| Isai
Scheinberg of PokerStars Gets
Time Served and $30000 Fine In
Socially Distanced SDNY
By Matthew
Russell Lee, Exclusive Patreon
BBC
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Source
SDNY, Sept 23 --
When Isai Scheinberg, after
being indicted in 2011 and
recently returning
from Switzerland voluntarily
though following an extradition
request appeared in U.S.
District Court for the
Southern District of New York
on February 20, the mood was
strangely cordial.
Now
on September 23
he has received
a sentence of time
served and a $30,000 fine.
More on Patreon, here.
SDNY Judge
Lewis A. Kaplan set a trial
date, of October 19 - but told
the defendant's well known
counsel Paul Shechtman he
expected the case reach a
disposition before then, and
that he'd assign the plea to
the Magistrates
Court.
On March
25, Inner City Press was there
in the Mag Court, relocated
due to Coronavirus to large
courtroom 24B, when Scheinberg
came to plead guilty. He told
Magistrate Judge Sarah L. Cave
he has a masters degree in
mathematics, and that he had
taken a test for the virus.
His letter
from the US Attorney's Office,
dated March 3, put his
guideline sentences at twelve
to eighteen months.
Now on
September 23, Scheinberg was
sentenced by Judge Kapan, with
both wearing masks. Inner City
Press was again there, and
masked too, as the only media
present.
Shechtman
described Scheinberg's good
works, and making-whole of the
victims of other online poker
platforms. (He said a clerk in
the SDNY arraignment's part
had thanks Scheinberg for
that).
Scheinberg's wife of 52 years
Dora was in the courtroom too,
as well as Shechtman's co-counsel
Barry Boss. Scheinberg read a
statement, how he built his
life in Israel then Canada,
and that the felony conviction
will haunt him forever.
The Assistant US
Attorney said that there had
been red flags as to Federal
law, but that online poker had
clearly been illegal under the
laws of many states including
New York.
Judge Kaplan
said, I don't condone what you
did but the world is made of
fallible people. It was a big
mistake but should not ruin
what remains of your life.
Judge
Kaplan asked Scheinberg to
rise, and imposed a sentence
of time served and a $30,000
fine. He added the $100
special assessment and said he
would work tomorrow on help
get Mr. Scheinberg's passport
back to him.
It
all relates back to so-called
"Black Friday" in April, 2011
whic saw indictments involving
Scheinberg's PokerStars, as
well as Full Tilt Poker,
Ultimate Bet, and Absolute
Poker.
Scheinberg
spent years living both in
Canada and on the Isle
of Man. SDNY prosecutors
started extradition
proceedings during a visit by
Scheinberg to Switzerland. He
was released on one million
dollars bail.The case is US v.
Scheinberg, 10-cr-336
(Kaplan).
***
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