Owners of Neteller Arrested in the US

[Forest]

http://uk.pokernews.com/news/2007/1/...-suspended.htm

loooks like the us gvt is really going after everyone involved with internet gameing

[directfiesta]

Funny how I think other people should be on top of the list instead of these guys ....

Makes you wonder if it is safe to go to the US or even stop over .

[leming]

Shitty news...

[woj]

Originally Posted by directfiesta

Funny how I think other people should be on top of the list instead of these guys ....

Makes you wonder if it is safe to go to the US or even stop over .

their time will come...

Jesus that's nuts!

[AsianDivaGirlsWebDude]

Saw this elsewhere:

Egaming Review is reporting that the office of the US attorney in New York, southern district, has confirmed they will be issuing a press release at 5.45 UK time regarding the arrests on Monday of former NETeller directors Stephen Lawrence and John Lefebvre.

The spokesperson would not comment any further other than to confirm this is a Federal matter rather than a state matter.

Both former executives and founders were detained on Monday by federal authorities. So far, it is uncertain what the men are being charged with. News of the arrests were initially reported by Christopher Costigan of Gambling911.com. The story sent shockwaves throughout the entire internet gambling industry.

Many industry observers doubted the veracity of the claim at the time of the initial story, however the doubt soon lifted once the board of directors of publicly listed NETeller (symbol: NLR), formally requested a suspension of trading in the companies shares on the London Stock Exchange (AIM).
With over 3 million customers in 160 countries, 3,500 merchants, and over $7 billion in annual transactions, the NETELLER Group operates the largest independent online money transfer business in the world.

Point-Spreads.com has spoken to several internet gambling operators that have privately stated this incident, while unexpected, should not have an immediate impact on their business. haMany others are taking a ?wait and see? approach. haIf NETeller decides to pull out of the US marketing, many internet gambling websites will feel the sting. haNETeller is one of the most popular payment options used by internet gamblers and operators due to its ease of use.



ADG Webmaster

[Forest]

question

does epassporte allow internet gaming transactions?

[KingK7]

I used to go to the US up to 10 times a year.
Now I avoid it like the plague, unless I have to go. Shit like this, and the hassle of entering, just makes it not worth it.

[beerdude]

They rounded up a whole bunch at a convention a while bac any one know how many?

[interracialtoons]

Originally Posted by Forest

http://uk.pokernews.com/news/2007/1/...-suspended.htm

loooks like the us gvt is really going after everyone involved with internet gameing

The irony. In many states in America you can walk into almost any corner store and buy $1000 worth of lottery tickets, scratch off etc...and it's all legal.

More people squander their money on lottery than any online game.

Then there is Las Vegas and Atlantic City...etc...

I don't get it.

[LiveDose]

Amazing how backwards government is.

[Forest]

Originally Posted by interracialtoons

The irony. In many states in America you can walk into almost any corner store and buy $1000 worth of lottery tickets, scratch off etc...and it's all legal.

More people squander their money on lottery than any online game.

Then there is Las Vegas and Atlantic City...etc...

I don't get it.

well not only ac and vegas but you now have hundreds of indian casinos around the country

one of them is actually buying the HardRock franchise global operations

[D]

Hrmph.

I dream of, one day, waking up in a country that respects my right to make my own choices in this world.

[Pleasurepays]

Originally Posted by interracialtoons

The irony. In many states in America you can walk into almost any corner store and buy $1000 worth of lottery tickets, scratch off etc...and it's all legal.

More people squander their money on lottery than any online game.

Then there is Las Vegas and Atlantic City...etc...

I don't get it.

The Irony....

No one has any idea what they were arrested for. They might have been trying to sell a nuclear bomb for all you guys know.

But Hey! Its GFY... who needs facts... or even a basic understanding of the issue to start making arguments.

[ElvisManson]

Originally Posted by Forest

well not only ac and vegas but you now have hundreds of indian casinos around the country

one of them is actually buying the HardRock franchise global operations

The Indian casinos, Atlantic city, Vegas and the lotteries all pay their taxes to the government.

I believe that the lobbyists for the above mentioned groups also pushed hard to get online gaming nixed.

[Jman]

Only in America. What a retarded goverment... Un Fucking Real

[Brad]

Originally Posted by interracialtoons

The irony. In many states in America you can walk into almost any corner store and buy $1000 worth of lottery tickets, scratch off etc...and it's all legal.

