Micon to face US charges for unlicensed Nevada poker room
Bryan Micon fled to Antigua from the U.S. after gaming agents raided his Las Vegas home in February. According to reports in local media he is expected to return to Nevada and face charges as early as this week. Micon was allegedly the chairman of the Seals with Clubs online poker site. The site closed promptly after the raid.
In April a warrant was issued for Micon accusing him of operating an unlicensed interactive gaming system in Nevada without a license.
Last week a judge recalled the warrant, allowing Micon to travel. Defense attorney, David Chesnoff expects his client to be at the proceedings. According to reports, Micon would be booked into the Clark County detention center in Las Vegas and then released on his own recognizance awaiting further proceedings.
The charges against Micon indicate that he operated Seals With Clubs from March 1st 2014 until February 9th 2015. The site operated with the Bitcoin currency. However the charges are not directly related to the poker room’s banking system, but based on Micon operating an unlicensed poker room from within the state of Nevada. Online poker is licensed and regulated within the state.
An online legal defense fund raising campaign was launched by Micon after the announcement of the arrest warrant. Over the course of a month, $4005 had been offered towards his goal of $100.000.
The single charge against Micon is a Class B felony and carries a potential term of up to 10 years in prison and a fine of $50,000. This would also be the first prosecution of a poker site that uses Bitcoin.
Seals players were advised to withdraw their money immediately and all reports indicate players were paid in full. Soon after the site shut down, Micon announced a new Bitcoin powered poker site, SwCPoker.eu.