Fatal System Error (36 page)

5
Glenn had no idea:
Major sources for this section include Richardson, Lebumfacil, Turner, other BetCRIS employees, competitors, and Lyon.

6
“Your site is under attack”:
All emails quoted in this book are from the original material.

8
whatever else the underworld marketplace found profitable:
Sources for this section include numerous security experts and law enforcement officials interviewed over the course of a decade.

11
said nothing to Rachelle:
Major sources for this section include Lyon, Sterling, Turner, Lebumfacil, and Richardson.

14 a
reliefto die:
Major sources for this section include Lyon, Bruce Lyon, Pat Lyon, and Andy Lyon.

20
Museum of Modern Art in New York:
www.moma.org/collection/object.php?object_id=110263
.

23
“Big Dumb Kid”:
http://drennick.blogspot.com/
. Rennick declined an interview request.

29
taking out its enemies:
Major sources for this section include Lyon and Turner.

30
“yes, im here”:
Sources here and later in this chapter include the chat transcripts, Lyon, Turner, Andy Crocker, and others in law enforcement.

32
growth of the world economy:
Interview with Deats.

32
“the best environment in the world for e-commerce”:
A copy of Blair’s report is at
www.josephmenn.com/FatalSystemError
.

34
“DDoS Terrorism Report”:
Lyon’s report, available at
www.josephmenn.com/FatalSystemError
.

35
press the Russians for action:
Crocker and other law enforcement sources.

38
More than $1 million in wagers every month:
Pittsburgh papers covered the arrest in articles such as
www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/cityregion/s_453831.html
.

38
Brian thought that was hilarious:
Major sources on Brian Green’s background include an author interview with him, Lyon, others who did business with him, bookie Steve Budin, and Budin’s book
Bets, Drugs, and Rock &Roll.
Green said he has been off drugs for a dozen years.

39
gloomily complaining that he had lost as much:
Green’s poker wins are recounted on such sites as
www.pokerpages.com/tournament/result1708.htm
.

41
“our client’s financial and personal affairs strictly
private”:
www.betcris.com/about-us.aspx
.

42 IQ-Ladorum’s code for running casino games:
Rennick’s personal Web pages and press releases about him usually omit IQ-Ladorum, but he told Lyon about his time there.

44
one of the 9 million U. S. residents victimized by identity theft:
According to Federal Trade Commission estimates.

47
what Barrett wanted him to on staff and equipment:
Major sources for Prolexic’s time in Florida include Lyon, Rachelle Lyon, Joe Daly, Terry Rodery, Lebumfacil, and Bruce Lyon.

48
who had multiple ties to the Gambinos back east:
Sources for Sacco’s mob connections include former FBI organized crime squad chief Jim Moody, then lead FBI agent Joe Davidson, private detective Dan Hanks, coverage in the
San Francisco Examiner
and
Los Angeles
Times, numerous court documents, and the
60 Minutes
transcript.

51
at times even answering Mickey’s private phone number:
Sources include Lyon and others in the BetCRIS building.

51
Annual online poker revenue soared from $90 million in 2002 to $2.4 billion in 2005:
Christiansen Capital Advisors.

52
businesses with names unrelated to the sites:
Major sources for the Martino scams include the FTC lawsuit, both indictments, Doug Wolfe, Gary Kremen, Charles Carreon, Russell Lownie, and several other employees at the interrelated companies. Habari declined interview requests.

53
said the FTC’s lead attorney on the case:
Interview with the FTC’s Wolfe.

54
who went on to front a goth-rock band:
Sources for Parasol’s career include Ricarda Parasol, Kremen, Nelson Rose, Bryan Bailey, Bradley Keller, Jon Mendelsohn, Michael Shackleford, former PartyGaming employees, papers from the FTC lawsuit against Eisenberg, the Parasols’ suit against Eisenberg, and the state lawsuits against a Parasol-backed 900-number company.

56
“moved on down the road”:
Interview with attorney Keller.

58
regularly hosted 70,000 at a time:
Company filings and PokerPulse.

59
to end the threat of federal legal action:
The Justice Department seizure was reported in a PartyGaming securities filing, while the advertising settlements were covered in the media.

60 a detective from Scotland Yard:
www.combatingcybercrime.co.uk/2009/index.cfm?page=speakers
.

63
“scammer,”and“CCfraud”:
E-Gold case documents including
http://docs.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/district-ofcolumbia/dcdce/12007cv01346/126695/1/1.pdf
.

64
just before Christmas 2005:
Sources for the Proliflik battle include Lyon, Rodery, and emails from the time.

