If Hollywood supporters of President Spread-The-Wealth — specifically Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire — allegedly participated in alleged high-stakes poker games and allegedly won alleged money, did any of them report their alleged winnings to the IRS? Or, if they were concerned about the alleged illegality of these alleged high-stakes poker games, did they blindly donate the appropriate tax-the-rich portion to the treasury?
Greg Pollowitz at NRO:
Interesting. Maybe the next time Maguire is in D.C. for a photo-op with President Obama, he can explain to the president why he’s exempt from paying his fair share of taxes on the winnings — you know, to spread the wealth — or stop by the I.R.S. and drop off a check.
Fox News reports on other potential legal problems:
Aside from Maguire, RadarOnline reported that entertainment industry power players such as Leonardo DiCaprio, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon also tried their hand in the high-stakes game, and that the illicit enterprise was still taking place in the home of a top Hollywood producer.
The Los Angeles Police Department did not immediately respond to our request for comment regarding whether or not an investigation was pending, however it seems these big names could all be in big trouble should legal proceedings escalate.
“If a bloodthirsty prosecutor wanted to go after these celebs, the law allows he or she to file charges and seek up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine for each poker game played,” said California-based criminal defense attorney, David E. Wohl. “The reality is however, that there’s a greater chance of Arnold Schwarzenegger being reelected governor than Matt Damon, Ben Affleck or Toby Maguire actually doing jail time for a game of cards.”
Everything started with this lawsuit, which states:
[T]he games, which were held twice weekly at “luxury locations” like The Four Seasons, The Peninsula, the Beverly Hills Hotel and the players’ own homes, were highly organized affairs. One woman, Molly Bloom, allegedly acted as the chief coordinator of the games, and scheduled the accommodations, amenities (massages and alcohol were heavy features), food, hired the dealers, kept track of the players’ wins and losses and arranged for the financial settlements between players.
All of which, in addition to helping keep things civil and organized, made the card sessions “controlled games,” which should then have been licensed or otherwise regulated by federal, state or local authorities. Which they weren’t. And which is where that whole illegal ring thing comes into play.
So far, Maguire hasn’t publicly commented on the suit, but is believed to have heavily lawyered up.
However, lady luck hasn’t left the actor completely: as of now, he’s not being pursued on any criminal charges–likewise Damon, DiCaprio or Affleck. Though should that change, the legal system may have just hit the jackpot.
Stay tuned.