Feds Freeze Online Poker Bank Accounts!

**LRDell** · 11th June 2009, 01:38 AM

From Foxnews website - didn't know if anyone had seen this. Sure hope what I am waiting for from Cherry Red isn't affected!

Feds Freeze Online Poker Bank Accounts
Wednesday, June 10, 2009

PrintShareThisWASHINGTON � An advocacy group for online poker said Tuesday that the federal government has frozen more than $30 million in the accounts of payment processors that handle the winnings of thousands of online poker players.

The Justice Department has long maintained that Internet gambling is illegal, a view that the poker group challenges.

The Poker Players Alliance told The Associated Press that the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York instructed three banks to freeze the accounts.

Documents obtained by the AP show that a judge in the district issued a seizure warrant last week for an account at a Wells Fargo bank in San Francisco, and that a federal prosecutor told a bank in Arizona to freeze an account.

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In a letter dated Friday and faxed to Alliance Bank of Arizona, the prosecutor said that accounts held by payment processor Allied Systems Inc. are subject to seizure and forfeiture "because they constitute property involved in money laundering transactions and illegal gambling offenses."

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The letter was signed by Arlo Devlin-Brown, the assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York.

In another letter faxed the same day, Devlin-Brown asks that the bank treat the funds "as legally seized" by the FBI, saying that the government has probable cause that the gambling payments of U.S. residents had been directed to offshore illegal Internet gambling businesses.

A spokeswoman at the Southern District declined to comment.

John Pappas, executive director of the Poker Players Alliance, called the government's move an "unprecedented action" against online poker players.

In a letter Monday night to Devlin-Brown, Pappas said that the funds belong to the alliance's members, and requested that his group be notified and given the opportunity to be heard regarding attempts to seize the frozen funds.

"The PPA will pursue every legal course available to ensure that poker players' funds are not seized and their right to play poker online is protected," he wrote.

**greedygirl** · 11th June 2009, 03:01 AM

[QUOTE=LRDell;304119]From Foxnews website - didn't know if anyone had seen this. Sure hope what I am waiting for from Cherry Red isn't affected!

This is all poker-related and looks to be focussed on Poker Stars and Full Tilt Poker, so I'm fairly certain you have nothing to worry about with your casino withdrawal.

To read more about this:

http://www.pokeraffiliatelistings.co...ds-frozen.html

Also interesting is the discussion over at the PPA:

http://theppa.org/forums/topic/519

Poker News Daily
http://www.pokernewsdaily.com/bounce...er-rooms-2820/

Plus much more over at twoplustwo.com

FWIW...from what I understand, FTP and Poker Stars are committed to getting these players paid.

**silcnlayc** · 11th June 2009, 04:15 AM

Has the government finally lost their mind???? OMG....THEY all need to be locked up and all their funds siezed and frozen as crooked as they are !!

I really can't believe they have truly done something so brazen and bold that it makes one shudder to think that the gestapo is at the door again (I am from europe during the rebellions and they did do this)...awful, awful days and memories and this brings back those days of lawlessness...where the government is not accountable!!!

.

**lots0** · 11th June 2009, 05:01 AM

I do believe that there are lawsuits being considered against some Government employees over this.

The legal action that seized this money was filed in New York and there is NO law in New York that says people can't bet on poker...

These morons in the government have over stepped their boundaries again...

I understand there are law suits being considered against the government lawyers that filed this bogus action... about time these ass hole government lawyers were made to face the consequences of their actions (like the rest of us have too).

**Jasminebed** · 11th June 2009, 04:50 PM

This is outrageous. It should take a court order and evidence that money laundering is occuring for each individual account.

Another good reason to maintain an account just for your gambling.

**jod5413** · 11th June 2009, 05:09 PM

Originally Posted by lots0

I do believe that there are lawsuits being considered against some Government employees over this.

The legal action that seized this money was filed in New York and there is NO law in New York that says people can't bet on poker...

These morons in the government have over stepped their boundaries again...

I understand there are law suits being considered against the government lawyers that filed this bogus action... about time these ass hole government lawyers were made to face the consequences of their actions (like the rest of us have too).

Amen to that, Lotso!!!

**love2winalot** · 11th June 2009, 06:40 PM

Hiya: Like Jas said, have a bank acct that you only use for your internet gambling. Go open another bank acct and transfer all your other money into that one. Also, what i am going to do, is start making smaller withdraws, more often, via check, just to be on the safe side.