More people squander their money on lottery than any online game.

Then there is Las Vegas and Atlantic City...etc...

I don't get it.

Throw in the slot machines that exist all over the place in the south and the slot arcades too. The US obviously has some serious gambling problems, I'm not too sure why they would tafrget the virtual guys first, it doesn't really make any sense to me. There must be something more to this story that hasn't been reported yet

[directfiesta]

Originally Posted by Pleasurepays

The Irony....

No one has any idea what they were arrested for. They might have been trying to sell a nuclear bomb for all you guys know.

But Hey! Its GFY... who needs facts... or even a basic understanding of the issue to start making arguments.

Amazing how prior events have no influence on your stiff brain...

The law came after two executives of internet gaming companies were arrested in the US over the summer, BetonSports' chief executive David Carruthers and Sportingbet's non-executive chairman Peter Dicks.

But they probably were hiding Bin Laden in their suitcases....

[directfiesta]

Originally Posted by Adult Lounge - Brad

There must be something more to this story that hasn't been reported yet

Sure is:

http://web.archive.org/web/200403031...nt_gamb_nv.pdf

[interracialtoons]

Originally Posted by Pleasurepays

The Irony....

No one has any idea what they were arrested for. They might have been trying to sell a nuclear bomb for all you guys know.

So true...but we know who we are dealing with in America and we can assume accurately that no matter what the actual charge is, the gambling is what got the US interested.

Welcome to America, if we can't get you for what you really did then we make up something.... can you say WMD..."Wager Managing Domestics?"

[FetishTom]

Originally Posted by Pleasurepays

They might have been trying to sell a nuclear bomb for all you guys know.

Well I am willing to go out on a limb and suggest that they were not arrested for selling nuclear bombs...

...or do you suggest that we should desist from informed speculation until the authorities have seen fit to tell us what is going on?

"Yess sir Mr Govt it all right by me sir you just be doing your bit to make america the finest place to live sir..."

[madawgz]

thats serious news :\

[Sosa]

don't step foot in the usa!

[Pleasurepays]

Originally Posted by directfiesta

Amazing how prior events have no influence on your stiff brain...



But they probably were hiding Bin Laden in their suitcases....

i know you are incapable of rational thought, particularly when you percieve an opportunity to bash the US... but let me try to slow this down for you

N O O N E K N O W S W H A T T H E Y W E R E C H A R G E D W I T H

so... if you don't know. you are assuming or guessing.

fucking moron.

[Forest]

Originally Posted by directfiesta

Sure is:

http://web.archive.org/web/200403031...nt_gamb_nv.pdf

as far as I know federal laws superseed local laws

but im no lawyer

[Vox]

Originally Posted by Forest

question

does epassporte allow internet gaming transactions?

Yes they do, but I wonder for how much longer.

[Forest]

Originally Posted by Vox

Yes they do, but I wonder for how much longer.

and their owners i believe are american and reside in the us

[Forest]

Originally Posted by Pleasurepays

i know you are incapable of rational thought, particularly when you percieve an opportunity to bash the US... but let me try to slow this down for you

N O O N E K N O W S W H A T T H E Y W E R E C H A R G E D W I T H

so... if you don't know. you are assuming or guessing.

fucking moron.

I have to agree the jr here

I did make the assumption that it is internet gambling related in my first post

I guess spitzer will be making an announcement about it shortly

[Bossman]

Originally Posted by Forest

I have to agree the jr here

I did make the assumption that it is internet gambling related in my first post

I guess spitzer will be making an announcement about it shortly

Two founders of a company which processes Internet gambling transactions were arrested and charged with laundering billions of dollars in gambling proceeds, federal prosecutors announced Tuesday.

The charges against the former Neteller PLC directors, John David Lefebvre, 55, and Stephen Eric Lawrence, 46, both Canadian citizens, were contained in two criminal complaints unsealed in U.S. District Court in Manhattan on Monday, U.S. Attorney Michael Garcia said in a statement.

The prosecutor said the men knew when they took their company public that its activities were illegal.

"Blatant violations of U.S. law are not a mere `risk' to be disclosed to prospective investors," Garcia said. "Criminal prosecutions related to online gambling will be pursued even in cases where assets and defendants are positioned outside of the United States."

