Audio By Carbonatix
Matt Sowash, the former head of the Amateur Poker Tour, has been sentenced to five years in prison and five years of probation for illegal actions related to his attempts to solicit investors in a new poker tour that would have held tournaments in bars.
Sowash and business partner Andrew Hicks (who has yet to face trial) were arrested in July and charged with five counts of felony securities fraud.
Their previous business venture, the APT, shut down in 2007 after an angry investor came up with a plan to kill Sowash by kidnapping him and putting his legs inside a box filled with rattlesnakes. That investor has since cut a deal.
That case was detailed in the 2007 Westword feature Free Poker Tour is a Dead Man’s Hand.
When news happens, Westword is there —
Your support strengthens our coverage.
We’re aiming to raise $50,000 by December 31, so we can continue covering what matters most to this community. If Westword matters to you, please take action and contribute today, so when news happens, our reporters can be there.
Westword will update the details of Sowash’s sentencing today or tomorrow.
