Poker Players and High-Profile Figures Face Legal Troubles

In late April 2022, a poker team led by TylerRM was detained by Panamanian police for trespassing on a restricted area near the Panama Canal. The team, which included notable players like Ruben Akopyan, Arkady Lobov, Dmitry Gorbal, Maxim Dubrovsky, Anton Silyavko, and Evgeny Karpatsky, was held in a migration isolation facility for over two weeks. The players were released on May 21, 2022, after their computers were confiscated and they were forced to sign a deportation agreement.

The team had set up a base in Panama for training and playing in large poker series. However, their freedom was compromised when they inadvertently trespassed on a protected zone near the Panama Canal. Despite the presence of a barrier, the players were detained and their equipment was seized. TylerRM, the team leader, had to seek legal help to secure their release.

In another high-profile incident, Kory Zaidman, a 61-year-old WSOP bracelet winner, was arrested in Florida for running a sports betting scam. Zaidman's company, Phoenix Organization, defrauded clients out of over $25 million by claiming to have insider knowledge of sports outcomes. The company's operations, which spanned from 2004 to 2020, left many clients financially devastated, including some who emptied their pension accounts. Zaidman now faces charges of fraud and money laundering.