Richard Lee’s Home Raided in Latest WSOP Scandal

Update: This news story is about the 2006 WSOP.  If you are looking for the Absolute Poker Scandal story, follow the link.

As the dust begins to settle on the Jamie Gold lawsuit and the freezing of his 2006 World Series of Poker winnings, another WSOP scandal has emereged.� Richard Lee’s Texas home was raided by Vice agents yesterday in an apparant ongoing investigation involving numbers running and bookmaking.

According to a report in the San Antonio Express News:

“Since February, a vice officer has rifled through trash, tailed luxury cars, gambled online and sorted through a string of local bank accounts and phone records in an effort to gather evidence against Lee and others, according to an affidavit for a search warrant released Friday.“What police found could alter the public poker face of this city’s once-celebrated gambling star, who placed sixth last month while hyping San Antonio in the World Series of Poker Main Event in Las Vegas.“Lee, otherwise known as “The Chinaman,” is the “biggest bookie” in San Antonio, according to a “credible source” quoted in the document. The affidavit also names Lee as the brains behind an illegal Internet gambling operation run in part from his Shavano Park home.“The suspected illegal Web site, www.betbsbnow.com, pretends to be based offshore, the affidavit said, while in fact it is a local operation that takes bets and collects and pays proceeds from illegal gambling and sports booking.”

The investigation goes on to included allegations that Lee employed various individuals to “run” numbers and collect payments.� Police also seized vehicles, cell phones, computer equipment, cameras, firearms and millions of dollars in assets from bank accounts.

This raid on Lee’s home follows another high profile case revolving around the 2006 World Series of Poker Champion, Jamie Gold.

A Nevada judge has frozen half of the $12 million US top prize won by Jamie Gold after an acquaintance sued, saying the two men agreed to split the winnings. Bruce Crispin Leyser, a Los Angeles-based TV development executive, alleges in a suit filed Monday in Clark County District Court that Gold, a former Hollywood talent agent, agreed in July to split his winnings in exchange for Leyser helping him find celebrities to play in the main event while wearing the “Bodog” label of an offshore Internet gambling site.Leyser alleges he fulfilled his end of the deal - getting Scooby Doo star Matthew Lillard and Punk’d comedian Dax Shepard to wear the brand - but claimed Gold has refused to hand over $6 million.According to the 28-page legal document filed in Clark County on Monday morning, legal team Chesnoff & Shonfeld also petitioned for a temporary restraining order over the $12 million in WSOP championship winnings. It was quickly approved and the money was directed to remain in the Rio All Suite Hotel Casino property vaults until September 5, unless otherwise ordered by the courts.

Jamie Gold plays at bodogpoker and after the dust settles a bit more, you will see him at his private poker table.

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