FBI Assistant Director Mark J. Mershon said the multibillion-dollar online gambling industry was "a colossal criminal enterprise masquerading as legitimate business."

Lefebvre and Lawrence were charged in connection with the creation and operation of an Internet payment services company that facilitated the transfer to billions of dollars of illegal gambling proceeds from U.S. citizens to the owners of overseas Internet gambling companies.

Lefebvre was arrested Monday in Malibu, Calif and was scheduled to appear in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles Tuesday. Lawrence, who resides in Paradise Island, Bahamas, was arrested Monday in the U.S. Virgin Islands and will appear in federal court on Wednesday.

In 1999, the men founded Neteller, which is based in the Isle of Man and is publically traded in the United Kingdom.

The company began processing Internet gambling transactions in approximately July 2000, allowing companies to transfer money from U.S. customers to bank accounts overseas.

Prosecutors cited Neteller's 2005 annual report in saying that Lawrence and Lefebvre enabled the company to provide payment services to more than 80 percent of worldwide gaming merchants.

Lawrence left the company's board of directors in October while Lefebvre left in December 2005, prosecutors said. Together, the men owned as much as 35 percent of the company's outstanding shares.

Garcia noted that the company acknowledged when it went public that U.S. law prohibited people from promoting certain forms of gambling, including Internet gambling and transmmitting funds that are known to have been derived from criminal activity.

Lefebvre and Lawrence also conceded in the company's offering documents that they were risking prosecution by the U.S. government, he said.

Prosecutors said Neteller in 2005 alone processed more than $7.3 billion in financial transactions, 95 percent of which was derived from money transfers involving Internet gambling.

Lawrence and Lefebvre, both charged with conspiring to transfer funds with the intent to promote illegal gambling, could face a maximum of 20 years in prison if convicted

http://www.businessweek.com/ap/finan.../D8MMI4GG0.htm

[Forest]

Originally Posted by Forest

I have to agree the jr here

I did make the assumption that it is internet gambling related in my first post

I guess spitzer will be making an announcement about it shortly

opps i forgot spitzer isnt the atorrney general in ny anymore

[Forest]

Originally Posted by Bossman

http://www.businessweek.com/ap/finan.../D8MMI4GG0.htm

well i guess we have the answer now

[vvq]

I think it's bullshit, but it's their own fault for coming into this country.

[Forest]

Originally Posted by vvq

I think it's bullshit, but it's their own fault for coming into this country.

the morons even admitted in company docs that they may be liable to prosecution in the us

and they STILL traveled here

[pornguy]

Originally Posted by interracialtoons

The irony. In many states in America you can walk into almost any corner store and buy $1000 worth of lottery tickets, scratch off etc...and it's all legal.

More people squander their money on lottery than any online game.

Then there is Las Vegas and Atlantic City...etc...

I don't get it.

THE US GOVERNMENT IS NOT GETTING THEIR SHARE!


Pretty simple.

[Webby]

Originally Posted by directfiesta

Funny how I think other people should be on top of the list instead of these guys ....

Makes you wonder if it is safe to go to the US or even stop over .

It's only a matter of time - they are already on "lists" which the US government is so fond of creating for others...

This shit is a continuation of WTO violation where US domestic laws - the Wire Act, Travel Act and the new Illegal Gambling Business Act are contrary to WTO rulings and in violation of US obligations under global trade agreements.

The issue has already been heard and judged upon and a final enforcement ruling is epected anytime now where it's only a matter of the US agreeing to comply or suffer penalties/barriers to trading with WTO nations.

It's ironic the issue of David Carruthers (BetOnSports) is still continuing - and the US considers it can arrest individuals on issues where the US has already been judged to be in violation of WTO rulings. But.. there are idiots everywhere and until the US does comply - their own laws are worth ignoring.

It's time a few US citizens were arrested on foreign soil for violation of domestic laws - what's good for one is good for another

Na... avoid even doing stop-overs in the US - don't travel to rogue regimes or police states - they need to learn how to behave first Noticed the same with others flying here - they cringe at flights via the US and prefer direct - not that they are legal issues - it's just a pain in the ass.

