The alleged operator of a Bitcoin -powered poker site has been charged with operating an unlicensed interactive gaming system.
Bryan Micon of Las Vegas was reportedly arrested this past February for his operation of the Seals with Clubs site, which was shut down shortly thereafter. He faces up to 10 years in prison and a $50,000 fine.
He later described the incident in a Youtube video:
"A bunch of guys with guns broke down my door, put me in handcuffs, serving a warrant from the Nevada gaming commission,” and that the 10 agents “stole most of my electronics."
According to court documents filed yesterday, the Nevada Attorney General’s Office and state gaming regulators have now formally charged Micon. He allegedly ran the operation for nearly a year, starting March 2014.
He has maintained his innocence, stating that he didn't do anything unethical, and expressed frustration with the state's handling of such licensing. He said in the video:
"After I was led out in handcuffs in my underwear, it was pretty clear that it was proper to leave sooner rather than later. And I didn't really want my 2-year-old daughter, whom I love very much, to grow up in a police state where creativity is often met with guns, handcuffs.”
After the site was shut down, he directed users to a new site, SwCPoker.eu, reassuring users that their bitcoins are safe because "math does not bow to guns."
Micon's attorney Richard Schonfeld has declined to comment.
