I was one of the lead defendants in US v. Betonsports plc which was an international Internet Gambling case which evolved from a grand jury indictment in the E.D. of Mo. in 2006. I had given up all hope, and the government considered me to be a fugitive in CR where I had resided for 13 years with my dual citizenship. Michael A. Gottlieb formulated a strategy to convince the government to negotiate a plea agreement in good faith by instituting civil litigation against the United States for bringing a malicious prosecution against me. After 16 months of research and him having to make 3 trips out to St. Louis, Mike was able to negotiate my surrender on his home turf in Ft. Lauderdale, the granting of an OR Bond in advance, and my swift removal to St. Louis all in the same day.

I surrendered in Florida on Monday and was sentenced by the judge in St. Louis on Thursday of the same week. On Friday morning I was on a plane back to Costa Rica sentenced to 3 years of unsupervised probation in Costa Rica and a $10,000 fine which I had 6 months to pay. The plea agreement was struck and approved by the presiding judge before I even appeared before the court while I was still in Costa Rica.

This international case charged me, along with 11 other defendants with evasion of gambling excise taxes, RICO, Wire Fraud, Mail Fraud, obstruction of IRS laws, and forfeiture for 4.5 billion dollars. The lead defendant in the case, Gary Kaplan, was sentenced to 51 months in jail and personally had to forfeit more than 43 million dollars prior to my negotiations. His team of attorneys was the best that money could buy. This is a prime example that big doesn't necessarily mean better.

Mike made himself available to me 24/7/365 via email or phone. I have never seen an attorney more diligent than him, nor a lawyer who was so obsessed to researching a case thoroughly. The judge in the case, Carole E. Jackson is considered to be a very strict judge. Mike and his colleague, Jason Kreiss, established a very professional working relationship with the prosecutors as well as the judge. Gottlieb and Kreiss clearly out-strategized the government. Mike was always one step ahead of the government, and was always prepared.

If you want an attorney that will dedicate himself to ultimately getting you a resolution to your legal problem that you can live with look no further than Michael A. Gottlieb. It took me more than 3 years to find him, and it was by sheer luck that I did.