After many delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 31-year-old Dennis Blieden, who won the 2018 World Poker Tour (WPT) L.A. Poker Classic for $1 million, was sentenced to 6.5 years in federal prison this week after embezzling millions (originally stated as $22 million by officials) from Los Angeles-based digital company StyleHaul Inc.
In a 15-page letter to the Honorable Judge André Birotte, Jr. of the Central District Court of California prior to sentencing, Blieden laid out his side of the story citing an extreme gambling addiction and desire to impress poker’s elite as contributing factors to his actions.