Poker fraud: significant police operation targeting the rocker community
The Saxony State Office of Criminal Investigation (LKA) believes that members of the notorious "Hells Angels" motorcycle club have earned at least 660,000 euros through illegal poker tournaments involving manipulated games. On Tuesday (15.05), LKA officers conducted searches in seven federal states, specifically looking for evidence related to these allegations.
The sweeping operation involved over 300 officers searching 23 apartments in Saxony, Rhineland-Palatinate, Baden-Württemberg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Brandenburg, Berlin, and Hamburg. During these raids, police recovered cash, drugs, and a firearm, as well as a variety of modified poker equipment.
Following these searches, six individuals have been detained on charges of serious gang and commercial fraud. One suspect has had their arrest warrant suspended, meaning they will not be imprisoned if certain requirements are met.
The LKA Saxony subsequently disclosed that the group under investigation consisted of members from the "Hells Angels MC Berlin Central" motorcycle club. Since October 2017, 15 individuals have been under investigation, with some celebrities reportedly taking part in these illegal tournaments.
According to the LKA, this group has been manipulating poker games since 2014, enticing unsuspecting players into participating before stealing their stakes with the help of rigged equipment. Although the specific techniques employed have not been revealed, LKA spokesperson Tom Bernhardt stated:
"Special equipment was purchased specifically for this purpose and used at the tournaments. The group primarily targeted wealthy individuals, some of whom were well-known or in the public eye. Their profits from each day ranged from four to five-digit euros, which were then shared among themselves according to predetermined conditions."
The total winnings from these poker games amounted to at least 660,000 euros, according to reports. These illegal tournaments took place in different locations, including Berlin, Hamburg, Dresden, Rostock, Leipzig, Zwickau, and Mallorca. The "motorcycle club" has not yet released a statement about the matter.
As described by the Bild newspaper, one of the suspects is a professional boxer from Dresden who is currently under investigation for accessory to murder. This individual reportedly participated in a robbery at a Berlin betting shop in 2014, which escalated into a violent incident.
While the technical manipulation of poker equipment may seem elaborate, illegal poker meetings are not exclusive to the rock scene or other criminal networks. Authorities have been targeting such operations for many years.
Recently, the case of a Berlin police officer came to light, who was found to have sold information about upcoming police and customs raids to the illegal gambling scene for €3,000 per tip. This officer had also organized illegal poker events himself on multiple occasions. During this investigation, he was also linked to drug dealing.
In January, another case involved a prison officer who organized an illegal poker tournament within Dresden/Torgau prison, where 43 inmates participated for real money. This officer could face up to two years in prison.
A report by FAZ titled "Am Abend wurde der Fisch zum Hai" (In the evening, the fish became a shark), published in 2014, offers a comprehensive view of the illegal poker scene in Germany. One of the most well-known examples internationally is that of Molly Bloom, the former "poker queen of Hollywood," who organized exclusive but illicit poker tournaments for celebrities and prominent businesspeople. The stakes at these events would often exceed $300,000, with stars like Leonardo DiCaprio, Ben Affleck, and Matt Damon in attendance. Bloom's life story has been turned into a movie, with her biopic released in German cinemas last March.
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Source: www.onlinecasinosdeutschland.com
