Neteller Founders arrested

[[Phill]]

Sorry, that shoulda read "With neteller suspending insta cash, planned since the end of 2006, they..."

[*TT*]

[ QUOTE ]
I think there is a reasonable argument that the original BetOnSports indictment was a case of an ambitious prosecutor going after low-hanging fruit. That was a sports betting site that took bets over the phone, and that engaged in some relatively shady business practices.

What might have been instructive to authorities is the degree to which BetOnSports backed down. After all, the Neteller "investigation" only started in July 2006, which is exactly when the BoS indictment was handed down. Oh, I know that Carruthers will have his day in court, and maybe some good will come out of that, but the message was heard loud and clear: this sort of indictment can scare a company into shutting off its U.S. business, and perhaps half the industry in the process.

Put differently, I don't think this was by any means an inevitability. But, like global warming heats the waters of the Gulf of Mexico and creates more powerful hurricanes, the regulatory and legislative events of the past nine months made a Category 5 event more likely.

[/ QUOTE ]

Great post Nate, good insight into your understanding.

Update: Neteller has stopped all InstaCash and Credit Card funding effective 1/16. The quickest way to deposit is now Wire Transfer (average of 2 days) or EFT (average of 4 days). For the latest updates visit Google News

TT [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]

[danzasmack]

Ok - who wasn't using neteller for a site like Full Tilt. I'm wondering what my 2nd best option is and don't feel like finding out the hard way.

[*TT*]

Taken from www.usdoj.gov

U.S. CHARGES TWO FOUNDERS OF PAYMENT SERVICES COMPANY

WITH LAUNDERING BILLIONS OF DOLLARS OF

INTERNET GAMBLING PROCEEDS

MICHAEL J. GARCIA, the United States Attorney for the
Southern District of New York, and MARK J. MERSHON, the Assistant
Director-in-Charge of the New York Office of the Federal Bureau of
Investigation ("FBI"), announced today that STEPHEN ERIC LAWRENCE
and JOHN DAVID LEFEBVRE were arrested yesterday in connection with
the creation and operation of an internet payment services company
that facilitated the transfer of billions of dollars of illegal
gambling proceeds from United States citizens to the owners of
various internet gambling companies located overseas. According to
the two criminal Complaints unsealed yesterday:

Neteller PLC ("Neteller"), formerly known as Neteller,
Inc., is an internet payment services company that was founded by
LAWRENCE and LEFEBVRE in 1999. Neteller is based in the Isle of
Man and is publicly traded in the United Kingdom. Neteller began
processing internet gambling transactions in approximately July
2000. Internet payment services companies, like Neteller, allow
gambling companies to transfer money collected from United States
customers to bank accounts outside the United States. According to
Neteller’s 2005 annual report, LAWRENCE and LEFEBVRE, through
Neteller, provided payment services to more than 80% of worldwide
gaming merchants.

Since founding Neteller, LAWRENCE and LEFEBVRE have held
numerous senior management positions at the company. For instance,
LAWRENCE served as Chief Executive Officer of Neteller until
December 2002; as executive director of Neteller from 2001 to

August 31, 2003; and as Chairman of the Board of Directors of
Neteller until May 11, 2006. LAWRENCE left the Board of Directors
on October 13, 2006. LEFEBVRE served as President of Neteller from
2000 to 2002; and was a member of the Board of Directors until
approximately December 2005.

Furthermore, LAWRENCE and LEFEBVRE have both held
significant ownership interests in Neteller. As of December 31,
2004, LAWRENCE was the largest shareholder of Neteller, owning
21.94% of the outstanding shares of Neteller PLC. As of the same
date, LEFEBVRE was the second-largest shareholder of Neteller PLC,
owning 13.44% of the outstanding shares of the company.

At the time that the defendants took Neteller public, the
company acknowledged in its offering documents that United States
law prohibited persons from promoting certain forms of gambling,
including internet gambling, and transmitting funds that are known
to have been derived from criminal activity or are intended to
promote criminal activity. The company’s directors, including
LAWRENCE and LEFEBVRE, also conceded that they were risking
prosecution by the government of the United States under existing
or future federal laws.

In 2005, Neteller processed over $7.3 billion in
financial transactions. According to reports issued by Neteller,
95% of its revenue was derived from money transfers involving
internet gambling companies. On September 11, 2006, the President
and Chief Executive Officer of Neteller described the "online
gaming market" as Neteller’s "main market," and stated that, in the
first half of 2006, Neteller processed $5.1 billion in financial
transactions. As charged in the complaint, approximately 85% of
Neteller’s revenue during that period derived from individuals in
North America, and 75% of its North American revenue was generated
in the United States. Both the operation of an internet gambling
operation and the transferring of the proceeds from these
businesses overseas are illegal under United States law.

LAWRENCE and LEFEBVRE are both charged with conspiring to
transfer funds with the intent to promote illegal gambling. If
convicted, both defendants face a maximum sentence of 20 years’
imprisonment.

LAWRENCE, 46, was arrested yesterday in the United States
Virgin Islands and will be presented in federal court in St. Thomas
by tomorrow. LEFEBVRE, 55, was arrested yesterday in Malibu,
California and will be presented in Los Angeles federal court later
today. LAWRENCE currently resides in Paradise Island, Bahamas.
Both are Canadian citizens.

