PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker, and Absolute Poker Seized by FBI

Dyno_Don · 04-15-2011, 02:12 PM

Eleven poker sites were seized by the FBI today and amoung them include PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker and Absolute Poker.

And I quote from the heading on their document; "MANHATTAN U.S. ATTORNEY CHARGES PRINCIPALS OF THREE LARGEST INTERNET POKER COMPANIES WITH BANK FRAUD, ILLEGAL GAMBLING OFFENSES AND LAUNDERING BILLIONS IN ILLEGAL GAMBLING PROCEEDS"

Here's more from the DOJ document dated April 15, 2011...

Quote:

Multi-Billion Dollar Civil Money Laundering And Forfeiture Action Also Filed
Internet Domain Names Used By The Poker Companies Seized

PREET BHARARA, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and JANICE FEDARCYK, the Assistant-Director-in-Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation ("FBI"), announced the unsealing of an Indictment today charging eleven defendants, including the founders of the three largest Internet poker companies doing business in the United States - PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker, and Absolute Poker (the "Poker Companies") - with bank fraud, money laundering, and illegal gambling offenses. The United States also filed a civil money laundering and in rem forfeiture complaint (the "Civil Complaint") against the Poker Companies, their assets, and the assets of several payment processors for the Poker Companies. In addition, restraining orders were issued against more than 75 bank accounts utilized by the Poker Companies and their payment processors, and five Internet domain names used by the Poker Companies to host their illegal pokergames were seized.

If you missed it the first time, read the full DOJ Document and tell us what you think.

I would think the FBI and our government would save this country a whole lot more hundreds of millions by using their resources to ship out illeagals!

This has happened in the past as well, with two of the above named poker sites seized; It happened two other times back in Sept 2008 and again in June 2009, where both Full Tilt Poker and Poker Stars had millions seized by the FBI.

No telling what the outcome of this one will be, but let's hope these internet poker sites will win.

There's going to be big repercussions from this latest FBI seizure, you can Bet on it; "go all in"!

dominique · 04-15-2011, 02:26 PM

An interesting segment from that document:

Quote:

The Indictment and Civil Complaint seek at least $3
billion in civil money laundering penalties and forfeiture from
the Poker Companies and the defendants. The District Court
issued an order restraining approximately 76 bank accounts in 14
countries containing the proceeds of the charged offenses.

I guess that's one way to balance the budget.

Wouldn't it be a lot wiser to make this long term by legalizing online poker and collecting licence fees and taxes?

BSClay · 04-15-2011, 02:36 PM

You would think...

Wow, I can't believe those 3 poker sites took that hit. They were the big time players. I am just still in aw.

Dyno_Don · 04-15-2011, 02:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dominique

An interesting segment from that document:

I guess that's one way to balance the budget.

Wouldn't it be a lot wiser to make this long term by legalizing online poker and collecting licence fees and taxes?

OMG! I guess I didn't read enough of that article... "at least $3 billion in civil money laundering penalties"?!

You know, since the time this "so called" UIGEA was passed, the FBI could have rounded up all the illegal aliens, shipped them back to their countries and saved the US... I don't know, maybe $5 billion.

Think off all our American assets going towards giving free health care (that most Americans cannot get) and free food and housing to illegal immagrants, if those illegals were not here.

Something to think about isn't it?

Free the internet poker sites!!!

dcputernut · 04-15-2011, 04:35 PM

OMG! that is a big deal.....But I gotta say.....What will the vegas casino's do now without many US players in their WSOP tourneys.....these places really help US players get in.

dominique · 04-15-2011, 06:01 PM

Well, the Wynn in Vegas will be none to happy - they just entered in partnership with Pokerstar!

pokerbum · 04-15-2011, 06:43 PM

This will sure throw a wrench in the works. And its a trickle down effect.

I actually liked watching the televised poker games and Im not one that cares for poker much.

With the money the DOJ is collecting from all these people and sites, they should be able to pay off most of the national debt.

And like Dyno Don said, a lot could be saved by sending illegal aliens back home. Heck between the two they could wipe out the national debt.

They need to get to legalizing, regulating, and taxing online gambling of all types and get it over with but I guess that will come after all this sort of thing is done?

pokergirl40 · 04-15-2011, 07:20 PM

I agree what a way to balance the budget, it is 3 big places ton be hit in such a way

pokerbum · 04-16-2011, 08:45 AM

These are very big poker places and for them to get hit this way is a real shock. I can imagine that this is a big topic of conversation among poker players.

Imagine the amount of people that played poker online every day. And now they are left high and dry.

Can you imagine the amount of money that the government could glean from regulating and taxing poker? The amount of money coming in from the taxing over the next 10 years would be a monumental amount.

dominique · 04-17-2011, 07:12 AM

The crazy thing is how it all came to be.

There you have a guy making 150,000 a DAY, and he wants more and steals millions from the poker places.

Now, they don't get anyplace suing him, so when they hear he is in Vegas they turn him in to get revenge.

He gets arrested - and wonder of wonders - he tries to save his skin by turning in everything he knows about how they are processing player money.

I can see this sort of thing happening with 5 year olds, but, Helloooo

?