US Federal Procesutors Drop all Charges Against Calvin Ayre and Bodog

HomeNewsUS Federal Procesutors Drop all Charges Against Calvin Ayre and Bodog
US Federal Procesutors Drop all Charges Against Calvin Ayre and Bodog JP Buntinx July 19, 2017 News TheMerkle Calvin Ayre Bodog Charges Dropped

Most cryptocurrency enthusiasts know about Calvin Ayre. US federal prosecutors have been interested in him for some time now, due to his online gambling business. Ayre has also been linked to Craig Wright in the past, although that business venture is entirely different. It now appears all charges against Ayre and the Bodog online gambling business have been dropped.

CALVIN AYRE AND BODOG ARE NO LONGER UNDER INVESTIGATION

This entire story goes back to February 2012. At a time. US federal prosecutors took a keen interest in the Bodog online gambling business. They also indicted four individuals, one of which is known as Calvin Ayre. The charges filed against these individuals included illegal gambling and alleged money laundering. The Bodog gambling platform apparently provided services to US customers for over six years, without having an official license.

At the time of these indictments, it appears the US federal prosecutors had a strong case against Bodog and the four individuals. The Department of Justice claimed over $100 million in gambling proceeds had been awarded to customers in the United States alone. The company never had a gambling license to host these kinds of games and distribute winnings. If the individuals were found guilty, they would face up to 25 years in jail and pay around $1 million in fines.

There is a big difference between charging people with illegal gambling and proving it. Since there has never been any court appearance by any of the four individuals, the prosecution may not have had a strong enough case. Very little happened in the five years that the case has been open.

While we may never know why this case never amounted to anything, Calvin Ayre and the other indicted individuals will not really look for an explanation. Chief Judge Catherine Blake of the District of Maryland approved a resolution which dismissed all felony charges against Calvin Ayre and Bodog. The other individuals saw their charges dropped not too long ago as well. Five years of investigating this matter have been anti-climatic. The Bodog.com domain has also found a new owner in exchange for a one-time fee of $100,000.

It is very likely Bodog.com will reopen its doors as an online gambling platform very soon. However, nothing has been set in stone yet. As part of the settlement deal, the US government can keep the $67 million in seized assets.

One possible explanation for this surprising turn of event sis how the US government brought this upon themselves. At the time of the indictment, Bodog had an Antiguan gaming license, which officially prevented them from offering services to US gamblers. However, the World Trade Organization ruled the US is in violation of its international trade obligations if this was enforced. This means Bodog was operating in a legal manner. The license is still valid today, but it remains to be seen if Bodog will relaunch.