Should NBC Poker Pro Be Deported Back to Iran?   Sex in Exchange for a Skateboard

Gambling911.com has revealed the details of what really transpired back in 1995 when professional poker player, Shahram Sheikhan, was convicted for sexual battery and annoyance or molestation of a child as reported by the Las Vegas Review Journal.  Neither Sheikhan, his attorney or producers from NBC's "Poker After Dark" would speak to Gambling911.com regarding the nature of his crime. 

Sheikhan, you might recall, appeared on "Poker After Dark" this month.  NBC is the same network that brings us "To Catch a Predator", a series of hidden camera investigations by the television newsmagazine Dateline NBC devoted to the subject of identifying and detaining potential child sexual abusers who contact minors (or individuals whom they believe to be minors) over the Internet for sexual liasons.

Tom Somach of PokerHelper.com first broke the story of Sheikhan's appearance on the NBC late night poker reality show even though the US Government was attempting to deport him back to his birthplace of Iran.

Immigration officials arrested Sheikhan at his Las Vegas home on Aug. 30, according to documents filed with the U.S. District Court in Las Vegas.

He was held for more than a week at the North Las Vegas Detention Center before being released on a $10,000 bond.

Federal authorities said at the time they were looking to deport Sheikhan because of a 1995 misdemeanor conviction in Contra Costa County, Calif.

"This individual was targeted for ICE arrest because of his criminal history," Virginia Kice, a spokeswoman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement told the Las Vegas Review Journal. "ICE has an ongoing initiative called Operation Predator targeting individuals, including foreign nationals, who prey upon and sexually exploit children.

"We want to see him removed from the United States."

Sheikhan, a 38-year-old legal permanent U.S. resident, arrived in the United States at the age of 9.

"I felt like a piece of meat"

Enlisting the help of Perved Primates Gambling911.com can reveal that two teenage girls testified that Sheikan (at the time 26) had repeatedly asked them for sex, and became increasingly aggressive after they turned him down. Eventually, he began physically pulling them onto his lap and demanding hugs. In one incident, he put his hands down the younger girl's pants.  The teens were 17 and 16, respectively. 

The manager of a downtown youth clothing and amenities store at the time of his arrest, Sheikan ran a "diversity" store catering to teenagers with items such as clothing, backpacks, and posters.

It should be noted that a jury convicted Sheikan of three misdemeanor counts of child molestation for verbal sexual harassment of the two girls.  The jury also found him guilty of one misdemeanor count of sexual battery against the younger girl.

Two other teens testified against Sheikan during his trial, but Sheikan was not convicted on any charges related to them. The jury acquitted Sheikan on two counts and deadlocked on the rest, said Walnut Creek-Danville Municipal Court Judge Bruce Mills.

"I felt like a piece of meat," one girl testified. "We felt we should stand up for ourselves. I had nightmares about him, and I didn't want other people to have to go through this."

Sheikan told reporters at the time the convictions were "all just a big misunderstanding."

The climate of the store was one full of flirtation and sexual innuendo, he said.

"When I first opened the store, we had tons of girls and guys who wanted to hang out and be part of something. All day long I would have to hear what guys they wanted to be with. . . they were constantly talking about sex."

He did not deny trial testimony that he tried to persuade the two girls to have sex in exchange for a skateboard, but said he was kidding.

"It was just a big joke and that's why I'm sitting in this hole." Sheikan said. "I am not a criminal. I'm a businessman. I don't prey on young girls."

During sentencing Mills admonished Sheikan for denying under oath that the crimes took place and said Sheikan's testimony was not credible.

Sheikhan still owns six local Diversity shops that sell tattoos, piercings, clothing and other items.  He is an accomplished poker player who reached the final table at the 2005 World Series of Poker main event, where he verbally sparred with another player, Mike Matusow.

Court documents indicate that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security believes Sheikhan is "subject to removal from the United States" in part based on a section of the Immigration and Nationality Act that allows deportation for conviction "of two crimes involving moral turpitude not arising out of a single scheme of criminal misconduct."