[directfiesta]

Originally Posted by Pleasurepays

i know you are incapable of rational thought, particularly when you percieve an opportunity to bash the US... but let me try to slow this down for you

N O O N E K N O W S W H A T T H E Y W E R E C H A R G E D W I T H

so... if you don't know. you are assuming or guessing.

fucking moron.

Probably they farted in public.. or flashed a breast with an exposed nipple ... You are such an idiot ...

SO:

Lawrence and Lefebvre, both charged with conspiring to transfer funds with the intent to promote illegal gambling, could face a maximum of 20 years in prison if convicted

A for bashing the US, please show me the last thread I started that could be viewed as USA bashing...

Let me tell you that it could be a full time job, with all the shit your country is involved in... but I do not have time for that.


Wait till other countries start arresting your executives for whatever moral reasons they feel like ...

Meanwhile, your flag needs more waving

[CaptainHowdy]

Argh! Crazy stuff!

[joehoya]

Those guys are fucked. When you really think about it, what they did was an almost perfect example of money laundering. On one end of the transaction, they obviously knew it was a gambling business. On the other ende, they oviously knew they were dealing with U.S. citizens, since they had the personal info. Then, to top it off, they acknowledge all of these facts in public documents! They're DONE!

[FuqALot]

i wonder what were they doing in this 4th world shithole of a US anyway...

[FuqALot]

haha, the funny thing is, this is all a waste of tax dollars

they will never ever stop online money poker in the US

[Webby]

Originally Posted by joehoya

Those guys are fucked. When you really think about it, what they did was an almost perfect example of money laundering. On one end of the transaction, they obviously knew it was a gambling business. On the other ende, they oviously knew they were dealing with U.S. citizens, since they had the personal info. Then, to top it off, they acknowledge all of these facts in public documents! They're DONE!

Yea? Money laundering?? According to who? The US? Gimme a break..

Of course they knew transactions were related to gaming. Of course they knew US citizens were involved. That is not the issue... tho the US may like it to be.

The fact is the US is violating WTO global trading treaties by inhibiting the transfer of funds to legal entities in other jurisdictions. The jury has already returned a verdict on this in 2005 and the enforcement of that WTO ruling is expected this month.

Laywers can yap all they like, but countries where domestic laws are in conflict/violation of international agreements have little ground to stand on in the bigger picture.

Even after the WTO judgement of restrictive trade practices, US lawmakers then engaged in further violation by introducing the Illegal Gambling Business Act which restricted trade even further. If a country can't keep to it's obligations internationally - that country needs to fuck off and be excluded from the benefits.

This is all posturing and pathetic attempts to play hardball and protect US the gaming industry - all crap and unwinable.

[DaddyHalbucks]

Originally Posted by directfiesta

Funny how I think other people should be on top of the list instead of these guys ....

Makes you wonder if it is safe to go to the US or even stop over .

USA is sure a great place to do business though. Everyone seems to love our dollars. You conveniently forgot to mention that.

[directfiesta]

Originally Posted by DaddyHalbucks

USA is sure a great place to do business though. Everyone seems to love our dollars. You conveniently forgot to mention that.

In fact, I prefer Euros ....

[$5 submissions]

Originally Posted by D_hodough

Hrmph.

I dream of, one day, waking up in a country that respects my right to make my own choices in this world.

SEALAND beckons you

[$5 submissions]

I like the editor's note at the end of the article:

Ed note: Keep smiling by aiming to become a Poker Pro For a Year. Click on the link to get involved.

[Webby]

Originally Posted by DaddyHalbucks

USA is sure a great place to do business though. Everyone seems to love our dollars. You conveniently forgot to mention that.

Conveniently what?? Duh???

You forgot there is little value in a half price dollar - got anything more worthwhile to offer?

It's not a contest over countries - the US is fine otherwise, just that the government stinks and is the most useless disorganized flock with little benefit to US people or the rest of the planet. If ever anyone could fuck up a candystore and drive it into insolvency - they could. They'd prob be put on trial elsewhere

[L-Pink]

Originally Posted by interracialtoons

The irony. In many states in America you can walk into almost any corner store and buy $1000 worth of lottery tickets, scratch off etc...and it's all legal.

More people squander their money on lottery than any online game.

Then there is Las Vegas and Atlantic City...etc...

I don't get it.

We face 2257 expenses and possibly severe penalties .... then you have google images and pornotube .... same government double standards.