Ira Rubin, one of the 11 individuals indicted during poker’s Black Friday purge, was arrested this past Monday in Guatemala. He made his initial court appearance today, facing Judge Andrea M. Simonton in Miami, Florida. As of yet, it appears that the defendant is without legal representation.
“I signed an agreement with a lawyer in New York Friday,” he told the court. “I have no idea whether he’s been paid as of yet. I haven’t been able to make a phone call since Monday.”
A phone call by the judge to the attorney (one Stuart Meissner) proved unhelpful to Rubin. Since he had, it turns out, not been paid, the lawyer was unwilling to take on the case. The court has set a new hearing for this Friday, April 29, by which time the accused hopes to have located new representation.
As part of the aforementioned purge, the charges against Rubin are serious. Bloomberg.com reports that he faces nine counts, “including conspiracy to violate the Unlawful Internet Gambling Act; three counts of violation of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Act in connection with Pokerstars, Full Tilt and Absolute Poker; three counts of operation of an illegal gambling business in connection with Pokerstars, Full Tilt and Absolute Poker; conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering conspiracy.”
While awaiting his next court appearance, Rubin was returned to the Miami Federal Detention Center. His exit was not a pretty sight, according to PokerNews.com, who report that he was taken away “shackles and all.”