Celebrities caught up in poker lawsuit

24 June 2011

By Norm Clarke

LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- Andrew Sasson, the force behind the Light Group's Las Vegas nightlife empire, is among celebrities being sued in a bizarre legal case involving claims of illegal poker games.

Other names that surfaced in the FBI investigation included Tobey Maguire, Gabe Kaplan, Leonardo DiCaprio, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, according to reports by Star Magazine, Radar Online and TMZ, DiCaprio, Affleck and Damon are not being sued.

The lawsuit was filed against jailed hedge fund manager Brad Ruderman by unnamed trustees who are seeking the return of high-stakes winnings on the grounds the money was won illegally in Los Angeles.

Host of the poker games, Ruderman was convicted of operating a ponzi scheme that defrauded investors, who reportedly lost $25 million.

With Ruderman's company now in bankruptcy, the reports say trustees are looking for money to pay his victims and other creditors.