Disgraced Online Poker Payment Processor Turned Rat Daniel Tzvetkoff Found Hiding Out in NYC

Australian payment processing tycoon Daniel Tzvetkoff is said to be in a US witness protection program or was.

Tzvetkoff had been slated to be the star witness against defendants in the infamous US Justice Department crackdown on Internet poker rooms last April (2011).

For the first time since his apprehension by authorities in the States more than 12 months ago, a smiling Tzvetkoff has finally been spotted by the Courier-Mail Saturday roaming the streets of Manhattan. 

From the Courier-Mail: 

Despite being public enemy No.1 in the online gambling community and ratting out his former mates, Tzvetkoff strolled carefree down Chinatown's popular Mott St yesterday, while his wife took happy family snaps with her iPhone.

While looking thinner than earlier photographs, Tzvetkoff looked every bit the relaxed father, stopping to play with his son and show him live fish through restaurant windows.

He wore his trademark jeans and suitjacket combo with a T-shirt underneath.

The newspaper notes that Tzvetkoff initially denied who he was.

"No that's not me,'' he said when asked. 

But then he continued on.

"Look, you're going to get in a lot of trouble. There are people with us who you're going to be in trouble with,'' Tzvetkoff said while pointing behind him.

When he couldn't specify who his secret protectors were he said: "Look mate, you're going to get in a lot of trouble with me right now''.

He hastily packed his family into a nearby taxi and drove off.

- Ace King, Gambling911.com