Correction: Regrettably, the original article stated that CardRunners pros were two of three people interviewed in regards to QuickTender transactions. This was inaccurate. Although the size of the wire transfers received by CardRunners pros alerted authorities, it was three separate individuals who were interviewed. The article text has been corrected and, to avoid any further confusion, the headline and image have been altered.
Large wire transfers received by professional poker players caught the attention of Federal Agents involved in the QuickTender investigation that resulted in funds seized en route to US customers.
A seven page document reveals the findings of Special Agent Grant Wagner and his participation in a special task force whose mission was to investigate financial crimes involving the use of the Internet. The document confirms pokerfuse’s report yesterday that the funds seized from Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas Account No. 04013685 containing $1,820,008.93 were in fact being held on the behalf of Chargestream Ltd., responsible for the operation of payment provider QuickTender.
The investigation was prompted by the arrest of a man “acting as a third party payment processor for online gambling entities” in the Middle District of Florida during February 2010. The subject provided detailed information to government officials as to the process by which money moved to and from overseas gambling sites, spurring an investigation by the United States Secret Service.
The Verified Complaint for Forfeiture cites the Wire Act, the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) of 2006, the RICO Act, and Criminal Money Laundering Legislation as the basis for the seizures.
Over the course of approximately six months the special task force documented over 13,000 transactions totaling nearly $53m that ran through Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas on behalf of Chargestream. Funds coming into the US originated from ABN AMRO Bank NV, formerly known as Fortis Bank Nederland NV. When asked about the nature of the funds by Deutsche Bank, ABN AMRO Bank NV responded:
From our customer Chargestream Ltd., Which is a FSA licensed payment service provider in the UK, we learned that each of the payments was by way of the withdrawal from an Internet wallet, QuickTender, operated by Nemesis Management Ltd.
From there, the investigation turned to the recipients of the wire transfers. Three professional poker players – unnamed in the documents – were identified by the Federal Agents. The investigation included Internet searches on various sites, included the professional social network LinkedIn and online poker forums, demonstrating the depth of their involvement in the online poker world. Two of the players were at one time associated with online poker training site CardRunners.
The investigators looking to discover further details about the operation, interviewed three local recipients of funds from Chargestream at their residences in Cape Coral Florida. Investigators were interested in where the players were gambling. One player told them his winnings came from Full Tilt. Another identified Red Flush Casino and demonstrated how funds were transported to and from the site using UseMyWallet. The other player claimed his winnings came from several casino sites but he could not remember their names.
