brains613
Flush
Hey guys! I was talking to @daschuck77 today, and like always, he reminds me of the sense of community here. I've missed it, but poker, and the stuff around it, have been kind of a sore spot for the past few years. Pandemic didn't help, of course. I've developed a bit of social anxiety, which didn't help the depression that worsened after the stuff with the police.
I've been a bad friend, but he's been patient and persistent, and I'm glad he hasn't given up on me. I feel awful that he was in the game the night of all the drama and that his livelihood was jeopardized.
I guess I'll tell the short version of what ended up happening. After the raid, I hired an attorney, of course. I told him only three things were important to me, and in this order:
- Staying out of jail, obviously
- Getting my chips back
- Getting my guns back
Things I didn't care about:
- The computer, three monitors, and micro keyboard (these were in the poker room, used to run the projector and other screens for whatever we were watching)
- The soundbar and subwoofer
- The table (I could just make another one)
- The "OPEN" sign from the window (which was a joke, but something they used to make the case that I was running a business)
- The round fan I used to keep myself cool while dealing
- My work cell phone (that they tried to trick me into unlocking)
- The projector (Oh wait, they left that because they couldn't figure out how to get it down, according to the QQ)
- A few other small things that were unimportant
I knew there was NO chance of them returning the money from the game, or our vacation fund, which was hidden in an upstairs bedroom. (Had nothing to do with the game, didn't even BELONG to me, I didn't even know about it, but I guess they needed to make sure they had margarita machines and plenty of kegs and their Christmas party.). Same with the money they seized from my bank account which they drained and froze. This was the account I had my paychecks deposited into, so it's not like there was a bunch of unexplained funds. Whatever.
After multiple court dates, multiple thousands of dollars, multiple sleepless nights (ongoing), I ended pleading guilty to Class D misdemeanor gambling, which has a maximum penalty of a $500 fine. So in my early 40s, after growing up in the inner city , after being in the Navy, after maintaining a Top Secret security clearance for 20 years, I now have a criminal record. lame. (My attorney negotiated basically the same deal for the other couple who got charged with the same thing I did. They had public defenders, and weren't really looking to get any of their stuff returned.)
I did end up getting the chips back, minus some losses that may have been pocketed, or perhaps lost in an evidence room somewhere. (Literally while I was picking them up, signing the paperwork, a couple fell out of seam in a paper bag. I had to ask the lady to pick them up and give them to me. She rolled her eyes.)
I did end up getting the guns back, minus one that got "lost". (From the QQ, who overheard them working the bolt on a rifle and saying, "Damn. He got some nice shit.". You'll never guess which gun got lost... )
And thanks to some dick head, I also got the Orleans table back. (No seriously, @Richard Cranium . THANK YOU for finding that. I owe you one.) Bought it at auction for $80, IIRC, rented a truck, and picked it up from some warehouse. I didn't really care about it, it was the principle. I even considered , I don't know, burning it or something to wash away the bad spirits.
Anyway, I guess that's it for now. I hope to be welcomed back.
I've been a bad friend, but he's been patient and persistent, and I'm glad he hasn't given up on me. I feel awful that he was in the game the night of all the drama and that his livelihood was jeopardized.
I guess I'll tell the short version of what ended up happening. After the raid, I hired an attorney, of course. I told him only three things were important to me, and in this order:
- Staying out of jail, obviously
- Getting my chips back
- Getting my guns back
Things I didn't care about:
- The computer, three monitors, and micro keyboard (these were in the poker room, used to run the projector and other screens for whatever we were watching)
- The soundbar and subwoofer
- The table (I could just make another one)
- The "OPEN" sign from the window (which was a joke, but something they used to make the case that I was running a business)
- The round fan I used to keep myself cool while dealing
- My work cell phone (that they tried to trick me into unlocking)
- The projector (Oh wait, they left that because they couldn't figure out how to get it down, according to the QQ)
- A few other small things that were unimportant
I knew there was NO chance of them returning the money from the game, or our vacation fund, which was hidden in an upstairs bedroom. (Had nothing to do with the game, didn't even BELONG to me, I didn't even know about it, but I guess they needed to make sure they had margarita machines and plenty of kegs and their Christmas party.). Same with the money they seized from my bank account which they drained and froze. This was the account I had my paychecks deposited into, so it's not like there was a bunch of unexplained funds. Whatever.
After multiple court dates, multiple thousands of dollars, multiple sleepless nights (ongoing), I ended pleading guilty to Class D misdemeanor gambling, which has a maximum penalty of a $500 fine. So in my early 40s, after growing up in the inner city , after being in the Navy, after maintaining a Top Secret security clearance for 20 years, I now have a criminal record. lame. (My attorney negotiated basically the same deal for the other couple who got charged with the same thing I did. They had public defenders, and weren't really looking to get any of their stuff returned.)
I did end up getting the chips back, minus some losses that may have been pocketed, or perhaps lost in an evidence room somewhere. (Literally while I was picking them up, signing the paperwork, a couple fell out of seam in a paper bag. I had to ask the lady to pick them up and give them to me. She rolled her eyes.)
I did end up getting the guns back, minus one that got "lost". (From the QQ, who overheard them working the bolt on a rifle and saying, "Damn. He got some nice shit.". You'll never guess which gun got lost... )
And thanks to some dick head, I also got the Orleans table back. (No seriously, @Richard Cranium . THANK YOU for finding that. I owe you one.) Bought it at auction for $80, IIRC, rented a truck, and picked it up from some warehouse. I didn't really care about it, it was the principle. I even considered , I don't know, burning it or something to wash away the bad spirits.
Anyway, I guess that's it for now. I hope to be welcomed back.
