Poker NewsMuch more than just a poker blog...
Ray Bitar, Howard Lederer, Chris Ferguson and Rafe Furst, the four main defendants of the Full Tilt Poker (FTP) scandal have declared their resignation and thus cannot be reagrded as the leaders of the poker room anymore.
As you all probably well know, the United States Department of Justice (DoJ) has accused Full Tilt Poker leaders with a $440 million theft. The action at law filed by the DoJ firstly accuses the above mentioned four people with the crime. They will have to face a $12million - $42 million fine.
[3]Lederer and Bitar
According to the latest news (confirmed by several sources), the four leaders have agreed to resign from the FTP Board of Directors, and the according papers have already been forwarded to Assistant Attorney James Cowley. They have all acknowledged the charges and do not need to personally appear in court (it is most probable that they have reached an agreement with the DoJ).
Their resignation is another step towards re-launching FTP, as this was one of the main criteria for the negotiations between the DoJ and Groupe Bernard Tapie to go on. Laurent Tapie, director of Groupe Tapie stated in the beginning of November that in approximately 15 days, the sale of FTP could finally be completed.
The official statement should be due any day now, and along with that should come a statement explaining exactly how and when the players having their money 'stuck' on FTP could get their dollars back.
Meanwhile, the Alderney Gambling Control Commission (AGCC) has been constantly repeating that they are ready to engage in discussions with the new FTP leaders concerning new FTP licence.