Talon White, known best in poker circles for making the final two tables of a WSOP event, was sentenced last week to a year and a day in federal prison for his years of running illegal subscription sites featuring pirated movies and other video content. White, 31, formerly of Newport, Oregon, pled guilty in 2019 to federal charges involving the piracy of the films.
White originally faced sentencing in early 2020, but as with many other cases, that was pushed back in part due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He was arrested on Nov. 1, 2019, following a lengthy investigation by federal authorities who received complaints from the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA). White pled guilty later that same month to felony counts of copyright infringement and tax evasion.
As part of his sentencing, White was ordered to pay more than $4.3 million in restitution to the MPAA and IRS. Federal authorities seized numerous assets held by White, including bank accounts, online cryptocurrency wallets, and White’s Oregon home. He was alleged to have earned more than $8 million from the piracy scheme, which ran from 2013. White could have faced up to five years in prison, and will still face three years of probation upon his release.
White’s attorney, Rain Mimms, described him as a “poker professional” following his 2019 arrest, though his published results are scant, at best. White did finish 13th in the 2018 $10,000 Omaha Hi/Lo 8 or Better Championship, earning $20,948, but over six years of recorded tourney cashes, he logged barely $100,000 in winnings, including only two five-digit scores.
The 2018 WSOP cash remains the second-largest of White’s career, trailing only a $31,153 score in a 2012 tourney at an Oregon casino. The large majority of White’s recorded cashes have come in small- and medium-entry tourneys at various Oregon casinos.
