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Poker Pro Brent Carter Facing Federal Hoax Charges

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Brent Carter

Brent Carter is perhaps best known for being the man to knock Barbara Enright out of the 1995 WSOP Main Event. The two-time WSOP bracelet winner is a relatively well-known live poker pro, but recently, he made the worst type of headlines possible.

According to reports, Carter is now facing federal charges for spreading a hoax. He has repeatedly mailed suspicious packages to the New York State Gaming Commission in Schenectady, NY. This was apparently a result of a long-running feud dating back to the late 1970s.

Brent Carter Arrested For Spreading a Hoax

Two-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner Brent Carter is now facing federal charges after sending multiple suspicious packages to the New York State Gaming Commission. According to reports, Carter has been in a long-standing feud with the Commission dating back to the 1970s.

Carter at one point in his life was a professional harness racer. Back in 1976, his license was suspended pending an investigation from the NYSGC. Ultimately, he was cleared of any wrongdoing and his license suspended. However, this appears to be the start of a feud that has escalated in the last few years.

Back in 2018, Carter left what could be construed as a threatening voice mail for an NYSGC employee. He allegedly told the employee that “it looks like the shooter in Las Vegas missed you guys. As long as you’re not available, you should be made permanently not available.”

From this point, Carter began sending packages to the NYSGC headquarters. In those instances, he mailed white powder, trying to scare employees by making them think it was Anthrax or some other toxic substance. Each time, the substances were tested and determined harmless.

Carter was investigated on the matter and even told investigators that he sent items to the commission. Despite being warned against doing so, Carter once again sent another letter with white powder earlier this year.

This resulted in the FBI coming to his home in Las Vegas and arresting him. He is facing a federal charge of spreading a hoax. The charges come with a maximum of a five-year prison sentence and a year of probation.

Possible Mental Illness?

PokerNews Head of Live Reporting Chad Holloway made an interesting observation on his Twitter when reporting on the story. He said that “I can’t help but think that this may be tied to a cognitive decline.”

That is an interesting take and an entirely plausible one for the 72-year-old poker player. For those unaware of Carter and his career, Brent Carter is an old-school poker player with live cashes dating back to 1986. Since his career began in the 1980s, one can assume he has many more scores that are not recorded. He won bracelets in 1991 and 1994.

However, he is best known to casual fans as the person to knock Barbara Enright out of the 1995 WSOP Main Event. Carter went on to finish in third for $302,750. That was the largest score of his poker career. Carter hasn’t had a live poker score since 2015 and hasn’t cashed in the WSOP since 2012.

It was three years after his last poker cash that the first of his threats began. Perhaps his mental decline started around 2015 and progressed. All of this is merely speculation.

On a personal note, I used to play with Carter in live poker tournaments in Mississippi, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas. Once, I even played Stud 8 or Better with him and Barbara Enright at the same table. During my time playing with Barry, I never noticed the type of warning signs that would suggest he would commit these types of threats.

Barry Carter struck me as a quiet man who loved gambling. I can completely see mental illness or cognitive decline being a factor in his recent actions. If this is the case, I hope he gets the help he needs rather than receiving jail time.

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