Scott Tom has lived as a fugitive from the US justice. After almost six years, the 37-year old has voluntarily decided to go back to the US for his desire to "just get this behind him." He faces the charges of violating the Unlawful Internet Enforcement Act and was engaged in money laundering and bank fraud.
The Absolute co-founder has been living on the Caribbean islands of Antigua and St Kitts & Nevis, but has returned to the US recently. Last Thursday, it has been reported that he appeared in a Manhattan courtroom to plead not guilty of any illegal gambling and conspiracy to commit money laundering that has been charged against him. Tom was released on a $500,000 bond.
Tom, along with 11 others was indicted on April 15, 2011 and has become known as the ‘Black Friday' in the poker industry. His return to the US to face charges has been rumored to have been in agreement with prosecutors.
Brent Beckley, Tom's stepbrother and an Absolute Poker employee, served 14 months after pleading guilty to bank and wire fraud charges. Of the 11 faced with federal charges, Tom will be the 10th person to resolve the charges. Only PokerStars founder Isai Scheinberg remains at large.
The decision of Tom to face his charges may have been influenced by PokerStars' former payment director Paul Tate who pleaded guilty in the same Manhattan court last autumn and managed to avoid jail tie.
Tom's lawyer, James Henderson, hinted that the case will ultimately be concluded via plea deal, saying that, "There's going to be a resolution in this case quickly."
source: https://www.highstakesdb.com/7648-absolute-poker-co-founder-scott-tom-returns-to-the-us-to-face-the-music.aspx
