Arrest warrant issued for Bryan Micon (sentenced to probation) - Page 18 - Poker News

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Arrest warrant issued for Bryan Micon (sentenced to probation)

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05-20-2015 , 02:43 PM

#426

Videopro

Making TV

Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 19,450

I do but it is flawed by not also considering the percentage of Nevadans that are friends of Micon.

Last edited by Videopro; 05-20-2015 at 02:43 PM. Reason: yes i am trollling you now :)

Quote

05-20-2015 , 02:55 PM

#427

VP$IP

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 6,841

Quote:

Originally Posted by Professionalpoker

I do but it is flawed by not also considering the percentage of Nevadans that are friends of Micon.

Quote

05-20-2015 , 03:30 PM

#428

ZenForest

veteran

Join Date: Dec 2010 Posts: 2,435

Quote:

Originally Posted by jmurjeff

Apparently Micon's gofundme page states that gofundme will no longer fund him. He is now asking for bitcoin donations.

I was curious about why gofundme would prohibit this, as they appear to allow others to raise money for legal defense purposes.

So I asked them, and got the following response.

Thanks so much for contacting us today.

I show that that campaign is currently active and able to accept donations at this time.

Please let me know if you have any additional questions, or if there is anything else I can do to help you.

Best Wishes,

Furthermore, when I go to his link, or search his name on gofundme.com
his crowdfunding campaign still appears to be active, and able to take donations.

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05-20-2015 , 07:43 PM

#429

jmurjeff

veteran

Join Date: Apr 2011 Posts: 3,359

Quote:

Originally Posted by ZenForest

He took down the update that said they were no longer funding him so maybe they have allowed it now?

Edit:

You cannot donate any longer. If you try you get a campain not ready message. The update was removed because it had a btc address to donate. That is why there has been no donations for 9 straight days.

Last edited by jmurjeff; 05-20-2015 at 07:48 PM.

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05-20-2015 , 10:25 PM

#430

pipes

banned

Join Date: May 2004 Posts: 2,340

Don't think it matters much but one guy told me in chat that he lives in Henderson, NV

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05-20-2015 , 10:33 PM

#431

swd805

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 6,955

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheEngineer

The problem with Micon is that he didn't do anything to change the laws or even to let lawmakers know that the American people want this liberty. He was even antagonistic to those who are trying to change the law.

Libertarianism isn't simply sitting back and declaring that no government has a right to pass any law and those who believes they do are mere sheeple. Rather, libertarianism is hard work, as we have to defend our liberties against those who'd take them.

I linked to my interview with Ron Paul earlier ITT. He didn't say you don't have to "beg for liberties you already had." To the contrary, he said we all have to fight to preserve our liberties.

If Micon is ever brought before a judge on this matter, his faux libertarian argument suggesting Nevada has no right to tell him what to do won't go far. I hope more people will wake up and start actually demanding their rights, rather than pretending our rights cannot be taken. Our rights are taken each and every day.

I agree but there is also the Agorism approach which works well most of the time.

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05-20-2015 , 10:42 PM

#432

RickySteve

banned

Join Date: Sep 2014 Posts: 655

Quote:

Originally Posted by pedatn

I wouldn't be surprised to see the prosecution bring up that SWC uses bitcoin to circumvent the Wire Act.

You wouldn't be surprised by something that has 0% probability?

Wire Act applies strictly to sports betting. SWC had no connection whatsoever to sports betting.

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05-21-2015 , 12:59 AM

#433

ZenForest

veteran

Join Date: Dec 2010 Posts: 2,435

Quote:

Originally Posted by jmurjeff

He still states they are no longer funding him on twitter.
And when I go to his campaign, it still allows donations, at least it took me all the way up to the "enter your creidt card info here" page.

Plus: The gofundme "Hapiness Rep" states the campaign is still able to receive donations.......soooooo.......

Casey (GoFundMe Customer Happiness)
May 20, 12:11 PM

Hi Scott,

Thanks so much for contacting us today.

I show that that campaign is currently active and able to accept donations at this time.

