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An extortion plot may be at the center of a murder that rocked the online poker world this past August.
PokerListings.com founder, Andreas Oscarsson was found shot dead in his native Sweden. He was only 36.
"At this point, we do not have any details other than he was found dead in his bed on the morning of August 3rd. He had been shot," the PokerListings.com website reported at the time. PokerListings is one of the most recognized poker portals in the world.
This week, Pokerati.com reveals that Oscarsson was to have testified against a man allegedly trying to extort him for $2 million dollars.
A 44-year-old man allegedly tried to extort PokerListings for nearly $2 million; the site's murdered cofounder, Andreas Oscarsson, was to testify against him this week on aggravated racketeering charges. The unidentified man claims he was working for operatives of billionaire Stefan Bengtsson, an early investor in PokerListings and one of the richest men in Sweden - supposedly trying to collect promised monies withheld after passage of the UIGEA.
Former PokerNews.com editor Haley Hintze has been following the story closely and reveals some interesting aspects of this case including that the Swedish press typically do not name suspects in cases until after a verdict is reached (hence, the alleged extortionist is being referred to only as a 44-year-old man).
The alleged extortionist claims to have been working for Stefan Bengtsson in his efforts to try and collect the $2 million. Bengtsson invested $250,000 into PokerListings in 2003 but only received $5 million in shares, according to Hintze.
According to police, Oscarsson was threatened and the alleged extortionist showed up at a meeting with PokerListings finance agents with Thomas Möller, former president of the Swedish Hells Angels.
Möller was president of the Hells Angels during the Great Nordic Biker War in the mid-'90s - a three-year gang battle across Scandinavia resulting in 11 dead and 96 wounded but has not been accused of any crimes in connection with this case.
Prior to Oscarsson's murder, one of his advisors was shot in the leg while getting the newspaper outside his house. Two men were arrested and later sentenced for this shooting.
Bengtsson is the nephew of Stefan Persson, a second-generation Swedish fashion magnate and philanthropist and, more importantly perhaps, the 18th richest person in the world.
Bengtsson is heir to the H&M fortune; his car collection includes a Koenigsegg, Audi A7 4.2 TDI, BMW Z8, Lamborghini Murcielago, Audi A6 Avant, Lamborghini Gallardo, and a Bentley Continental GT.
He is not a suspect in the case, according to police.
More sobering news revealed by Hintze is that 95 percent of violent crimes in Sweden go unsolved.
Sweden has 1 homicide per 100,000 inhabitants on average. This figure is in line with most European countries, which also have a level of between 1-2. According to studies, only 22 percent of those affected by violence reported the offence to the authorities
Christopher Costigan, Gambling911.com Publisher
