Around a month ago, there was an issue that a Michael Gallagher, an online poker player sent an email to an unnamed online poker company stating that he will pay a visit to its office armed with a sawn off shotgun and murder everyone in sight if he was not paid his $50,000 which he lost in his games from June 2010 up to May of 2011. On the next day, Gallagher was arrested and no guns were found in his property. Now, the verdict has been passed and Gallagher will be spending 3 months time in jail.

Blackmail?

Right before the trial was about to take place at a court in the UK, Michael Gallagher already admitted to the charge of sending an electronic communication conveying threats. This was the best that he could do in order to avoid being charged with blackmail, since if found guilty, a person who is guilty of blackmail will be spending a lengthy 14 years in prison. Good thing for Michael Gallagher is that the blackmail charge was dropped. Even Judge Peter Fox was surprised that the charge was dropped and Gallagher was charged with something less serious such as conveying threats via electronic communication since Judge Fox considered the case as blackmail.

The email

The email sent by Gallagher threatened that he will shoot the online poker’s staff with a sawn off shotgun. “I hope you take me seriously because I swear to God I’m going to do it. I will have my vengeance. I have planned for six months. It’s what makes me sleep at night.” The black mail part came later on stating “Drifting off to sleep, thinking about what I am going to do, knowing full well that the butchering I do will get you exposed for what you are… I will gladly take a life sentence for that. Believe me, it will be my finest hour… $50,000 in my account, or believe me, you will all be dead.” To Gallagher’s defence, he said that he was drunk when he sent the email and sent a follow up email apologizing for his actions during the previous day. Regardless, Gallagher was still arrested on the next day. Judge Peter Fox disregarded the fact that Gallagher was under the influence of alcohol when he sent the email saying that getting drunk is no excuse for those actions.

Other People Found This Page When Searching For: