Florida man files lawsuit against poker pros

by Steve Ruddock

In a strange court filing a Florida man, Scott Crespo, is attempting to recover poker losses he has suffered over some 700 tournaments, by suing 6 top online poker players. The lawsuit stems from an obscure Illinois law that allows someone to recover gambling losses if they have been cheated.

Crespo cites the fact that the players all partake in playing online poker at their residence, named the “Pokerhaus”, and their use of “illegal” software. According to the filing Crespo is accusing the six defendants –Andy “BkiCe” Seth, Faraz “The-Toilet” Jaka, Benjamin “Chong94″ LeFew, Mohsin “chicagocards1″ Charania, Ravi “govshark2″ Raghavan, and Tyler “puffinmypurp” Reiman– of “actively recruited other individuals to participate in illegal gambling activity… Having committed acts of collusion… Using real estate or property for the purposes of gambling”.

The Poker Players Alliance is purportedly looking into the case, and offering the defendants legal assistance. The PPA’s Kentucky State Director, Rich Muny, released the following statement to PokerNewsDaily.com: “I have spoken with one of the defendants and we have discussed the issue at the highest levels within the PPA. It’s something we take very seriously.”

This could be a landmark case for online poker –whichever way it turns out, or it could wind up just disappearing if the case has zero merit whatsoever: You’ll definitely want to stay tuned as this one plays out!