I'm no idealist. I tend to see things practically... and damn straight a sheriff can do pretty much whatever the hell he pleases. One of my childhood friends became a narc.. i don't even wanna go into the criminal stuff he and his partners did..

The mob might retaliate if it wanted to send a message.. What would that message be? In this case it would be "Don't help or get involved with these guys. They are a bunch of losers who get caught, so you are gonna get caught... and you can't help yourself get out of that jam or Joe the Hammer will come pound on you."

But anyway, I'm thinking that the players who helped them get high roller clients (or whatever) don't know enough to be of any assistance to the cops.

gotta agree with James that retaliation is probable and in many cases where the risk is considered extreme, retaliation would be a preventative measure before informants even have the chance to testify....again that's the extreme.

with that said, i don't see only two options (1. rat/ 2. jail) in a case like this, assuming Justin for example is facing some of the lesser punishments, he would be provided a very capable attorney to work on the BEST option for him.....now of course that won't be the case with everyone, but this sort of thing is far from case closed, witness protection or max jail.

....also would be surprised if someone like Justin was even high enough up the ladder to provide a strong enough case/evidence against the top dogs.....Taiwanchik has been in hiding already and still is, no?

most likely, the feds have what they need to get most of the lower level guys on minimums/probation/fines plea deals & middle>upper tier guys on a multitude of charges and will accept pleas including short stints (.5-3 yrs), the few top top guys will be trials.

A lot of dudes in this thread hsve no life experience and are talking jail or ratting. Most should get a good lawyer and if they have to do a few months, then they should do it.

His name is Pete, but his plumbing company has a different name or did.

You think if the feds get no cooperation the guys listed prominently in this indictment are getting a few months if convicted?

Anyone read this paragraph on the DOJ SDNY page about this?

http://www.justice.gov/usao/nys/pres...lArrestsPR.php



In connection with the Indictment unsealed today in the Southern District of New York, 29 defendants have been arrested in New York, Philadelphia, Detroit, and Los Angeles. The 20 defendants taken into custody today in New York were presented and arraigned in Manhattan federal court before U.S. Magistrate Judge James C. Francis, IV this afternoon. The remaining defendants arrested today will be presented in federal court in Philadelphia, Detroit, and Los Angeles this afternoon. An additional defendant, HILLEL NAHMAD, is expected to surrender in Los Angeles later today. The remaining four defendants – DONALD McCALMONT, BRYAN ZURIFF, WILLIAM EDLER, and ALIMZHAN TOKHTAKHOUNOV – are fugitives and are still being sought.

Sounds like Boosted J definitely taken away in cuffs...and...Bill Edler on the lam?!!!

I don't think there can be any argument that whatever Justin faces that he's
A) blacklisted from the high-social atmosphere of which he was so enamored
B) stripped of lots of money/assets
C) in a position to fear the Russian Mafia
D) facing prison time
E) in need of a high-priced attorney

all this, because the dude played high-stakes poker and loved the accoutrements, and lives in the U.S.
Everybody has a line. I hope he only crossed this one out of naivete.

This has to be more connected to the laundering and sports betting then simply running an illegal poker room in NY? I thought that just normally ended in a fine.

a) disagree
b) depends
c) depends but prob not
d) depends
e) most likely

Elder has a law degree from UC Berkeley. What are they teaching over there?

only been like 24 hours.. probably just getting his affairs in order... need someone to water the plants..

ah yes, you are right. Joe the Plumber was the McCain supporter that made headlines

boosted is facing up to 10 years, not just a few months...

Law. They don't teach how to successfully break the law; you learn that in prison.

10 years... I guess it'll be shorter than a few months then.

yeah.. months.. maybe less or no time at all. Prisons are crowded and money is tight. Never been a better time to be convicted of non-violent offenses.

wait a minute.. People in jail can't teach what they don't know.

idk charder. somebody sent me a pm asking why if I had such concern over Justin that I was even posting on this thread. I guess it's because there are obviously lines that can be crossed in poker and none of us know whether Boosted was aware that he crossed those lines. Are they so clearly delineated?

He, and Anita, have my best wishes for a positive outcome. At least until all this has been sorted out and he remains innocent until proven guilty.

Why does it matter, and what lines can "obviously be crossed" in poker?

i'm just happy that we have gobbomom back to look over us all with her infinite wisdom

This is a RICO case. Rico is not considered non violent in anyway. They could convict Justin on a half dozen counts if he is guilty, that is how RICO is structured. It was originally constructed for exactly this type of case and organized criminal element. Originally its target was NY italian mafia. The way RICO works is you shake the little bad guys to give up the big bad guys. It is a very very very effective formula and the feds have 30 years of experience perfecting their attack.
If Justin is guilty and was offered a few months of incarceration and not having to rat out anyone I would be absolutely shocked. Did you read the indictment how one guy owed 2 million and they basically took his business. There are lots of bad stories in the indictment and this is going to be a hectic time for all parties involved.

i agree but do they even care about the little guys out on the periphery who had nothing to do with strong arming or money laundering?

pfft. so unfair. but w/e.
gobbomom happens to like Boosted. Big deal. And most of the 20- somethings poker players that Jimmy is friends with.
I have a little bit of wisdom, considering I'm 51, but not alot.
This thread has nothing to do with me. Please stop these sidetracks.
Again, my thoughts and best wishes are with Justin and Anita.

We all probably play in an illegal poker home game every month. Most of us just play for less. This is the stupidest waste of resources ever next to a prostitution sting. When will people take back their country.

^^^^^^^^^
Joey is spot on obviously


Not speaking directly about justin or anyone in particular. Like I said before I hope he is innocent.

If you collected money for the operation you had plenty to do with the money laundering in the feds eyes. Also if someone doesnt pay who do you think gives the personal info to the "joe the hammer" type guys? Its the guy that got them an acct and knows them. The russian guy in the ukraine doesnt know where the 25-50 NL fish in hollywood hills lives. The guy who set him up with the acct does.
Speaking directly about justin the feds are not going to have a lot of sympathy for a guy that has over 2 million in documented live cashes they think is supplementing his income picking up clients for the russian mob.

Like I said if he is guilty and gets offered a few months he should snap take it.

i always thought rico was primarily used to be able to charge an individual with his conspirators racketeering related crimes, so the boss can be charged with all the extortion & murders of their underlings and ofc under rico, the DOJ can seize all assets related to the organization and win longer sentences....used first in late 70s/early 80s for hells angels/la cosa nostra.

so you are saying Justin(and even Molly) is charged under rico as part of the russian org? or a different group made of the indicted but not all inclusive? i thought he just had a couple charges for gambling business, no conspiracy and faced a max of 5 yrs...i'll take another look at the indictment. it would seem to me that Justin could testify against his direct manager/co-workers but not much else but hey maybe he is deeper than i think and he is just the weakling a la giovani ribisi in Boiler Room....time will tell i suppose.

i keep getting this flashback of the FTP cases. Elie got 5 months. I dunno if anyone else served more than a week..