The US federal government has issued indictments against 11 individuals and shut down the three largest online poker sites.
The owners of PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker and Absolute Poker have been charged with money laundering, bank fraud and illegal gambling offences and the US Department of Justice has seized the companies’ bank accounts.
An FBI message is now displayed on their US websites, confirming that the domain names have been seized pursuant to an arrest warrant, also stating that violations of these laws carry criminal penalties of up to five years’ imprisonment and a fine of up to $250,000.
In a statement released by Preet Bahara, US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, the defendants "concocted an elaborate criminal fraud scheme, alternately tricking some US banks and effectively bribing others to assure the continued flow of billions in illegal gambling profits."
