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State lawmakers who want to legalize Internet poker in Iowa are putting their chips on a new plan for online gambling that could open the door to multistate poker pots with more players.


Sen. Jeff Danielson, D-Cedar Falls, said Tuesday that he believes a recent U.S. Department of Justice opinion will allow Iowa to enter into agreements with other jurisdictions that have approved Internet gambling, including Washington, D.C., and Nevada, and possibly some foreign countries.


The Justice Department opinion, made public last month, says a federal law known as the Wire Act prohibits only sports betting over the Internet. In the past, the federal government has used the law to justify opposition to most forms of Internet gambling, which had led Iowa lawmakers to consider offering only Internet poker games within the state’s borders.


“We believe that because of the Department of Justice ruling, we can now have a multistate compact,” said Danielson, chairman of the Senate State Government Committee. He compares his proposal to the agreement the Iowa Lottery uses to participate in Powerball, a lotto game with big jackpots offered in 31 states, plus Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.


RUBIN, 53, pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate the unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, one count of conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud, and one count of money laundering conspiracy. He faces a maximum sentence of 55 years in prison. He is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan on May 17, 2012 at 4:00 p.m.


Four other defendants charged with RUBIN have appeared in the United States: Bradley Franzen, Brent Beckley, Chad Elie, and John Campos. Franzen pled guilty on May 23, 2011, and Beckley pled guilty on December 20, 2011. Elie and Campos are scheduled to go to trial before Judge Kaplan on April 9, 2012. They are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. The remaining six defendants charged in the Superseding Indictment are at large.


Mr. Bharara thanked the FBI for its outstanding work in the investigation, which he noted is ongoing. Mr. Bharara also thanked Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations New York and New Jersey offices for their continued assistance in the investigation. Finally, Mr. Bharara thanked the U.S. Department of State Diplomatic Security Service for their assistance identifying RUBIN in Guatemala and facilitating his return to the United States.


This matter being handled by the Office’s Complex Frauds and Asset Forfeiture Units. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Arlo Devlin-Brown, Niketh Velamoor, and Nicole Friedlander are in charge of the criminal case, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sharon Cohen Levin, Jason Cowley, and Michael Lockard are in charge of related civil money laundering and forfeiture actions.