65
asked the Secret Service to come instead:
Sources for the rivalry between the Secret Service and the FBI include current and former agents for both, current and former federal prosecutors, and victim companies.

66
made available to those who needed access:
Cymru charged for many of its services. Sources include Cymru’s website, Steve Santorelli, and Jay Adelson, who reviewed IRC transcripts obtained by the company.

68
there often didn’t seem to be enough money:
Revenue and profit figures are from internal documents.

68
“corrupt organization” with multiple bookies:
Coverage at
www.post-gazette.com/neigh_washington/20030817wacover2.asp
.

69
“You tell me somebody who’ll do that today”:
The
Inquirer
article was available at
www.nrn.com/offthewire.aspx?id=338600
.

76
could
save
the Net from
a
host of ills:
Contemporaneous interviews with Blue Security executives and others.

77
“and make them ddos you”:
Chat transcript provided at the time by Blue Security.

77
“Adios bluefreaks”:
This comment was reposted to the CastleCops bulletin board.

77
associated with the popular TypePad blogging software:
The crash got wide coverage. One article is at
http://news.cnet.com/Blue-Security-attack-linked-to-blog-crashes/2100-7349_3-6068607.html
.

78
never gave any interviews about why he quit:
He declined requests again during research for this book.

78
proclaimed the Washington Post:
www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/16/AR2006051601873.html
.

78
“Let’s hope that is enough”:
CastleCops itself was later put out of operation by a DDoS onslaught.

79
“Blue Security will be missed”:
The page is gone from Prolexic’s site, but a copy of Rennick’s statement is at
www.josephmenn.com/FatalSystemError
.

79
that had been Prolexic’s early customer base:
Interview with a former UltraDNS executive and others.

81
Strause had succeeded Darren in running Digital Gaming:
Strause declined an interview request.

85
Pelican Sports, a Costa Rican book, in 2000 and 2001:
The 2002 indictment was announced at
www.oag.state.ny.us/media_center/2002/jun/jun04a_02.html
.

85
Police busted four Mobile Promotions staffers:
Reported in local media at the time and picked up by some of the online gambling news sites, including
www.winneronline.com/articles/october2002/betonsports.htm
.

85
a total of $31.5 million in cash and public-service warnings:
www.reuters.com/article/companyNewsAndPR/idUSN196259052007121
.

85
en route to the company’s Costa Rica headquarters:
Carruthers’s indictment is at
www.usdoj.gov/usao/moe/press_releases/archived_press_releases/2006_press_releases/july/betonsports_indictment.pdf
, and his guilty plea was reported
atwww.usdoj.gov/usao/moe/press_releases/archived
_press_releases/2009_press_releases/april/carruthers_david.html.

86
more than most casinos:
Kelly’s quote appeared in the
New York Daily News.
The indictment was in Queens County Supreme Court,
People
v.
ArnoldFuchs et al.

87
“Shut up and sit down!”:
Interviews with Daly and those he told about the raid as it was happening.

88
were controlled by BetonSports:
See, for example, the Carruthers indictment cited above.

88
Even Brian Green said he wouldn’t play for serious money:
Green interview.

89
“bots are better than the average person”:
Interviews with Ken Mages, Hilton Givens, Phil Laak, and others. One of the author’s articles on the subject is at
www.josephmenn.com/other_poker_faced.php
.

89
“a one-in-a-miUion jackpot six consecutive times”:
Sources for this section include people close to Absolute Poker employees, the
60 Minutes
episode, and articles in the
New York Times
and
Washington Post,
such as
http://freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/10/17/the-absolute-poker-cheating-scandal-blown-wide-open/
.

90
an early advisor of Ruth Parasol:
Interview with Rose.

90
“prohibited by federal law,” Barankin said:
Interviews with Barankin and others.

91
how online betting could be regulated best:
Interviews with casino executives and lobbyists. Lanni’s quote appeared in
Forbes.

91
also barred the betting companies themselves from accepting U.S. wagers:
The history of the bill is given in various news accounts.

92
to pay off a $5,000 online poker debt:
“Ex-Class President Pleads Guilty in Bank Robbery,”
www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13834272/
.

93
both pleaded guilty:
U.S.
v.
Lefebvre,
U.S. District Court in Manhattan.

93
targets appeared to be Parasol and her three co-founders:
Interviews with people familiar with the investigation and news accounts including those in London’s
Daily Telegraph.

93
He quit lobbying:
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=5792792
.

94
an astonishing $300 million fine:
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/leisure/article5403301.ece
.