Bryan Micon Charged With Operating an Unlicensed Interactive Gaming System

Published on April 29th, 2015 1:15 am EST

Earlier this week, Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt formally filed felony charges against Bryan Micon.

Bryan Micon, who reportedly fled for Antigua after law enforcement raided his home earlier in the year, has been charged with operating an unlicensed interactive gambling site from Nevada. According to the Nevada Attorney General's office, Seals with Clubs, the site that Micon was formerly associated with, was operating unlicensed in the state of Nevada.

On February 11th, 2015, "many, many men with guns" (according to Micon himself) stormed Micon's residence to execute a search warrant from the Nevada Gaming Commission, due to his association with SealsWithClubs.eu. Micon was reportedly led out of his residence in nothing but "boxers and handcuffs" while law enforcement agents scoured his house and seized numerous pieces of computer equipment.

Micon was released without being charged after a long day of being detained. No travel restrictions were imposed on Micon, and he promptly fled the United States with his family, reportedly setting up residence in Antigua.

SealsWithClubs.eu, which offered Bitcoin poker to the world (including residents of the United States), was promptly shut down after the raid in February. The majority owners of the site issued a statement in which they said that they were washing their hands of the venture and would be handing the site's assets off to Micon. After settling in Antigua, Micon promptly set up SWCPoker.eu, which still remains active to this day.

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Micon faces up to 10 years in prison and $50,000 in fines if he is found guilty of operating an unlicensed gaming system in Nevada. Chief deputy attorney general Jeff Seagull has implored Micon to return to the United States to face the charge. Attorney General Adam Lexalt stated that his office will continue to pursue Micon with "every available and appropriate legal remedy."

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Micon, who is reportedly still in Antigua, set up a Gofundme.com page to help with his legal defense fund. Micon stated that he has retained the services of Chesnoff & Schonfeld and that he is looking to raise $100,000 for his defense. As of this moment, $1,680 had been raised for his defense.

Micon stated on Reddit that he is "absolutely fighting this charge" and that "the exact nature of that fight will be determined by my legal team."

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Filed Under: Poker Legal Issues