Please let me know if you have any additional questions, or if there is anything else I can do to help you.

Best Wishes,

Casey

We're here to help! I'll try my best to respond within 5 minutes during normal business hours.
-----------------------------------------
Customer Happiness, GoFundMe

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05-21-2015 , 09:53 AM

#434

pedatn

centurion

Join Date: Mar 2015 Posts: 185

Quote:

Originally Posted by RickySteve

You wouldn't be surprised by something that has 0% probability?

Wire Act applies strictly to sports betting. SWC had no connection whatsoever to sports betting.

UIGEA is nothing more than a way to apply the Wire Act to internet gambling. I thought I was supposed to be the pedantic one.

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05-21-2015 , 09:58 AM

#435

TimM

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Jan 2004 Posts: 9,797

UIGEA and the wire act are both federal. He is under state charges.

UIGEA makes it federally illegal for banks to fund gambling sites that violate state laws. Nothing to do with the wire act. Nothing to do with Micon.

IANAL and could be wrong, but this is my understanding.

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05-21-2015 , 10:16 AM

#436

pedatn

centurion

Join Date: Mar 2015 Posts: 185

Ah ok, you got me there

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05-21-2015 , 12:03 PM

#437

NerdSuperfly

veteran

Join Date: Nov 2010 Posts: 2,172

Quote:

Originally Posted by TimM

i'm no expert either, but all the pseudo arguments that it's not very likely, that ppl from nevada played, are irrelevant ...

SwC offered online poker w/o the proper licence, no judge will accept the 'but it wasn't real money' argument or the stuff, that swc was online before nevada regulated the market

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05-21-2015 , 12:43 PM

#438

VP$IP

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 6,841

It is roughly equivalent to insulting the prophet in Saudi Arabia.

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05-21-2015 , 03:51 PM

#439

ZenForest

veteran

Join Date: Dec 2010 Posts: 2,435

Quote:

Originally Posted by PokerSzabo

We seem to be missing much of the point to this. Not long ago people were asking what bitcoin is. Fighting over its validity and largely misunderstanding its purpose and significance. Now bitcoin is front and center in every discussion from major/world banks, national monetary agencies, political debates in the senates on encryption/privacy etc. All of the major uni's that are related now have programs on cryptocurrency and its hit many major exchanges including nasdaq etc.

Bitcoin doesn't fly above the law but bitcoin questions it, or rather levates public inquiry into the nature of law and what should be its evolution. In the specific context of this thread it brings up much need discussion that historically the collective players' communities haven't had the incentive to have.

Anyone who is interested in bitcoin, even near the degree of Micon, is very well read on the relation of the evolution of technology and currency to law and government. The US is founded on the principles of least government and the constitution that limits its powers to creating laws that support freedom and not hinder it.

Micon believes and has stated what he has done does not break the law in this manner.

Now we don't all agree on this, but the point is that there are no "democratic" ways around a tyrannical government. Ultimately this discussion, for now, is way less about poker, and much more about bitcoin's ramifications to the debate about renewing the patriot act.

This debate is happening in all communities, this is simply pokers version of it.

Everywhere, people are getting micon'd.

I corrected one of your sentences.

The US WAS founded on the principles of least government and the constitution that limits its powers to creating laws that support freedom and not hinder it

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05-21-2015 , 07:32 PM

#440

stinkypete

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 15,783

Quote:

Originally Posted by VP$IP

In a representative sample of 1000 Nevadans (2007), 3.7% of the state’s residents indicated that they have gambled online in the past five years. This rate appears to be consistent with previous comparable estimates in the U.S. When asked about their favorite locations to gamble, casino environments remain the overwhelming favorite among Nevada’s gamblers (85%), and online environments lag far behind (at just under 1%).

2007.

Do you think there's a chance that some of these people who favor online poker would have moved to Nevada from other states after, say April 15, 2011? And do you think there's a chance that some of these people would have continued to play online poker upon discovering an untraceable bitcoin poker site?

