WSOP Bracelet Winner Brent Carter Faces Jail for Spreading A Hoax

Updated On Mar 3, 2021 by Natalie Whitehead

Brent CarterTwo-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner Brent Carter could face up to five years in prison after being charged with the federal crime of spreading a hoax.

The charge stems from suspicious packages allegedly sent repeatedly by Carter to the New York State Gaming Commission (NYSGC) which is headquartered in Schenectady, New York.

Carter was among the successful old-school poker pros. Some of his accomplishments at the poker table include two WSOP bracelets which he won in 1991 ($1,500 No-Limit Hold’em), and 1994 ($1,500 Limit Omaha). In 1995, he scored a third-place finish in the WSOP Main Event, winning $302,750, the biggest cash of his poker career.

In the ensuing decades, he went on to make more final table finishes in multiple Omaha tournaments. Overall, the Illinois native was able to score 54 cashes in WSOP bracelet events throughout his career. He also owns two Circuit rings. Based on his Hendon Mob record, his last recorded tournament score came in 2015, with total live earnings sitting at more than $3 million.

Long-standing Grudge Against NYSGC

The 72-year-old Carter is believed to have held a decades-long grudge against the NYSGC in relation to his previous career as a professional harness racer. In 1976, Carter’s license was suspended by the NYSGC after he was implicated in cheating allegations.

Carter was able to get his license back after he was eventually cleared, but the resentment apparently remained in him, resulting in a series of threats and harassment directed to the gaming commission.

In 2018, Carter left a voice mail to an NYSGC employee, wherein he referenced the deadly Las Vegas mass shooting in 2017, threatening that the commission should be made “permanently not available“. It did not stop there.

The following years saw Carter sending a scare to the NYSGC, repeatedly mailing white powder to the commission He did this at least four times, though all of the substances were proven harmless, based on lab test results.

In October 2020, the 72-year-old admitted to sending the suspicious packages, and said he only wanted to resolve his horse racing suspension. He was warned by investigators not do that again, but Carter just couldn’t bury the hatchet. He continued with his plot, sending another envelope with white powder in January 2021.

Because of that, Carter was charged with conveying false information and could be slapped with a five-year jail sentence, though he could potentially face lesser penalties in compliance with the federal sentencing guidelines. While Carter previously admitted to the acts, he pleaded not guilty during a recent arraignment. He is currently on release pending trial.

If there is one topic that really gets Natalie excited it has to be the mathematics of gambling, having worked for a major gaming company in the audit department she loves nothing more than revealing all manner of facts and figures. Many of her news stories relate to both online and bricks and mortar gaming and are always worth...

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