Campos Sentenced To Prison In Web Poker CaseFormer Banker Gets Three Months For Gambling Misdemeanor |
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Facing a sentence of up to six months in prison after accepting a plea deal in connection with April 2011’s Black Friday, former Utah banker John Campos was sentenced to three months behind bars, Bloomberg.com reported.
Campos, appearing in front of a federal judge in Manhattan on Wednesday, was seeking only probation from his misdemeanor bank gambling offense. In addition to the three months, Campos was hit with three years probation. He agreed to a lifetime ban from banking as part of his deal with prosecutors.
Campos’ SunFirst Bank processed more than $200 million worth of online poker transactions, some that were for Full Tilt Poker, the online site the government has accused of running a “global Ponzi scheme” to the tune of more than $440 million.
Before Wednesday’s hearing, Campos’ counsel submitted a 30-page memo to Judge Lewis Kaplan, arguing that Campos, aside from the crime he admitted to, “has lived an exemplary life.” His attorneys also wrote that he was “by far the least culpable” among those charged. Ten others associated with the offshore poker scandal were named in the criminal indictment.
The letter continues: “Campos received virtually no personal financial gain as a
result of his offense. While most if not all of the other defendants received millions […].”
Prosecutors shot back in their letter discussing Campos’ upcoming sentence by stating: “While it is true that Campos received only $4,500 as a direct payment for poker processing, his financial interest in the bank was such that he stood to benefit enormously if the bank was able to process poker transactions without getting caught. […] Campos’ only income came from the bank, and he owned more than 120,000 shares of bank stock. The bank was facing insolvency at the time, and without a new revenue stream, Campos stood to lose his only source of income, as well as his considerable investment in the bank.”
Lawyers on both sides are also in disagreement on whether Campos knew that processing Internet poker transactions was illegal. The government said it has “powerful evidence” that Campos was explicitly warned by the bank’s lawyer.
In an effort to gain sympathy for their client, a friend of Campos was quoted as writing: “John’s sentence began the second he was arrested. He has lost nearly everything since this all began. He has lost his marriage, his standing in the community, his business, his home, and his income. The man who many sought out for help, partnership, and advice has been personally and professionally set back 30 years, which is more time than he reasonably has left on earth.”
The 59-year-old has been working as a real estate agent to support himself, his counsel wrote.
This spring, Judge Kaplan had questioned allowing Campos to plead to a misdemeanor. At one point, Campos was facing up to 45 years in prison if convicted on the felony charges.
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