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Day 1a Chip Leader Faces 15 Felony Counts


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Probably wouldn't want to mention this if you're at his table on day 2a. It might distract him and prevent him from playing his best poker. (from Bluff magazine) WSOP: Day 1a Chipleader Eric Cloutier Facing 15 Felony Charges * Brett Abel | July 4, 2009 at 5:44 pmEric Cloutier has a mountain of chips and, apparently, a mountain of legal troubles back home.With the fame and glory of being a standout player at the World Series of Poker comes a major spotlight.The attention Eric Cloutier, chip leader after Day 1a of the Main Event, will receive may not be the type he wants, however.According to reports, Cloutier was arrested in February on more than 500 charges and will be arraigned in Louisiana court on 15 felony charges. Some of the charges include money laundering and tax fraud.Cloutier, originally from Mont-Laurier, Quebec, went to Louisiana to play hockey for the Louisiana IceGators as a left wing in 1997 and played there for two seasons. He is now the owner of Marley’s Sports Bar and Karma nightclub, both in downtown Laffayette, La.The Alcohol and Tobacco Control of Louisiana arrested the 34-year-old on Feb. 26 after he allegedly tampered with cash registers to veil and incorrectly report his sales, according to The Daily Advertiser, a Lafayette newspaper.He faces 15 charges, which was lowered from 505 originally, said Laura Gerdes, public outreach coordinator for the Attorney General’s Office. The charges include laundering more than $100,000, four counts of filing false public records related to business taxes with the Louisiana Department of Revenue and one count of filing false public records with the Louisiana Alcohol Tobacco and Control office.According to various reports, Cloutier is alleged to have laundered more than $1.4 million over a three-year period and was arrested after a nine-month investigation.ATC officials told KALB-TV the more than 500 initial charges include two counts of felony theft — over $126,000 — as well as 340 counts of obstruction of justice, 92 counts of filing false records and 67 counts of computer fraud.KADN, a television news station in Lafayette, reported he allegedly set up his registers at both businesses to not account for state and local taxes, which is what resulted in the tax fraud charges.Cloutier’s arraignment will be on Aug. 18 in Lafayette. The ATC has also filed charges against Cloutier. He will need to return Louisiana by July 14 to appear in court in Baton Rouge. The Main Event ends on July 15, Day 8, with the final nine players, who would return to the Rio Hotel in Noevember for a live broadcast of the final table.The first day of the $10,000 World Championship No Limit Hold’em (Event 57) began Friday with the first of four Day 1s. Day 2A, which is when Cloutier will play again, begins on Tuesday.

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I had heard something about this earlier this year. I'm unsure of how the bail process works, but you wouldn't think he'd be able to leave the state with some 15 felony counts pending.

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Wouldn't it be interesting if he makes it deep enough and has to play the day his is suppose to be back in court....I guess if he could make it to the final table after blinding off for a whole day then he would most definitely deserve it. :club:

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Wouldn't it be interesting if he makes it deep enough and has to play the day his is suppose to be back in court....I guess if he could make it to the final table after blinding off for a whole day then he would most definitely deserve it. :club:
Wonder if its possible for him to cash even if he doesn't play the rest of the tournament.
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from poker newsCorrectionFrom an email from WSOP tournament staff:"It turns out the chip leader from Day 1A [Eric Cloutier] has been verified to have 15,075 chips, NOT 150,750 as has been reported by us. We apologize for this unfortunate error. We take full responsibility."

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from poker newsCorrectionFrom an email from WSOP tournament staff:"It turns out the chip leader from Day 1A [Eric Cloutier] has been verified to have 15,075 chips, NOT 150,750 as has been reported by us. We apologize for this unfortunate error. We take full responsibility."
So he lost half his stack and is still the chip leader? Impressive...
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from poker newsCorrectionFrom an email from WSOP tournament staff:"It turns out the chip leader from Day 1A [Eric Cloutier] has been verified to have 15,075 chips, NOT 150,750 as has been reported by us. We apologize for this unfortunate error. We take full responsibility."
So rcgs is working for PokerNews now? :club:
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from poker newsCorrectionFrom an email from WSOP tournament staff:"It turns out the chip leader from Day 1A [Eric Cloutier] has been verified to have 15,075 chips, NOT 150,750 as has been reported by us. We apologize for this unfortunate error. We take full responsibility."
lies. i bet he tried to make it look like he had 150k, but the wsop is too smart for that.i smell another arraignment.
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Juha Helppi woke up with pocket kings and did what most players would do: got all his money in preflop. Unfortunately for him, Eric Cloutier held a couple of rockets in the hole. The board ran out ten high to keep Cloutier's aces in the lead and bust Helppi.Cloutier was mistakenly placed as the chip leader at the beginning of the day because of a misprint on his bag. Well, from that pot he is now making a push for a possible chip leader as we roll into the final 20 minutes of play.

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