The Intricate Tangle of Celebs, Poker, and Politics That Nixed an Envoy Dream


Okay, picture this crazy mix - we've got former President Obama, Russian gangsters, A-list celebs like Tobey Maguire, fat-cat investors, Olympic athletes, big names in international politics... their paths all cross in this wild saga filled with clandestine poker games, loads of cash, and a dash of scandal that might've dashed an upstanding millionaire's shot at being the U.S. ambassador to France.

I mean, how wild is that? All these folks are roped together in this whole mess that's part money, part power play, and a whole lot of illicit card games. And at the heart of it? A good guy who just wanted to serve his country, possibly getting his chances tanked in the process https://top-casinos.co.nz/.

So, last week, things went down. Cops in NYC and LA cracked down on about 30 people for running this high-rolling gambling and money cleaning biz. We're talking high-stakes poker where the rich and famous throw down tens of thousands of dollars per hand [nytimes](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/02/technology/kick-streaming-twitch-gambling.html). And these games? They were happening under the radar, laundered through some fancy Manhattan art joint. One of the big fish they're after? Alimzhan Tokhtakhounov – this dude's a known Russian mobster tied to all sorts of shady stuff including accusations of rigging the 2002 Winter Olympics. (C'mon, the figure skating scandal? The Canadian pair got shafted, remember?) He's basically a ghost at this point, topping the world's most-wanted list.

Among the folks nabbed, there's Molly Bloom – yes, related to the Olympics 'cause her bro, Jeremy, competed. She ran those hush-hush Hollywood poker nights where stars like Maguire, Leo DiCaprio, and Matt Damon would show up to gamble. And then there's Helly Nahmad https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/tag/gambling/, this loaded playboy handling his family's $3 billion art fortune right from the gallery doubling as a front for the poker games – and yeah, he rubs elbows with DiCaprio and the baseball legend A-Rod. His lawyer's the same guy who repped Dominique Strauss-Kahn. Plus, there's Illya Trincher and his pro-poker dad, Vadim. Illya's pegged as one of the masterminds behind this whole $100 million operation and well-known in the gambling scene.

But where does Obama fit into all this? Stick with me. Illya Trincher is tight with Marc Lasry, a Wall Street bigwig running a massive $12 billion hedge fund. Lasry's got a rep as a serious gambler and he's pretty cozy with Trincher, maybe too cozy. He flings cash at the Democratic party, and word on the street (thanks, Bill Clinton) was that Obama wanted him for the ambassador gig to France. That was until this whole gambling drama kicked in and Lasry had to bow out https://igamingbusiness.com/casino-games/genting-proposes-injection-empire-resorts/.

Now, to be fair, nobody's saying Lasry did anything illegal. Playing poker with other loaded folks isn't usually a crime. But he's known for betting big bucks and hanging with some sketchy characters. If he got the official nod for the ambassador role, he'd have to spill the beans in front of the Senate. Trust me, the White House isn't exactly itching for that kind of show, even if Lasry's clean as a whistle. So, whether he got a nudge or jumped ship all on his own, Lasry let his money crew know in a note that he was out of the running.

His company, Avenue Capital, claims he walked away 'cause becoming the envoy to France would mean saying bye-bye to his company stakes, which would be a mess since his investors are pretty hooked on dealing with him directly. But the gossips? They're blaming the poker habit. And they're not missing a chance to throw some shade at Obama:

Someone close to Clinton chimed in, saying, “Lasry's all about the card games. He even hit the tables at a celeb poker event for Clinton's charity transparentbets.com.

“It's nuts that Obama can write about his past with cocaine and get away with it, yet Marc Lasry's chances for ambassador are trashed 'cause of some card games.”

Photos peppering the top (clockwise from top left): Vadim Trichner (WorldPokerTour.com); Hillel ""Helly"" Nahmad with Benjamin Brafman (AP Photo/ Louis Lanzano); the elusive Alimzhan Tokhtakhounov (AP Photo); the iconic Eiffel Tower (Flickr/tomlane\_); the scoop-filled front page of the New York Post; and Tobey Maguire (AP Photo/Laura Rauch). Popping up in the inset: Marc Lasry (Chip East/Retuers).

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