Poker company co-founder pleads guilty in NYC

Recent Cases

The co-founder of an Internet poker company pleaded guilty Tuesday to conspiracy charges, admitting that he knew he was breaking the law when he arranged for U.S. banks to process gambling proceeds.

Brent Buckley, 31, entered the plea in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, saying he knew it was illegal to accept credit cards so that customers could gamble on the Internet.

"I knew that it was illegal to deceive the banks," Buckley told Magistrate Judge Ronald Ellis in a plea deal that calls for him to receive a sentence between a year and a year and a half in prison. Sentencing was set for April 19.

The charges stem from a prosecution that shut down U.S. operations of the three largest Internet companies last spring.

Buckley was a co-founder of Absolute Poker. Prosecutors said Absolute Poker, Full Tilt Poker and PokerStars tricked U.S. banks into processing billions of dollars of gambling transactions by disguising the money as payments to hundreds of non-existent online merchants purporting to sell merchandise such as jewelry and golf balls.

Buckley, who stood with his hands clasped behind his back, was described in court as the director of payments for Absolute Poker.

The U.S. in October 2006 enacted the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, which makes it a crime for gambling businesses to knowingly accept most forms of payment in connection with the participation of another person in unlawful Internet gambling.

Related listings

  • Ind. appeals court upholds man's 60-year sentence

    Ind. appeals court upholds man's 60-year sentence

    Recent Cases 12/19/2011

    The Indiana Court of Appeals has upheld a southern Indiana man's 60-year prison sentence for beating his girlfriend to death with a crowbar. The Princeton Daily Clarion reports the court ruled Thursday that 68-year-old Robert P. Spangler's sentence w...

  • Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP Announces Class Action

    Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP Announces Class Action

    Recent Cases 12/18/2011

    The law firm of Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP announces that class action lawsuits have been brought on behalf of purchasers of the common stock of The Cooper Companies, Inc. between March 4, 2011 and November 15, 2011, inclusive. If yo...

  • Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP Files Class Action Lawsuit

    Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP Files Class Action Lawsuit

    Recent Cases 12/15/2011

    Notice is hereby given that Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP has filed a class action lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York on behalf of all persons who purchased or acquired GLG Life Tech Corporation securities on...

Any contracts or any transactions can go awry at any time

We know your business means a lot to you and want to understand all the aspects of your business so that we can help you in the best ways possible. We don’t discriminate depending on the size of your company. Our mission statement is to represent all business owners and entrepreneurs by navigating them through the rough waters of business litigation and guiding them to success.

We are attorneys who want to make sure we understand your business objectives and goals before we start providing you with legal counsel individualized to your business. We know what it means to be dedicated to your business. After all, we are a business as well. And just like you, we want to provide the best service we can to our clients.

Any contracts or any transactions can go awry at any time. Sometimes, making important business decisions without legal help from business attorneys could cost you your business.We don’t want you or your business to be misconstrued by anyone. Our attorneys make sure that we communicate with you often to make sure we are giving you the legal guidance you need at all times. We make sure we are responsive in a timely-manner with every single one of our clients to help them identify risks and prevent legal battles before they arise.

Business News