NBC’s late-night TV show “Poker After Dark” this week features as one of the poker-playing participants a convicted rapist whom the U.S. government tried to deport.

The theme of the show this week, according to a press release from NBC, is “Hecklers Week,” and features what the TV network describes as “six of the brashest talkers in the game.”

The release then lists the six poker pros–Phil “Poker Brat” Hellmuth Jr., Mike “The Mouth” Matusow, Shahram Sheikhan, Gavin Smith, Jean-Robert Bellande and Sam Grizzle–but makes no mention that one of them was convicted of raping a child, served time in prison and then was the focus of a deportation effort last year by the U.S. government. =A0 The player in question is Sheikhan, a 38-year-old Iran native and Las Vegas resident who, according to Tom Somach of PokerHelper.com, served nine months in prison and five years probation after being convicted of misdemeanor sexual battery against a 17-year-old girl in 1995.

The article in its entirety can be found here

 

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Tom Somach, PokerHelper.com

Originally published January 17, 2008 8:30 pm EST