By late 2009, after many banks had detected and shut down accounts used by the poker companies, Scheinberg and Bitar persuaded some small banks facing financial difficulties to process the payments in exchange for multimillion-dollar investments in the banks, the DOJ alleged. PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker agreed to invest $10 million in SunFirst Bank, a small bank in Saint George, Utah, the DOJ alleged.

The two companies also paid a vice president there a $20,000 bonus for his assistance, the DOJ said.

Eight of the defendants are not currently in the U.S. and have not yet been arrested.

The IDG News Service