Poker Pros To Plead Guilty In Gambling CaseJustin Smith And Edwin Ting To Plead Guilty, Face Up To Five Years |
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A pair of high-stakes poker players have accepted plea deals in connection with an underground poker and spots betting ring that was busted earlier this year.
Justin Smith, 25, and Edwin Ting, 41, will plead guilty to reduced charges, according to the New York Daily News. Smith with admit to taking a payment for Internet gambling while Ting will admit to operating an illegal gambling business.
The two men could each face up to five years behind bars.
They will appear in court next month.
According to the indictment, poker players (those with major tournament cashes) John Hanson, Justin Smith, Abe Mosseri, Bill Edler, Peter Feldman, Vadim Trincher (whose two sons, Illya and Eugene were also named), Eddie Ting and Arthur Azen were involved in illegal activity.
The operation is alleged to have links to the Russian mob.
Trincher, Hanson and Azen appear to be the poker players facing the stiffest of penalties. Trincher could spend 90 years in prison if convicted; Hanson could find himself with 92; and Azen is on the hook for a whopping 115 years.
A total of 34 individuals were accused of misconduct in the April crackdown.
The poker games in question, one of the many tentacles of the case, allegedly ran in or around New York City. According to a statement from New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly, proceeds from these games were allegedly “funneled to organized crime overseas.”
Earlier this month, William Barbalat, 42, admitted to hosting illegal underground poker games in his apartment, as well as helping facilitate wire transfers to players in different states. He could face up to 10 years in prison for the crime.
In July, Hollywood producer Bryan Zuriff became the case’s first defendant to plead guilty. Zuriff faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
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