Vadim Trincher

Former World Poker Tour winner Vadim Trincher has been sentenced to five years in prison by a New York judge for his role in organizing a wide-scale racketeering and money-laundering operation with direct ties to the Russian Mob. The 53-year-old sobbed in the dock and apologized as the judge handed out the sentence, which was harsher than the prescribed sentencing guidelines and the toughest so far in the case, in which 34 defendants are being tried. Anatoly Golubchik, accused with Trincher of being the head of the US wing of the operation, was also given a five-year jail term, while prominent art dealer and socialite Hillel “Helly” Nahmad received one year for his role in the ring. Both Trincher and Golubchik were also ordered to forfeit over $20 million each, over half of the $64 million in total forfeiture seized from defendants in the case. In 2009, Vadim Trincher won the WPT Foxwoods Poker Classic for $731,079, beating Amnon Filippi heads-up, but long before his victory at Foxwoods, he was known in the poker world as a high-rolling businessman who lived in a luxury $6 million apartment in Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue. Vadim’s son, Illya Trincher, was a known player like his dad, and he also stands trial, along with his brother Eugene, both facing accusations of money-laundering. Trincher spent most of his time in custody at the low security federal lockup in Allenwood, Pennsylvania. He was released in January 2017 to a halfway house in Brooklyn, where he spent six weeks before being transferred to “home confinement,” according to a Bureau of Prisons spokesperson.