We all know Richard Lee settled his case — pleading no contest and forfeiting more than $2 million dollars to make it all mostly go away. That seems to be the way it goes with enforcing the Class A misdemeanor of “operating a gambling place” … “like seriously, don’t make us try to send you to jail, just give us all your money and everything will be fine.”

Earlier this month, with approval from Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott, Bexar County officials released the names of Lee’s alleged punters. Some 3,200 of them — the juiciest ones, presumably, redacted … complete with cell phone numbers, you know, so other bookies can find these customers in need. Click here to see for yourself, and let us know if you recognize any celebs on the Lee-List. I definitely maybe know one dude from Dallas on there. I think he plays poker. He lives kinda near where there used to be a poker room. Sounds vaguely and theoretically familiar.

From KSAT:

According to [Bexar County District Attorney Susan] Reed, though, the list does not mean her office will pursue charges against those on the list.

“Being the number of names on here, being a Class C misdemeanor… the cost of that would be incredible,” she said. “(It’s) not something I’m interested in spending a huge amount of taxpayer money on.”

That’s the story and he’s sticking to it.

Pleading no contest and saying goodbye to that much money means one of two things. Either:

1) He made so much money from his legally questionable online gambling business that $2.2 million is simply an affordable nuisance “cost of doing business”

or

2) This was a deal worked out not just with prosecutors (who wanted to send Lee to jail on felony charges) but also with Lee’s top customers, who supposedly included some of the most powerful people in San Antonio, including the former mayor, in which case they might have let him know they would make it up to him.

NOTE: Link fixed.

The state wants to confiscate the money found at his house — about as much as he won in the 2006 WSOP — and other assets for good. Arraignment on charges of running an illegal bookmaking operation (based in Costa Rica) is scheduled for November 7th.

Yet another fascinating poker-related shakedown legal case that could be rough on the defendant(s). But considering “The Chinaman’s” connection to the mayor of San Antonio and other prominent figures — and the questionable strength of the laws he’s accused of violating — we’ll have to see how hard they are willing to press.

We’re hearing some interesting rumors from reliable sources about a fundraising poker tournament that didn’t happen in San Antonio this weekend. The purpose was reportedly to raise money for the American Legion there — with top prize being a WSOP main event seat. Either that prize was donated by none other than Richard Lee … or Lee had something to do with the organization of it. But apparently the cops shut it down before it happened.

Ahh, remember the good-ole-days when the police could just look the other way?

For those of you who may not recall, Lee was the well-connected, family-lovin’ San Antonio bookie businessman who finished 6th in last year’s WSOP main event (winning a cool $2.8 million) … only to have his hometown police rain on his welcome-back parade by busting into his house to confiscate cash and cars on allegations that he was running an online gambling ring. His case is still pending.

So much going on with the Richard Lee case. He’s friends with the mayor, yet San Antonio PD has been investigating him for months. He’s allegedly the bookie to the stars in San-An, or at least to a lot of prominent judges, lawyers, and other big-city players.

He also happened to be playing on PartyPoker when the raid went down. A few SWAT guys and everything, one of whom was a poker player and couldn’t help but ask him about a few hands. And the Bexar County DA is now saying (unequivocally?) that playing online poker is in fact a crime in Texas. Wow, and yeow.

All this while the Senate is a few days away from beginning consideration of federally prohibiting online gambling/gaming/poker of any sort (except for lotteries and horse racing).

I gotta say, I feel good that so much of all the challenges ahead are falling in the lap of Richard Lee, as opposed to Jamie Gold. Gives me the sense that whatever happens, poker is gonna be OK.

Meanwhile, I’ve been getting scooped on much of this by my own girlfriend at PokerBlog. (Bitch! Well done, Sweetie.)

Wicked Chops and CardSquad are keeping on top of things very well, too.

And by the way, to the commenter who wondered why a potential bookie story has anything to do with the “war on poker” … if you don’t see it now, just stick around. You will see.

We’re all in for a fun ride.

Here’s the latest on Richard Lee … who shows why, regardless of what crime he may or may not have committed, he’s probably a good-guy.

Compare Lee’s first public statement on his legal troubles to that of Jamie Gold … who hired a PR firm to spew a bunch of yadda-yadda bullshit.

This just in … a few hours ago police in San Antonio raided the home of Richard Lee — 6th place finisher in the WSOP.

Click here to see the TV news report.

Police reportedly were executing a warrant that allowed them to seize everything inside his estate in the tony Shavano Park neighborhood … because cops claim possessions inside may all be ill-gotten gains. According to a police spokesman, this was not a raid to arrest Lee, but it was part of an investigation into a “major” online gambling ring.

Wow wow wow.

Of all the final tableists, Richard Lee was arguably the nicest guy there. The anti-Jamie Gold. After he busted out in 6th place (winning $2.8 million), I asked him:

You’re the only one at the final table not wearing anything from an online poker site. Why is that?

His answer:

“I don’t need the money, I have plenty of money, and I decided that I wasn’t going to endorse anyone but God, my family, and San Antonio, Texas.”

Yee-haw! I screamed on the inside. I looked over at Nolan Dalla, because he knew what I was getting at with my question, and being a Texan, he, too, likely felt the internal whoop.

Anyhow, it was an impressive statement by Lee. Supposedly the going rate to wear an online poker site’s gear at the main event final table was $500k. (As opposed to $50k at other televised final tables.) But if what police are suspecting is true, then huh … wonder if there wasn’t some other reason he didn’t want to attach his name to any semblance of an online gaming site.

(Mean Gene can add another one to his entertaining POKER: CSI line-up.)

UPDATE: Here’s the San Antonio Express-News on the investigation.