by Mario Alfonsi | Published on Jul 3, 2012 | Updated on Jul 3, 2012Over the past year, many of the people associated with the operations of Full Tilt Poker have become targets of scorn from the poker community. But perhaps none of them received more flack than Ray Bitar, the beleaguered poker site’s CEO. While players who used to play on Full Tilt might still have a while to wait before receiving their funds from the site, though, they may be at least one step closer to feeling like some measure of justice has been served.Bitar surrendered to the United States on Monday, in response to a series of nine charges that were filed against him as part of the Black Friday indictments. Bitar had been overseas since the indictments came down last April, but was apprehended upon returning to the United States at John F. Kennedy International Airport.Despite his decision to face the charges, Bitar still maintains his innocence. In a hearing held later Monday, Bitar pleaded not guilty to all charges at a federal court in Manhattan.Before the news broke, a poster on the Two Plus Two forums leaked what appeared to be an internal email to Full Tilt employees from Bitar. Given the timing of the post and previous information shared by the same poster, most believe that the email is legitimate.“By now you probably have heard that I have returned to the US to deal with civil and criminal cases that are pending against me in New York,” the e-mail from Bitar read. “We have worked hard over the last 15 months to preserve Full Tilt’s assets and potential in order to provide for the repayment of all players, and that continues to be our top priority.”The email also appeared to give some insight into the possible purchase of Full Tilt by PokerStars.“Hopefully our deal with PokerStars will very soon make [player repayment] a reality,” Bitar allegedly wrote. The email also referred to an agreement with PokerStars to guarantee the salaries of Full Tilt employees through July.Bitar faces changes ranging from violations of the United States’ UIGEA laws to wire fraud and money laundering. If convicted of all charges, Bitar could face up to 145 years in jail.
