Runner Up of 2011 WSOP Main Event Martin Stazko Was Target of Kidnap Plot

Submitted by Nagesh Rath on

Written by :

Nagesh Rath

Published on :

Czech poker pro Martin Staszko was the target of a kidnapping plot by a group of individuals suspected in the disappearance of two wealthy businessmen, it was revealed last week.

The plot was hatched shortly after Stazko took 2nd place at the 2011 World Series of Poker Main Event.  The runner up walked away with a cool $5,433,086.

Staszko only learned of the shock kidnapping scheme after authorities apprehended Michael Šváb (AKA Robert Kelner) and six other men last April.

Šváb’s crew allegedly tried to arrange a private poker game in Cannes, France that would feature Staszko as a “special guest of honor”.   Staszko, through a third party, politely declined the offer.

The gang reportedly had already lured a number of Czech businessmen into taking similar trips where they were ultimately kidnapped and held for ransom.  Two of the businessmen went missing.

The seven men are facing life sentences if convicted.

- Nagesh Rath, Gambling911.com

Related Content

Prison

Man Sentenced for Robbing Two Men at Reno Casinos as Hunt Continues for Tamarack Casino Bandit

Authorities say one of the victims was led down an alley and abruptly punched and knocked to the ground where he was then robbed of $1,400 in cash.
Ghislaine Maxwell

Top Republican Lawmaker Signals GOP Openness to Pardoning Ghislaine Maxwell ... Prediction Markets Chances Surge

Polymarket traders are giving U.S. President Donald Trump odds of pardoning convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell a price of +426 (implied 19% chance).
Hairdryer Paris Airport

Gambler Allegedly Used Hairdryer to Steal $35K From Online Betting Site

Paris police are investigating a complaint over alleged tampering of a weather sensor at its international airport, which led to an unusual spike in temperature readings, helping an unknown person make strong profits on the online betting platform Polymarket.
Arrests

43 Nabbed in Bust Tied to Mexican Mafia, Orange County Gambling Operation, Killing at Anaheim Hotel

68-count indictment alleges gang with ties to Mexican Mafia collected extortionate taxes and provided security, including the use of violence, to protect the illegal gambling businesses.