Photos of Former Full Tilt Poker CEO Ray Bitar's "Million Dollar Wedding" Emerge
When we last checked in on Ray Bitar, former CEO of Full Tilt Poker, he had reportedly gotten married to one Jackie Lucas and was looking hale and hearty, looking nothing like the dying man described by both Allen Cunningham and a U.S. judge who allowed Bitar to avoid prison.
Now, photos of the wedding have hit the Internet on the website for CakeKnife Photography, which provided services for what looks to have been quite an extravagant affair. The post featuring the photos appears to be a marketing blog with a testimonial from Lucas. Bitar is referred to in the piece as Omar, although at least one of the photos has visible "Raymond & Jackie" text projected onto a wall at the ceremony.
"I had been hired for a million dollar event," wrote the wedding's photographer after she scouted out the venue. "The alter sic] was all gold and had just enough room to fit all of Jackie's 13 bridesmaids and Omar's 13 groomsmen in front of it. By far the biggest wedding party I have ever photographed."
The reception was hosted at the Taglyan complex, which the photographer described as "one of the top L.A. reception venues." Photos of the luxurious affair follow the short blog from the photographer. They feature jeweled cufflinks, bouquets of red roses, costumed performers, and a picturesque setting.
All of this for a man whom a judge fined $40 million and spared a prison sentence because of an apparent life-threatening heart condition that Cunningham vouched for in a TwoPlusTwo post in October 2014, saying Bitar was unlikely to live more than a few years and was nearly penniless.
Bitar was arrested after Black Friday for his role in FTP's violation of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act.
"The Federal Bureau of Prisons is not able to provide the care that Mr. Bitar needs," the ruling judge said. "Prison almost undoubtedly would kill him. The possibility of prison would make Mr. Bitar ineligible for a heart transplant, which would also impose a death sentence."
It seems the intervening years have been kind indeed to Bitar, as he's managed to quickly go from knocking on death's doorstep to a million-dollar wedding.
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