-2-

This prosecution is part of the United States Department
of Justice’s effort to combat unlawful internet gambling through,
among other things, the implementation of the federal anti-money
laundering statutes. Other recent examples of the Justice
Department’s efforts in this regard include the indictments of two
offshore internet gambling companies – Worldwide Telesports, Inc.,
(indictment unsealed on May 17, 2006 in the United States District
Court for the District of Columbia) and BetonSports, PLC, a
publicly traded holding company that owns a number of Internet
sportsbooks and casinos, and its founder, Gary Stephen Kaplan
(indictment unsealed July 17, 2006 in the United States District
Court for the Eastern District of Missouri). Additionally, in July
2003, one of Neteller’s competitors, PayPal, and its parent eBay,
entered into a civil settlement agreement with the United States
Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri to settle
allegations it aided in illegal offshore and on-line gambling
activities. As part of the agreement, PayPal agreed to forfeit $10
million, representing proceeds derived by PayPal from the
processing of illegal gambling transactions.

Mr. GARCIA praised the investigative efforts of the FBI
and thanked the United States Custom & Border Patrol, United States
Coast Guard, and Virgin Islands Police Department for their
assistance in the investigation. Mr. GARCIA added that the
investigation is continuing.

Mr. GARCIA stated, "Internet gambling has become a
multibillion-dollar industry that derives a major portion of its
revenues from United States citizens. STEPHEN ERIC LAWRENCE and
JOHN DAVID LEFEBVRE knew when they took their company public that
its activities, as well as those of the internet gambling companies
it assisted, were illegal in the United States. Blatant violations
of U.S. law are not a mere ‘risk’ to be disclosed to prospective
investors. Criminal prosecutions related to online gambling will
be pursued even in cases where assets and defendants are positioned
outside of the United States."

FBI Assistant Director MERSHON stated: "Internet gambling
is a multibillion-dollar industry. A significant portion of that
is the illegal handling of Americans' bets with offshore gaming
companies, which amounts to a colossal criminal enterprise
masquerading as legitimate business. There is ample indication
these defendants knew the American market for their services was
illegal. The FBI is adamant about shutting off the flow of illegal
cash."

-3-

Assistant United States Attorneys TIMOTHY J. TREANOR,
CHRISTOPHER P. CONNIFF, and CHRISTINE MEDING are in charge of the
prosecutions.

The charges contained in the Complaints are merely
accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and
until proven guilty.

07-012 ###

[nation]

oh wowow we are truly screwed back to live poker playing twice the stakes with 1/3rd the hourly jesus

[[Phill]]

So can the OP claim the sky is falling NOW?

That indictment (though obviously an indictment and not a proven case or conviction) is pretty damn worrying.

Worst case scenario, hopefully the DoJ goes all the way and stops you sharks from playing as well as the fish.

Anyone who looked at the UIGEA and said that internet poker will still be here and its unenforcable, well there is a pretty major shot across the bow right there.

[UATrewqaz]

While the most diligent 2+2'er will always research and find a way to move funds into and out of poker site X, the vast majority of the fish (U.S. anyway) will certainly not.

Online poker won't die (due to overseas play and hardcore U.S. players) but the games will get much tougher.

Many poker world guru's have predicted as much over the past few years. I don't think they forsaw legal reasons, but this certainly is speeding up the process.

[danzasmack]

"Neteller has stopped all InstaCash and Credit Card funding effective 1/16. The quickest way to deposit is now Wire Transfer (average of 2 days) or EFT (average of 4 days). For the latest updates visit Google News"

I don't think this is necessarily permanent. The fee % on these things is about credit risk, correct? So wouldn't now not be a time to take on any risk?

[LoosenUp]

fYI:

As a trial for us all, I have just withdrew 1k from PokerStars, proceeded to put it on my neteller debit card and safely recieved it through an ATM.

Besides the elimination of instacash the site seems to be operating as usual.

I will miss neteller the ease of use is unmatched

[1p0kerboy]

[ QUOTE ]
So can the OP claim the sky is falling NOW?

That indictment (though obviously an indictment and not a proven case or conviction) is pretty damn worrying.

Worst case scenario, hopefully the DoJ goes all the way and stops you sharks from playing as well as the fish.

Anyone who looked at the UIGEA and said that internet poker will still be here and its unenforcable, well there is a pretty major shot across the bow right there.


[/ QUOTE ]

Ummm...the sky is not falling.

While I'm conerned about online poker this is hardly the fatal blow.

In fact, this act shows the limits of the DoJ. They had to wait until the Neteller guys were on U.S. soil before they could take any action.

Also consider that this indictment is targeting illegal sports wagers.

There will be other companies willing to take on the risk and willing to stay out of the U.S. When the UIGA was passed, at least one poker site said that they had ninety something alternative funding options they were exploring outside of Neteller.

I think many fish won't even realize what happened. Many will just see that Neteller is no longer available and select a different funding method instead. That is even IF Neteller decides to leave the U.S. market, which now they may not do.