It's pretty easy to "prove" almost any point using misleading statistics. It's also pretty easy to disprove it by pointing out the flaws in the statistics.

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05-21-2015 , 07:45 PM

#441

ZenForest

veteran

Join Date: Dec 2010 Posts: 2,435

His gofundme account is still valid/active - received a donation 14 hrs ago.

Glad to see.

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05-21-2015 , 09:09 PM

#442

VP$IP

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 6,841

Quote:

Originally Posted by stinkypete

Yes. There is a chance.

I think you are implying that the statistics are misleading. You apparently believe that greater than 1% of Seals players were from Nevada. You don't appear to have any statistics. So do you guess that the actual figure is 2%? Is that what we are disagreeing about? A difference of 1%? Or do you believe that some huge percentage of Seals players were from Nevada? Do you doubt (the statistical evidence) that poker players who live in a state with legal, live poker prefer to play legal, live poker? Is that a misleading statistic too?

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05-21-2015 , 11:44 PM

#443

stinkypete

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 15,783

Quote:

Originally Posted by VP$IP

I don't think you actually believe what you're writing. If you do you need to pull your head out of that textbook and start looking at the world with a little common sense.

Quote

05-22-2015 , 02:01 AM

#444

VP$IP

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 6,841

Quote:

Originally Posted by stinkypete

I don't think you actually believe what you're writing. If you do you need to pull your head out of that textbook and start looking at the world with a little common sense.

Does this mean that you will not be answering my questions?

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05-22-2015 , 07:01 AM

#445

PeteBlow

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: May 2012 Posts: 15,019

Does it even occur to you that the people who dispute your statistical conclusions do so because they personally know multiple Nevada residents who played on SwC?
I mean, come on. I live in the UK and know of at least half a dozen.

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05-22-2015 , 10:19 AM

#446

namisgr11

old hand

Join Date: Jun 2012 Posts: 1,596

It doesn't matter to the charges and the courts. What does is the evidence that Micon was involved in operating an unregulated online poker site while residing in NV (not saying one way or another whether prosecuting him is just, or the case is solid).

Last edited by namisgr11; 05-22-2015 at 10:25 AM.

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05-31-2015 , 04:56 PM

#447

campfirewest

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 10,586

Quote:

Originally Posted by ZenForest

His gofundme account is still valid/active - received a donation 14 hrs ago.

Glad to see.

LOL, Dread Pirate Roberts made a $5 donation to him.

Quote

05-31-2015 , 05:00 PM

#448

hmm422

journeyman

Join Date: Jul 2014 Posts: 229

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alan C. Lawhon

The state of Nevada is claiming they (and their citizens) are the victims of Micon's "illegal" operation of a poker site. Their argument (in court) would be that by operating an unlicensed site, Micon was depriving the state of tax revenues that other (licensed) sites were paying; therefore Micon was facilitating the commission of a financial crime against the citizens of Nevada.

That (or a variation of that) would be the state's argument against Micon, but the real "crime" here is unregulated competition. Caesar's Interactive (or WSOP.com or whatever they call their online site) do not want competition, especially from a two bit poker player like Micon. So, using the law, they decide to crush Micon like an ant in order to prevent other two bit poker players from getting ideas that they can do the same thing. It was this same train of thought, (i.e. crushing competition), which led to Black Friday and the elimination of Pokerstars and Full Tilt from the U.S. market.

There is no tax revenue from online poker in Nevada, it operates at a substantial loss. WSOP.com probably pulls the plug after this year even. It's that bad. I don't think they are worried about having a monopoly, they realize there is no future in ring fenced gardens.

Quote

05-31-2015 , 05:03 PM

#449

hmm422

journeyman

Join Date: Jul 2014 Posts: 229

Quote:

Originally Posted by PeteBlow

Playing poker online was always a felony in Nevada, even before the UIGEA. They never went after players or the operators in town for the WSOP annually.

I just think Micon is in more trouble than he thinks he's in. The state charges are just the visible front. There very well could be a sealed indictment at the Federal level.