- Bitar plead guilty to charges of fraud and violating the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA).
- He appeared via a live video stream from California.
- Bitar has been credited the seven days of time served in jail following his arrest in July
- He is expected to enter a heart transplant program early next month.
In a New York courthouse Monday, Ray Bitar plead guilty via a live video stream from California to charges of fraud and violating the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA). He is sentenced to time served and is required to forfeit $40m in cash and additional assets.
The ruling comes days after Bitar reached a plea agreement with federal prosecutors which would see Bitar avoid jail time.
Prosecutors agreed not to contest the lack of further prison time due to Bitar’s serious heart condition. He is scheduled to enter a heart transplant program in early May.
Though Judge Preska was not bound by the agreement and could have handed down a stricter sentence, further prison time would have likely eliminated Bitar as a candidate for a transplant.
According to a report from the courthouse today, Bitar has been credited the seven days of time served in jail following his arrest in July, when he flew from Ireland to New York to hand himself in to Federal authorities.
Bitar originally plead not guilty to charges of wire fraud, money laundering, and operating an illegal gambling business, and was released on $2.5m bail.
The charges are in connection with “Black Friday,” the US Government’s crackdown on online poker.
