Internet Gambling Stung by Feds

Like the "war on drugs", there has been much federal focus on eradicating those ubiquitous illegal gaming sites.  Yesterday, the feds moved against the owners of two of the biggest sites on the web.

Indictments were unsealed by the U.S. Attorney in Manhattan against the owners of PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker.  The feds have seized all their holdings in the United States.

You may recall that back in 2006, Congress passed the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, an anti-gaming law prohibiting banks from processing winnings from internet gambling sites.  PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker, among other sites, developed ways around the law, disguising gamblers' payments as sales for jewlery, flowers and other goods.

The U.S. Attorney alleges the schemes amount to bank fraud and money laundering.  The case is complicated by the foreign residence of the primary defendants.  Two of the gambling sites, for example, are located in Ireland.

At least 3 arrests were made, however, in Las Vegas and Utah, while the FBI coordinates with Interpol to secure nearly a dozen other named defendants.

The Internet domains of the main sites have been seized by the FBI with a notice posted on the home pages warning would-be Internet gamblers of possible crimes they could be committing under the United States Code.  Approximately 15-million Americans visit gambling sites on any given day.

Well, looks like this could be the end of Internet gambling in the U.S.

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Posted in: FBI,federal,federal court,Full Tilt Poker,internet gambling,interpol,Las Vegas,PokerStars,U. S. Attorney

Interview with Michigan Supreme Court Justice Maura Corrigan

In 1989, I completed an 18-month stint as a research attorney with the Court of Appeals.  My next job was an associate attorney position in the appellate section of Plunkett & Cooney, then a Detroit-based firm.  Another attorney that joined the firm at the same time was Maura Corrigan.

At the time, Corrigan narrowly missed a choice (political) federal appointment as the U.S. Attorney for Detroit in the Bush 41 era.  It was a professional perk to work alongside Justice Corrigan for two-years before she was appointed to the Court of Appeals; subsequently getting elected to the Michigan Supreme Court.

In yet another example of how fast and wide legal information is spread via the Internet, an excellent podcast series known as "Assistance of Counsel" kicks-off with an interview with Justice Corrigan.  Assistance of Counsel is the product of former-Oakland County Prosecutor Paul Stablein, a partner in the Royal Oak firm of Flood, Lanctot, Connor & Stablein.

Stablin says, over time, the other Justices will be interviewed along with jurists from all levels of our legal system.  What a fantastic resource to learn about who our elected jurists are, and what they think.  

Good luck with the podcasts Paul; and keep your informative posts about our state's great common law tapestry coming.

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Posted in: Justice Maura Corrigan,Michigan Court of Appeals,Michigan Supreme Court,Oakland County Prosecutor,Paul Stablein,Plunkett and Cooney,U. S. Attorney