Molly Bloom Pleads Guilty To Running Illegal Poker Ring
December 18, 2013 8:43 amHigh-stakes poker game hostess Molly Bloom has pleaded guilty to charges of helping to run an illegal $100 million high-stakes underground gambling ring catering for celebrities, athletes and Wall Street financiers.
The so-called ‘poker princess’ was just one of 34 people indicted by US federal authorities of being involved in a sprawling scheme tied to Russian and American organized crime enterprises. The 35-year-old Bloom’s role in the gambling ring was limited to running illegal high-stakes poker games at The Plaza Hotel in New York City, with some of her high-profile guests including such celebrities as Leonardo DiCaprio, Alex Rodriquez, Ben Affleck, Tobey Maguire and Matt Damon.
In addition to Bloom, several well-known poker professionals were also charged, including such players as Vadim Trincher, Abe Mosseri, Peter Feldman, John Hanson, and Bill Edler.
After Molly Bloom was indicted in April, she initially faced up to five years behind bars, but eventually agreed to a plea deal in which she would forfeit $125k and serve probation or a six months stint in prison. Commenting on her organizing the illegal high-stakes poker games, Bloom said she didn’t think it was a big deal, and explained:
“The conductors of the game, including me, took a rake..I thought I was committing a misdemeanor.”
Poker pro Vadim Trincher, 52, who won the WPT Foxwoods Poker Classic in 2009 for $731,079, was identified as one of the gambling ring’s two principal ringleaders, along with Anatoly Golubchik. Trincher’s part in the operation involved overseeing “a high-stakes illegal sports gambling business that catered almost exclusively to oligarchs living in the Ukraine and the Russian Federation.” After pleading guilty to racketeering, Vadim Trincher, agreed to forfeit $20 million and face up to 20 years in prison when sentencing takes place on March 20th. However, his plea agreement with the FBI calls for a sentence of up to 27 months.