The co-founder of the virtual poker room Absolute Poker, Brent Beckley, has just decided to plead guilty on all charges against him. He is accused of fraud and hosting illegal bets online.

The events of Black Friday

During the famous Black Friday, last April 15th, mentioned in that post, the FBI seized the domain names of 3 major sites in the US market. Today, there is a tendancy to consider this day as the beginning of major issues over at Fulltilit Poker, covered here and there, while two other actors were also impacted: Pokerstars and Absolute Poker, where the problems are far more dramatic as we were writing in this post.

The confessions of Brent Beckley

At his hearing in the federal court of Manhattan, Brent Beckley admitted that he knowingly provided his US users with illegal gambling services online, while the US legislation has prohibited it since 2006. In addition, he confessed cheating on banks and simplify fund transfers for his players. Indeed, Brent Beckley was telling banks that funds transitting in his virtual room came in fact from flower and pet accessories business. This way, he used his work force to launch shell companies and many fake sites to cover his real activity. 

The penalty

As Brent Beckley decided to plead guilty, he faces 12 to 18 months in prison. Therefore, he cannot be charged with the maximum penalty for this type of crime, namely 30 years in prison. The final verdict is expect next April 19th.