Editing Howard Lederer (section)

==Tiltware LLC and Full Tilt Poker==
Lederer was a founding member and onetime president of Tiltware LLC, the company that handled marketing and software development for Full Tilt Poker.<ref name="Moe" /><ref name="Caldwell">{{Cite news |last=Caldwell |first=John  |date=July 28, 2005 |title=The Poker Professor: Interview with Howard Lederer |url=http://www.pokernews.com/news/2005/07/poker-professor-interview-howard-lederer.htm |access-date=April 30, 2013 |work=[[Poker News]]}}</ref> Tiltware LLC launched Full Tilt Poker in 2004. Lederer served on the company's board of directors along with co-founders [[Rafe Furst]], [[Chris Ferguson]], and Ray Bitar.<ref name="Berzon" /><ref name="Feldman11" /> Full Tilt Poker hosted online poker games and was a former sponsor of poker programming on [[ESPN]]<ref name="Feldman11" /> and ''Poker After Dark,'' both in the United States and abroad.<ref name="LaClair">{{Cite news |last= LaClair |first=Hillary |date=January 22, 2009 |title=PokerStars to Leave Poker After Dark |url=http://www.pokerintensity.com/news_dtls.php?news_id=469 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120224022851/http://www.pokerintensity.com/news_dtls.php?news_id=469 |archive-date=February 24, 2012 |access-date=May 1, 2013 |work=[[Poker Intensity]]}}</ref><ref name="Holloway">{{Cite news |last=Holloway |first=Chad  |date=February 28, 2012 |title=Poker PROductions' Mori Eskandani Talks Poker After Dark Relaunch |url=http://www.pokernews.com/news/2012/02/poker-productions-mori-eskandani-talks-poker-after-dark-12126.htm |access-date=May 1, 2013 |work=[[Poker News]]}}</ref>

Following a [[United States Department of Justice]]-led [[United States v. Scheinberg|investigation]], based on suspicion of money laundering and gambling violations, Full Tilt Poker's website was closed to players in the United States on April 15, 2011.<ref name="Mathers">{{Cite news |last=Mathers |first=Kevin  |date=April 5, 2010 |title=Federal grand jury investigating Full Tilt Poker |url=http://pokerati.com/2010/04/federal-grand-jury-investigating-full-tilt-poker-indictments-for-jesus-howard-and-others/ |access-date=May 1, 2013 |work=[[Pokerati]]}}</ref><ref name="Morrissey">{{Cite news |last=Morrissey |first=Janet  |date=October 8, 2011 |title=Poker Inc. to Uncle Sam: Shut Up and Deal |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/09/technology/internet/in-online-poker-a-push-to-legalize-and-regulate-the-game.html?_r=0 |access-date=May 1, 2013 |work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> The company's license was suspended on June 30, 2011, and Full Tilt Poker stopped accepting international play.<ref name="Berzon" /><ref name="Feldman11" />

In September 2011, Lederer was named, along with two other members of the Full Tilt Poker board of directors, in an amended civil complaint filed by the Department of Justice, in which Full Tilt Poker was accused of defrauding poker players.<ref name="Berzon">{{Cite news |last=Berzon |first=Alexandra  |date=September 21, 2011 |title=U.S. Alleges Poker Site Stacked Deck |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424053111904106704576582741398633386 |access-date=May 1, 2013 |work=[[The Wall Street Journal]]}}</ref><ref name="Feldman11">{{Cite news |last=Feldman |first=Andrew  |date=September 23, 2011 |title=U.S. Attorney: FTP 'massive scheme' |url=https://www.espn.com/poker/story/_/id/6996703/howard-lederer-chris-ferguson-rafe-furst-named-manhattan-us-attorney-amended-black-friday-civil-complaint |access-date=May 1, 2013 |work=[[ESPN.com]]}}</ref> Ultimately, the company's owners were accused of receiving around $443 million in player funds between 2007 and 2011.<ref name="Feldman11" /><ref name="BerzonSept22" /> According to the Department of Justice, Lederer received about $42 million in payments from Full Tilt Poker during that time period.<ref name="Feldman11" /><ref name="Rodriguez" /> In a statement issued by the Department of Justice, Full Tilt Poker was referred to as a [[Ponzi scheme]] for paying out funds to Full Tilt Poker owners despite having insufficient funds to cover money owed to players.<ref name="Berzon" /> Full Tilt Poker denied the allegation that they operated a Ponzi scheme.<ref name="Berzon" /><ref name="BerzonSept22">{{Cite news |last=Berezon |first=Alexandra  |date=September 22, 2011 |title=Poker Site Fires Back at U.S. |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424053111903791504576585390448785426#ixzz1Yh0uUWHg |access-date=May 1, 2013 |work=[[The Wall Street Journal]]}}</ref>

