Quote:
John are you really serious? Have you not looked deeply into the facts and admissions of Lederer prior to making this post? I'm not flaming...I'm just shocked and upset that you thought to bring this here without deep thought before doing so.
Plenty of anger towards the DOJ and Bitar, but letting Howard off is appalling, sort of like how Hamilton just kind of prances along like nothing ever happened. Howard knew everything and admitted to it, and doesn't really feel a shred of guilt about it. This is the definition of a lying, thieving scoundrel and he ought to be excommunicated and shunned at every possible turn until he is gone for good. Maybe then he'll feel a shred of remorse for those that lost everything and killed themselves as a result of his very conscious, elaborate and thought out 'business decisions' (yes, people known as successful, happy and open ended up dead behind this ****. Not going to pretend like they weren't likely to have other issues, but not going to sit here and pretend he had nothing to do with it either). Their blood is on his hands (and yes, on Bitar's too).
The *least* we can do is work very hard to force him out of this industry in every respect. It's truly very upsetting and confusing as to how you feel otherwise.
Look, I don't like witch hunts before someone has been proven guilty by a court of law; neither by this forum nor trial by twitter/facebook. This is a massive 21st century issue.
If in time it turns out that my instincts are completely wrong then fine, I've made a mistake. In the meantime for players to start petitioning for him not to be able to do what he wants to do wherever he choses is blatantly wrong and you must know this.
Please don't mistake me, I am not defending Howard in anyway whatsoever, what I am defending is an individuals freedom to do whatever they please within the law until such a time as they are charged. Then it is for a judge to decide the punishment to fit the crime, not a poker forum.
I may be extraordinarily naive and gullible, but I don't think so. I have listened to the Lederer files, have read all the diamond flush analysis and have yet to read or hear one piece of watertight, damning evidence that will put him behind bars. Maybe the evidence exists and maybe the DOJ are just sitting on it, waiting for what?
The latest DF interview with Chad Eli is just counter-productive as it just doesn't prove that Howard ever had a meeting with a prominent payment processor anywhere apart from a dinner party and a Jay-Zee concert! It's just grasping at straws. Do you really believe that they would discuss intricate details of payment processing possibilities in front of their respective wives and friends? Of course they wouldn't.
I might add that I find it astonishing that he wasn't informed that they were in a $270M hole before the 17th April, but I believe it when he says he didn't know. Someone definitely knew and my hope is that those individuals will be punished for their deceit.
If it is proven beyond any shadow of doubt that he knew things were screwed up before he was told by Bitar on April 17th or whenever it was and that he knowingly covered it up and was sanctioning payments to owners including himself, then he will go to jail and will deserve it.
Until such a time I am entitled to believe what I believe.