Originally Posted by
JimAfternoon
Is it possible that they weren't really serious about charging him with anything?
Perhaps these agents were sent at the request of the legal NV sites, who were just looking to take out the competition.
This might explain why they didn't prepare adequately for the possibility of him fleeing the US so quickly.
Yep, it could of been an "unofficial raid". These types of raids are quite popular, especially in northern cities like in Boston, when it comes to poker home games.
The cops bust in, claiming to have a warrant, and take all of the chips, cards, tables, TVs, money etc. The people in the room: players, dealers, runners....usually have no idea of what their rights are (the cops prey on this), never even asking for a warrant or realizing that they don't have to let cops into the home without one or consent.
They'll handcuff/interrogate people, and then just let em go with no charges (while the cops who took part of the raid get a sweet new poker table).
Also, since there is no actual arrest, it doesn't get logged into the news cycle (where the police don't have to deal with the ACLU and the police state questions - in Southern states, they don't give a fuck about gambling and often brag about sending swat teams into games with grandmothers and shit).