In 2012, a three-way settlement was reached between Full Tilt Poker, [[PokerStars]], and the Department of Justice. Full Tilt Poker agreed to forfeit their assets to the Department of Justice and on the same day, PokerStars agreed to acquire those assets from the Department of Justice.<ref name=PokerNews12>{{cite news |title=PokerStars Closes Deal With DOJ; Full Tilt Poker Relaunch Expected by Nov. 6, 2012 |url=http://www.pokernews.com/news/2012/08/pokerstars-closes-deal-with-doj-full-tilt-poker-relaunch-13201.htm |work=[[Poker News]] |date=August 9, 2012 |access-date=May 1, 2013}}</ref><ref name="Berzon12">{{Cite news |last=Berzon |first=Alexandra  |date=August 2, 2012 |title=Poker Site Settles for $731 Million |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10000872396390444405804577561081504242636 |access-date=May 1, 2013 |work=[[The Wall Street Journal]]}}</ref><ref name=DOJ12>{{cite press release |title=Manhattan U.S. Attorney Announces $731 Million Settlement of Money Laundering and Forfeiture Complaint with PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker |url=https://www.justice.gov/usao/nys/pressreleases/July12/pokersettlement.html |publisher=United States Department of Justice |date=July 31, 2012 |access-date=June 12, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120805200217/http://www.justice.gov/usao/nys/pressreleases/july12/pokersettlement.html |archive-date=August 5, 2012 }}</ref> As part of the agreement, PokerStars paid $547 million to the Department of Justice in addition to $184 million to poker players outside the United States who were owed money by Full Tilt Poker.<ref name="Berzon12" /> Additionally, $150 million from the settlement money was intended to be used to refund U.S.-based customers.<ref name="Stutz" />

Lederer personally settled with the Department of Justice in December 2012. He admitted no wrongdoing and agreed to forfeit assets totaling more than $2.5 million.<ref name="Rodriguez">{{Cite news |last=Rodriguez |first=Julio  |date=December 19, 2012 |title=Howard Lederer Forfeits Millions As Part Of DOJ Civil Complaint Settlement |url=http://www.cardplayer.com/poker-news/14656-howard-lederer-forfeits-millions-as-part-of-doj-civil-complaint-settlement |access-date=April 30, 2013 |work=[[Card Player]]}}</ref><ref name="Stutz">{{Cite news |last=Stutz |first=Howard  |date=December 20, 2012 |title=Lederer Settles with DOJ |url=http://pokerati.com/2012/12/lederer-settles-with-doj/ |access-date=April 30, 2013 |work=[[Las Vegas Review-Journal]]}}</ref><ref name="Pempus">{{Cite news |last=Pempus |first=Brian  |date=March 13, 2013 |title=DOJ Hires Group To Help Compensate American Victims Of Full Tilt Poker |url=http://www.cardplayer.com/poker-news/15184-breaking-doj-hires-group-to-help-compensate-u-s-victims-of-full-tilt-poker |access-date=April 30, 2013 |work=[[Card Player]]}}</ref>