http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...852516194.html
NEW YORK—Eleven people, including the founders of three of the largest online poker companies doing business in the U.S., have been charged in the latest crack down on Internet gambling by U.S. authorities.
Federal prosecutors in Manhattan allege the companies tried to sidestep U.S. laws prohibiting banks and credit-card issuers from processing gambling payments by disguising billions of dollars from U.S. gamblers as payments to nonexistent online merchants for golf balls, jewelry and other merchandise.
After U.S banks and financial institutions began detecting the scheme in late 2009, prosecutors allege, a new strategy was developed in which two online poker websites allegedly persuaded a few small, local banks facing financial difficulties to process their payments in return for multimillion-dollar investments in those banks.
Those charged Friday include the founders of online poker websites PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker and Absolute Poker. The charges include bank fraud, money laundering and online-gambling offenses.
Federal authorities also have filed restraining orders against 76 bank accounts in 14 countries allegedly associated with the poker companies and others as a part of a separate civil forfeiture action. They are seeking at least $3 billion in civil money-laundering penalties and forfeiture.
Prosecutors also have moved to seize five Internet domain names allegedly used by the poker companies.