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On the surface, it would appear that both former UB.com COO Paul Leggett and poker pro Phil Hellmuth have been absolved from any wrongdoing in a much publicized UB.com online poker insider cheating scandal.
In recordings scraped up from the computer hard drive of disgraced poker pro and UB.com insider, Hamilton, Greg Pierson, Daniel Friedberg and Sanford “Sandy” Millar openly discuss their involvement in fraud, manipulation of shareholders, bribery and theft on a massive scale.
A source close to the situation has revealed to Gambling911.com that neither Hellmuth, the face of UB.com for many years, or Leggett had anything to do with the fraud.
Leggett was brought in to clean up the mess created by the Absolute Poker cheating scandal, but soon faced a scandal of his own.
As the new face of Absolute Poker/Ultimate Bet (Cereus), Paul quickly became the poker world’s punching bag. Cheated players were looking for someone to blame, and Leggett was an easy target.
Leggett's name was mentioned multiple times during the recordings. But at no point did the group implicate him as being involved in any conspiracy to cover up the theft. On the contrary, they discussed how they might manipulate him.
At one point in the recording, Hamilton pushes to bring in his own shill investigator (Tom McEvoy), which Leggett rejects, preferring his own (a mathematician) to review hand histories.
The fact that they repeatedly say things like, "Paul keeps asking questions" or "Paul is looking for information," underscores the notion that he was being kept in the dark just as much as anyone else.
Leggett recently resurfaced at Amaya Gaming.
Amaya, which obtained a Web gambling license in Nevada, has hired Leggett as Head of their online gambling arm. This may actually be a wise choice on the surface but regulators in that state have reportedly been scrutinizing the hiring.
Then there is Phil Hellmuth.
The recordings make it clear that the actual perpetrators built a bubble around Phil Hellmuth. While not liked by all for his antics (Hellmuth is the self-proclaimed “Poker Brat”), he is among the most respected poker players and is currently the WSOP bracelet winner record holder.
Hellmuth wasted no time in voicing his disgust with the situation, releasing a statement soon after hearing the recordings.
Although Phil was an integral part of Ultimate Bet, Hamilton's inner circle had carefully built a "bubble" around him, limiting his access to information.
This is corroborated by the recording of the first meeting, when the group agrees that Hellmuth would be the "absolute worst person" to bring into the loop.
He was reportedly so convinced that Pierson wasn't involved, he refused to believe it until he heard the audio himself.
Another pro representing UB.com, Annie Duke, may not escape this scandal unscathed.
The secret recordings indicate that Duke obtained a copy of a tool that allows someone to cheat or see hole cards. One of the tournaments for which she had access to this tool (known as AuditMonster) was won by her then boyfriend (a poker novice), who took home a prize of over $200,000.
Can you say “coincidence”?
Probably not.
- Jagajeet Chiba, Gambling911.com
