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Rapper Kenny Clutch (real name is Kenneth Cherry Jr.) was the victim of Thursday morning’s shooing in the valet area of the Aria Resort and Casino that left two other individuals dead after Clutch’s out of control Maserati slammed into a taxi.
Quite a few people may have believed it was disgraced poker pro Howard Lederer who was gunned down based on searches coming into the Gambling911.com website.
Lederer is arguably one of the most hated men in poker today following a complaint lodged against him in 2011 by the US Justice Department alleging the pro helped orchestrate an elaborate ponzi scheme in connection with Full Tilt Poker, a company that has since been purchased by PokerStars. Lederer was once a part owner of Full Tilt Poker. He settled late last year and agreed to forfeit $1.25 million.
“There aren’t too many people in Vegas who own a Maserati,” suggests Payton O’Brien, Head of the Gambling911.com website. “Lederer happens to be one of them.”
O’Brien noted that Gambling911.com comes up first in Google search when someone types in “Howard Lederer Maserati”.
“And there were plenty of searches Thursday,” O’Brien said. "When this story first broke, the victims names were not known. We just knew the individual shot was behind the wheel of a Maserati near the Aria Hotel and Casino."
Whether Lederer still owns the 2008 Maserati remains unclear. The US Government had attempted to seize other vehicles from the poker pro including four Audis and a 1965 Shelby Cobra.
He also has been frequenting the Aria poker room of late and there’s been plenty of animosity directed towards him. One man even drew up a petition to keep Lederer from playing poker at the casino.
Police are still searching for the black Land Rover involved in Thursday morning’s shooting.
In an added twist, hundreds of gaming industry professionals were in Las Vegas this week to attend the iGaming North America Conference, considered the biggest event of its kind, leaving many Gambling911.com readers concerned over the fate of their loved one's and co-workers.
- Ace King, Gambling911.com
