Former Online Poker Money Man Gets Three YearsIra Rubin Handed Lengthiest Prison Sentence So Far In Black Friday Case |
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On Thursday, Ira Rubin, a former payment processor for Absolute Poker/Ultimate Bet, PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker, was sentenced to three years in prison and a $5 million criminal forfeiture, Bloomberg.com reported. Prosecutors had recommended a prison term of 18-24 months after Rubin struck a deal in January. However, the federal judge wanted more time.
Before the plea agreement, Rubin was facing a potential sentence of more than 80 years. Rubin was arrested in Guatemala in late April 2011 and extradited to the U.S.
In the government’s sentencing memo filed on Tuesday, prosecutors called the 52-year-old a career criminal “undeterred by previous periods of incarceration.” Prosecutors said that Rubin processed “hundreds of millions of dollars for illegal internet gambling companies by disguising the transactions.”
Rubin’s former clients — Full Tilt Poker and Absolute Poker — collectively have stolen hundreds of millions from poker players globally. PokerStars paid its former U.S. customers.
Rubin is the third to be sentenced in the Black Friday case. Absolute Poker owner Brent Beckley, after a plea deal, was sentenced last week to 14 months behind bars. In June, former banker John Campos received three months in jail thanks to a plea deal.
Payment processors Bradley Franzen, Ryan Lang and Chad Elie signed plea deals in response to their respective charges. All three are awaiting sentencing.
Full Tilt Poker founder Ray Bitar was apprehended in early July and pleaded not guilty. The other defendants — PokerStars’ Isai Scheinberg and Paul Tate, Absolute Poker’s Scott Tom and Full Tilt Poker’s Nelson Burtnick — remain fugitives.
Follow Brian Pempus on Twitter — @brianpempus
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