Poker Player Richard Lee Goes for PleaPoker pro and top 10 2006 World Series of Poker finisher, Richard Lee, pleaded “no contest” Tuesday to a charge of illegally promoting gambling in San Antonio. Lee was alleged to have been running an online sports betting enterprise from his home.
As part of the deal he struck with prosecutors, he'll have to give up 2.2 million dollars.
The San Antonio police department had been investigating Lee for more than a year. They claim Lee and four business partners were behind www.betbsbnow.com, which booked sports bets. Law enforcement froze his bank accounts and confiscated his cars. They raided his home and seized $2.7 million in cash, a 2005 Lexus LX470, a 2005 Mercedes S430, a 2004 Toyota 4Runner, a 2005 Mercedes S430, and a truckload of designer handbags, electronics, and watches.
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Lee filed civil forfeiture proceedings to try and reclaim his seized property, but the district attorney's office used the cash and property as leverage for the plea negotiations, according to WOAI, a San Antonio news affiliate.
Lee claims that the money seized was part of the $2.8 million he won for his sixth-place finish last summer. The authorities say the money came from taking bets over the Internet.
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Ace King, Gambling911.com
Originally published October 17, 2007 8:26 am ET
