Payment Processor Ryan Lang Pleads Guilty to Black Friday Charges
Ryan Lang, a payment processor who was indicted in the United States on Black Friday, has pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges. Find out the details, and check out a recap of what the rest of the indicted individuals have done since April.
On April 15th, 2011, several individuals associated with the 3 largest online poker sites in the world at that time were criminally indicted in the United States. The charges against the men included bank fraud, money laundering, and illegal gambling offenses.
Of the 11 people who were indicted, 4 were identified as payment processors who had assisted the poker companies in conducting allegedly illegal financial transactions. Ryan Lang is one of those 4 payment processors.
Lang, a Canadian, pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges on Tuesday in a federal court in Manhattan. He admitted to helping poker companies break US laws which were intended to prevent transactions related to online gambling. To do so, he helped to create false statements to deceive banks.
The maximum possible punishment Lang can face is 30 years in prison, although due to his cooperation with the court system it is likely he will serve a much less significant amount of time.
What happened to everyone else?
With Ryan Lang entering a guilty plea this week, we thought it would be an opportune time to take a brief look at what the other 10 individuals facing Black Friday charges have done since April.
Isai Scheinberg and P.T. (PokerStars) - PokerStars operators Isai Scheinberg and P.T. haven't made any appearances in US courts since they were indicted, but they are not hiding in a remote part of the world either, they appear to continue their work at PokerStars HQ in the Isle of Man. PokerStars has continued to operate smoothly since Black Friday.
Raymond Bitar and Nelson Burtnick (Full Tilt Poker) - Full Tilt operators Ray Bitar and Nelson Burtnick haven't said much with respect to their own indictments since April, when Bitar issued a statement saying "I look forward to Mr. Burtnick's and my exoneration." Bitar has been involved with attempts to sell Full Tilt's assets over the last several months. Neither man has appeared in a US court.
Scott Tom (Absolute Poker) - Unlike his half-brother Brent Beckley, Absolute Poker founder Scott Tom hasn't been heard from in any capacity since Black Friday.
Brent Beckley (Absolute Poker) - Absolute Poker founder Brent Beckley pleaded guilty in December and stated in court that he knew he was breaking the law. He will be sentenced on April 19th, and is expected to spend 12-18 months in prison.
Ira Rubin (payment processor) - Ira Rubin entered a guilty plea on January 17th, 2012 to 3 of the 9 counts he was originally charged with. He will be sentenced in May, and is expected to be sentenced to 18-24 months in prison.
Bradley Franzen (payment processor) - Bradley Franzen pleaded not guilty within 1 week of Black Friday, but later regretted that decision. On May 23rd he pleaded guilty to several charges. He faces up to 30 years in prison, but it is unlikely his sentencing will be anywhere near that length of time.
Chad Elie (payment processor) and John Campos (SunFirst Bank) - Chad Elie, a payment processor, and John Campos, Vice Chairman of the Board and a part owner of SunFirst Bank, were each allegedly involved with the facilitation of transactions between the poker sites and US customers.
Elie and Campos have largely acted together following Black Friday. They were the first two arrestees, were released promptly, and in October filed motions for dismissal from their charges. In February a United States Judge denied their requests, and the two men will go to trial within the next few months.
PokerStrategy.com will continue to report on the progression of all legal proceedings related to Black Friday.
By Matt Kaufman
