the takedown of online poker giants, Full Tilt Poker, PokerStars and UB.com in the United States is finally about to come out of hiding, according to reports in Australian media.
Afghanistan Massacre Suspect Last Arrest at Casino
TACOMA, Wash. — (Associated Press) -- A police report says the U.S. soldier accused of killing 16 Afghan civilians was arrested in 2002 in the drunken assault of a casino security guard.
The report was obtained Tuesday by The News Tribune newspaper in Tacoma. It says someone called police to report that the soldier, Robert Bales, had threatened another customer. Two security guards told him to leave, but Bales got out of his cab, picked up a trash can lid and rushed the guards, punching one in the chest before they tackled him.
Full Tilt Poker Deal Could Happen This Week
Reports have surfaced that the Groupe Bernard Tapie (GBT) is fully prepared to acquire the Full Tilt Poker website as early as this week. While we have heard the same song and dance for months now, there is renewed optimism as a result of the specific time frame being announced.
Tom Jones, Englebert Humperdinck Millions Went to Pay Off Mob Bosses
Legendary performers Tom Jones and Englebert Humperdinck lost millions as a result of their manager, music mogul Gordon Mills, siphoning off the cash to pay gambling debts to the Mob, according to reports that surfaced this week.
Mills, who passed away from cancer in 1986, is reported to have owed $320 million in gambling debts.
The monies disappeared from Las Vegas shows that were on a retainer of $8,000 (£5,000) per week.
FBI Probes Auburn Point Shaving: Guard Varez Ward Implicated (Video)
The FBI has begun a probe into possible point shaving at Auburn, specifically suspended point guard Varez Ward. He is accused of attempted point shaving in at least two games, according to a Yahoo Sports report filed Thursday.
The FBI began its investigation in late February centering on losses to Alabama on Feb. 7 and Arkansas on Jan. 25.
All 6 Defendants in Alabama Political Gambling Corruption Case Acquitted
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — (Associated Press) - A jury acquitted a casino owner, three current or former state lawmakers and two other defendants on all counts Wednesday in a high-profile federal case that alleged the legislators were being bribed to legalize gambling in the state.
Wired.com: Uncle Sam’s Iron Grip on the .Com Domain Name
In light of several high profile seizures of .com domain names within the online gambling sector as well as Web streaming and imitation merchandise, Wired.com has published a well thought out piece regarding the current climate and how Uncle Sam is expected to continue going after .com domains.
Full Tilt Poker Head Ray Bitar: ‘I’m Sorry’
In his first interview since Full Tilt Poker went belly up last summer owing countless numbers of customers millions of dollars, CEO Ray Bitar tells the poker world “I’m sorry”.
Bitar, along with other Internet poker execs from three different companies, were indicted last April, charged with bank fraud and money laundering.
Banker, One Time Billionaire R. Allen Stanford Found Guilty on 13 of 14 Counts
A billionaire banker who maintained a significant presence in Antigua, R. Allen Stanford, has been found guilty on 13 of 14 counts.
Antigua is among the leading Internet gambling jurisdictions serving the US market. It was widely reported at the time of his arrest that gambling operators maintained accounts with Stanford’s bank on the Caribbean island.
Double-Murderer Poker Pro was Devout Mormon Opposed to Gambling
What's up with the Mormon Church and gambling?
Mormons are supposed to be against all vice, including premarital sex, smoking, drinking, drugs and even cursing.
And, of course, gambling is on that list.
But, in recent weeks, some of the most famous Mormons in the U.S. have expressed their love and affinity for gambling.
And now it has been revealed that one of the most infamous Mormons in the country is a true devotee of gambling who made a living at it!
Jury in Alabama Gambling Corruption Case Deliberates for 5th Day
MONTGOMERY, Ala. – (Associated Press) - The jury in Alabama's gambling corruption trial deliberated for a fifth day Monday, with a juror who became ill Sunday returning for the day's talks.
Deliberations were cut short Sunday afternoon when a juror with a known blood pressure problem became ill. A court official said the juror was checked out by a doctor and resumed work Monday morning with the rest of the panel.
British Poker Player Faces Murder Charges in US: Allegedly Killed Wife
British poker player Marcus Bebb-Jones, 48, is accused of killing his wife and dumping her body in western Colorado in 1997. A preliminary hearing has been running from February 24 and is scheduled to end March 15.
A judge will decide if there is enough evidence to move forward with a trial.
British police arrested Bebb-Jones in Worcestershire, England, in 2009. He was extradited only after prosecutors said they would seek a life sentence and not a death sentence if convicted of killing his then wife, Sabrina Bebb-Jones.
Memo to Calvin Ayre: Head for Hong Kong…or Zimbabwe!
They say Laos is lovely this time of year.
So are Qatar, Angola and Nepal.
Vietnam gets a little hot, however, as does Cambodia and Indonesia.
And of course Libya, Tunisia and Syria are hot spots right now too, but in a different way.
For Canadian billionaire and Bodog.com founder Calvin Ayre, however, these Third-World hell-holes might be looking like islands of paradise right about now.
