«

Busted Players in the Tank

by , Nov 20, 2006 | 8:16 pm

Comments (9)

Willy in Dallas writes in with some info that might interest attorneys and anyone who might be looking for legal counsel. Basically, as a poker player with a case pending, he’s calling for a mass reraise:

A local lawyer, Lee Bright, is representing a bunch of us busted at the first Ace’s raid […] Guess what? The D.A.’s office has indicated that charges will probably be dropped […] I spent almost 24 hours in jail, robbed of my liberty, for charges the city has absolutely no interest in pursuing.

My girlfriend was at one of the busts this weekend and told me about how rude the cops were to some of those arrested…commenting about how fat they were, ridiculing their dress, etc. Just being plain assholes to a bunch of nonviolent poker players. It must be easy to be a big tough guy when…you know…there aren’t any actual violent criminals around. Being on TV is really going to these nuts’ heads.


I, for one, will put my votes and money where my mouth is. No more support for these police departments with so much time on their hands. Much has been said on this site about the DPD wasting their time on poker games in one of the most violent cities in America. This voter gets it. The police have spoken loud and clear: “We are not interested in pursuing real crime in Dallas.” Well, then, don’t expect any further funding support from this voter and frequent giver to police charities (my company gives over $1,500 a year to police charities, though we have now stopped). A police department which cannot distinguish between real and imaginary (i.e., victimless) crimes cannot count on my support.

It is critical that everyone fight these charges. Dare the city to take these to jury trials. Subpoena all the video footage shot by the news agencies who accompanied the cops on these raids. Also, explore a 1999 Supreme Court case, Layne v. Wilson, wherein a search warrant was ruled illegal merely because the cops invited the media to ride along on the raid with them.

All defendants are entitled to any video shot at the raids by the media who were invited along by the cops…and all confidential informants are on those tapes. I suspect that the city will fold on all such cases.

Show these morons you’re not afraid to flex your rights, and watch them buckle.

There also was a case of a busted poker room in 1998 … a judge (or maybe a jury?) found that guy not-guilty. For interested attorneys, I have the actual Cause #s.


9 Comments to “Busted Players in the Tank”


  1. Chuck     says:
    November 20th, 2006 at 10:22pm

    It’d be funny to see poker players protesting in front of city hall. Then again considering how well the poker community in Dallas gets together, I’d guess about 6 tables worth would show up.


  2. steve     says:
    November 20th, 2006 at 11:12pm

    I will be contacting this attorney tomorrow to determine the cost of fighting these charges and would support…as well as be involved in…any political activity to bring this question to the “court of public opinion”. Personally, I am confident that the citizens…i.e…TAXPAYERS…will be very upset if the truly understand the priorities of the DPD.

    If I am not mistaken, one story on the news just this weekend discussed the need for more police officers to deal with violent crime problems in a particular area of the city. Perhaps, if our police department was not out terrifying poker games, they would be able to focus catching criminals. Of course, these criminals are probably a whole lot more dangerous than busting the windows out at a poker game.

    Just saw this fiasco on the news…someone needs to be ashamed…and it’s not the poker players or the people running the games! How ridiculous is this…also, I would be very interested in knowing exactly how many weopons were discovered during these travesties!


  3. DanM     says:
    November 20th, 2006 at 11:15pm

    My bet: 3


  4. Scott Chaffin     says:
    November 21st, 2006 at 1:11am

    If we self-deal in front of City Hall, is that considered a private game?


  5. Chuck     says:
    November 21st, 2006 at 8:21am

    technically, not in a public place.


  6. Karridy     says:
    November 21st, 2006 at 10:52am

    I’d say less than 3. Also, private/public doesn’t matter if money isn’t wagered. Obviously, a tournament like this isn’t about the money. Although, I’m pretty sure that our friends at GoldenPalace would love to donate a prize 🙂 – Be careful when you point me in a direction.


  7. Andrew Hime     says:
    November 21st, 2006 at 11:57am

    Yeah, being wrongfully arrested sucks. Spending 19 hours in Lew Sterrett when you’re 17 sucks, especially when it’s overcrowded and you’re only there because a cop doesn’t know how to read an MVR. Buck up.


  8. Headlines: Poker, Law, and Politics (11/21/06) « Poker Players Alliance Blog     says:
    November 21st, 2006 at 1:52pm

    […] blogs: Yeah, People Still Play Poker–When SWAT Isn’t Arresting Them (Dallas Observer, 11/20/06) Annapolis Capital: Pasadena Senior to Play in World Series of Poker (Crablaw’s Maryland Weekly, 11/21/06) Busted Players in the Tank (Pokerati, 11/20/06) excerpts: Gambling portal webmasters endure the UIGEA (Casino City Times, 11/21/06) “Beyond making changes to ensure their business remains viable, many portals are also taking steps to make sure they are legally safe as well. Some site owners are relocating their servers to foreign countries for fear that the U.S. Justice Department may one day order Internet Service Providers to shut down gambling portals.” […]


  9. William W. Grey     says:
    November 21st, 2006 at 5:31pm

    All the Dallas Poker Players come join us at pokerplayersalliance .org Fight for the right to play play poker in your home, office , or online.