Tobey Maguire Sued Over Poker Game, DiCaprio, Damon, and Affleck Also Involved

Looks like Spider-Man got caught in a web - a gambling one. Tobey Maguire, along with over a dozen other high profile Hollywood celebrities are being sued in connection with a mega-millions illegal gambling ring that ran high-stakes underground poker games. Maguire allegedly won more than $300,000 from a Beverly Hills hedge fund manager who embezzled investor funds and orchestrated a Ponzi scheme as way to pay off his debts.




Brad Ruderman, the CEO of Ruderman Capital Partners lost $25 million of investor money in poker games held at the Beverly Hills hotel, Four Seasons, and the Viper Room on Sunset Boulevard. Leonardo DiCaprio, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon were said to have played in the no-limit Texas Hold 'em games. Others members who are facing hefty lawsuits include billionaire businessman Alex Gores, The Notebook director Nick Cassavetes, Welcome Back, Kotter star Gabe Kaplan, Paris Hilton's sex tape partner, Rick Salomon, record label owner Cody Leibel and Las Vegas nightlife entrepreneur and real-estate developer Andrew Sasson.



After being convicted on two counts of wire fraud and two counts of investment adviser fraud, Ruderman is set to serve time in a Texas jail until 2018. The people Ruderman embezzeled from are filing civil suits against those who won big in the illegal poker games, hoping to get back some of their money (good luck). But put your minds at ease ladies, DiCaprio, Affleck and Damon are not being sued. It would be illegal to put such gorgeous men behind bars anyways.



According to the lawsuit filed against Maguire in the United States Bankruptcy Court, these were "exclusive events, by invitation only, and that there was a regular roster of players consisting of wealthy celebrities, entrepreneurs, attorneys and businessmen." A source commented that Maguire won as much as $1 million a month over a period of three years. The trustee claims though that Maguire is "not entitled to receive the transfers from the Debtor, which transfers were compromised of improperly-diverted investor funds." California law states that it's illegal to play for money at underground poker clubs, but supposedly none of the participants are under criminal investigation. Maguire has hired an attorney to defend the allegations against him and argue that the games were not illegal. Yes, because everything about this seems on the up and up Tobey.



Does anyone else find it completely disturbing that our economy is still in the toilet yet celebs are gambling with all this money like it's nothing? There are much better ways to be spending your money boys: charities, the educational system, cancer research centers, online entertainment sites. Just saying

Britney Spears' 'I Wanna Go': A Pop-Culture Cheat Sheet

Britney Spears' new "I Wanna Go" video is, like some of her past clips, an all-out affront to the pesky paparazzi that follow her every move. But, unlike any video she's done previously, this one tackles the issue with tongue firmly planted in cheek.
See, "Go" is essentially one long dream sequence — instigated by the rote questions Spears is forced to endure by members of the media — and, as such, it's packed with pop-culture nods to film and television (and whistling dogs too). And that fact not only makes it pretty funny, but it sets it apart from most of Brit's other work. And though we've done pop-culture cheat sheets for her other videos, rarely have they been as much fun as they were this time out.
So, without further ado, alphabetized and cross-referenced for your perusing pleasure, here's our "I Wanna Go" cheat sheet:

"Crossroads": Epically bad 2002 coming-of-age flick starring Spears herself (written, interestingly enough, by "Grey's Anatomy" mastermind Shonda Rhimes). In a rare self-effacing moment, the supposed sequel — "Crossroads 2: Cross Harder" — is teased on a theater marquee in "I Wanna Go."


E*Trade Baby: Lippy, fiscally savvy infant who stars in an ongoing series of commercials for the financial company. In "I Wanna Go," there's a baby too, and while he doesn't dispense any trading tips, he does whistle, using the same creepy, CGIed mouth effects the E*Trade ads do.

"Half Baked": Cult 1998 stoner comedy starring Dave Chappelle as a weed-obsessed "master of the custodial arts" (and a weed-addled rapper named Sir Smoke-a-lot), who runs with an appropriately stony crew. Said crew includes actor Guillermo Diaz, who quits his crappy fast-food job in truly epic fashion. The scene is replayed verbatim at the beginning of "I Wanna Go," only with Britney delivering the "F--- you, f--- you, f--- you, you're cool and f--- you ... I'm out!" line. As an added bonus, Diaz also co-stars in the video. Truly the most inexplicably awesome part of the entire production.

"Kill Bill": Ultra-gory 2003 revenge flick written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, it stars Uma Thurman as Beatrix Kiddo, a bride out to avenge her wedding-day massacre. She battles several baddies throughout, including Gogo Yubari, a sadistic 17-year-old who wields a meteor hammer. In "I Wanna Go," Britney uses a microphone in much the same fashion — namely, to bash those pesky paparazzi.

"The Mickey Mouse Club": Oft-revived Disney variety show/ teen-sploitation factory that famously featured young stars like Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera, Ryan Gosling (!) and, of course, Britney. She pays homage to her Mouseketeer days in "I Wanna Go" by wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with a Mickey Mouse skull.

Seashells: Hard, protective exoskeletons created by sea-dwelling creatures. In "I Wanna Go," Diaz's character gives Britney a handful of them, and since the majority of the clip takes place in her daydream, we're going to get deep here: In dreams, seashells represent security or protection.

"Terminator 2: Judgment Day": The 1991 sci-fi blockbuster featuring Arnold Schwarzenegger as the titular Terminator, sent back in time to protect a young John Connor from the nefarious T-1000. Arnie suffers severe battle damage throughout, including one scene where half his face is blasted off, revealing a glowing cyborg eye beneath his skin. That same scene is shown in "I Wanna Go," though it's the paparazzi who are revealed to be robotic killing machines.


"Thriller": Iconic 1984 Michael Jackson mini-movie that may very well be the greatest music video ever made. It concludes with a famous freeze frame (and subsequent zoom-in) of MJ with glowing eyes and Vincent Price's legendary cackle. Britney pays tribute to the scene at the ending of "I Wanna Go," though it's Diaz's eyes that are glowing. We're not sure who provides the cackle.