Richard Lee Charged w/promoting gambling

**Mousey** · 7th October 2007, 06:16 AM

Poker Player Charged for Promoting Gambling
Last Update: 5:44 pm

Police confirmed to News 4 WOAI that the District Attorney filed charges against Richard Lee for promoting gambling. He won millions at the World Series of Poker, but now San Antonio's most famous poker player is facing serious charges of gambling.

Police confirmed to News 4 WOAI that the District Attorney filed charges against Richard Lee for promoting gambling.

He won a fortune playing cards. He bought a big house in Shavano Park, then Richard Lee suffered a loss. Police froze his bank accounts and seized his cars, saying he was one of the biggest bookmakers in town. News 4 WOAI talked to Lee, when police began their investigation in 2006.

"Do I engage in illegal gambiling? You know, I don't think so," said Lee.

Police didn't buy that explanation and began digging deeper into Lee's gambling activities. They say he's been charged with promoting gambling. Former News 4 WOAI Natalia Zea questionned Lee a year ago about his gambling in the area.

"Were you working as an online bookie?" asked Zea.

"Like I told you before, I'm not going to stand here today and try to embellish or to ....

**SlotsWizard** · 7th October 2007, 07:58 AM

Well that article was very vague! WTF kind of "promoting" was he doing?

Harrah's promotes gambling ... Foxwoods promotes gambling ... Donald Trump promotes gambling ...

**jetset** · 7th October 2007, 09:45 AM

This has taken a long time to get to this stage, and you can find the detail on the original police raids on Richard Lee's San Antonio home and the reasons behind same in Casinomeister News archives.

It created a few headlines when the case broke, mainly due to Lee's relative fame as a top poker player.

**jetset** · 7th October 2007, 10:32 AM

POKER ACE CHARGED WITH PROMOTING

It's taken some time, but Richard Lee will now have his day in court

World Series of Poker ace player Richard Lee (56) now knows what charges he faces in his home town of San Antonio, Texas following the announcement that the local District Attorney has filed charges for promoting gambling.

San Antonio news media reported this week that the poker ace will finally have his day in court.

InfoPowa readers may recall last year's dramatic police raids of Lee's Texas home following an investigation into alleged bookmaking charges. The raid on his house, one of several targeted, resulted in the seizure of millions in property believed by authorities to be either the proceeds of a criminal operation or connected with same.

Four other individuals were named in the somewhat general charge of "promoting gambling," which is a misdemeanor offence under which those convicted could face maximum terms of a year in jail and a $4 000 fine. It is understood that plea deals are under negotiation prior to the case coming to court on November 7.

The other four people named in the charges are Lee's son-in-law, Lawrence 'Larry' Joseph Davenport (30) Matthew Colburn Winslow (57) Marco de Carlo Hernandez (31) and Daniel Ortiz (30).

District Attorney Susan Reed has additionally filed a civil forfeiture application to permanently confiscate the extensive cash and valuable property seized in the raid last year and in subsequent investigations. The application seeks an 80 percent retention by the state of the value of the seized cash and property, most of which belongs to Lee.

$2.7 million in cash, a 2005 Lexus LX470, a 2005 Mercedes S430, a 2004 Toyota 4Runner, a range of high-end luxury consumer goods from electronics and fashion accessories to watches are covered by the DA's application, which is opposed by Lee's lawyers, especially in regard to the cash, which Lee's legal team says is the remains of his $2 803 851 payday from the 2006 WSOP, but the prosecution claims is the 'fruits' of an illegal bookmaking operation.

The DA's case rests on allegations that a Costa Rican registered Internet sportsbetting site, Betbsbnow.com was operated by Lee and the others. Lee was frequently referred to throughout the investigation as the 'biggest bookie" in San Antonio nicknamed as "The Chinaman" in local circles, authorities have revealed.

**SlotsWizard** · 7th October 2007, 11:41 AM

I don't think Texas deserves to have its name attached to the popular Hold'em poker game any more.

I propose the game be renamed to Vegas Hold'em, for a couple reasons. It can legally be played for money in Vegas, but not in Texas. Both words contain five letters with an E, A and S occupying the same positions. Each word has two syllables, the last of which sounds similar, making for an easy and convenient replacement in existing works.

What was the URL of that web site where you can start a petition?

**Mousey** · 7th October 2007, 07:20 PM

While I think anyone is a fool for running a back room gambling or bookie joint in this day and age, I still find someone being charged with 'promoting gambling' rather chilling. If the anti-online gambling climate continues here in the states, could we see affiliates rounded up and intimidated or perhaps even prosecuted for 'promoting gambling'?

**lojo** · 7th October 2007, 08:23 PM

OM emmer effing GOD! Those nazi pukes! the freakin 'crime' only carries a $4,000 fine and these jackbooted m*therf-ing thugs can seize millions? F*******!!! It's a freaking misdemeanor for god's sake, what the hell is going on?

This crap (hidden laws, double jeopardy, ex post facto convictions, etc. is all a result of the war on drugs, which can easily be exposed now as the war on civil liberties. All they had to do was demonize drug users, sellers, and tell you that if you've done nothing wrong you have nothing to worry about (hitler speak) and people quietly bent over and let them. Then it was alkida, and now a war on gambling. A lot of these 'little' cases get upheld at superior court levels and create case law for you, me, joe blow, and your gramma and grandkids.

Why fight for a case like Richard Lee's? Because, as 'auditor' said, 'the only other option is NOT TO'.

They can't 'demonize' gamblers, make then seem less than human or paint them as common criminals like they did with the WOD, because gamblers ARE your gramma, your neighbor, me, you; and an overwhelming majority of Americans are opposed the government intruding into our private lives. This issue needs to be energized and polarized and shown to be precisely what it is - the next step in the loss of the land of the free from the most insidious enemy possible, ourselves.

**jetset** · 17th October 2007, 04:27 PM

RICHARD LEE COPS A PLEA

"No contest" statement entered in illegal gambling promotion charge

World Series of Poker ace Richard Lee will have to pay a heavy price for his alleged involvement in the promotion of illegal gambling in San Antonio - $2.2 million - as part of a plea bargain he has reached with San Antonio prosecutors, reports local media this week.

Lee pleaded �no contest� Tuesday to a charge of illegally promoting gambling in San Antonio, the result of dramatic police raids and confiscations last year (see previous InfoPowa reports).

In the raids on Lee's San Antonio home, police froze bank accounts and confiscated luxury cars. Seized in the raid was $2.7 million in cash, a 2005 Lexus LX470, a 2005 Mercedes S430, a 2004 Toyota 4Runner, a 2005 Mercedes S430, and a large amount of designer handbags, electronics, and watches.

The San Antonio DA's office and police department have taken over a year to finalise the case, which involved Lee and four others and a website branded Betbsbnow.com, which officials claimed booked sports bets.

Lee filed civil forfeiture proceedings to try and reclaim his seized property, claiming that it was part of the $2.8 million WSOP win from his poker playing. However, the district attorney's office used the cash and property as leverage for the plea negotiations, claiming that the money came from taking bets over the Internet.