Forget forking over the cash -- or rather defrauded winnings -- he raked in at a series of high stakes underground Hollywood poker games, Tobey Maguire says his gambling wins were totally legit. The 'Spider-Man' star's sticky fingers sure are making a comeback -- this time, in the court room.
According to Radar Online, Maguire has filed a contradictory response to the lawsuit alleging that the money he won during his lucky streak with the card table sport was actually money a California hedge funder, Brad Ruderman, had illegally 'borrowed' from investors. A now incarcerated Ruderman created a Ponzi scheme in attempt to pay back his initial investors the money Maguire had won from him. The lawsuit seeks $300,000 in winnings to be returned to the suit's trustees.
So how is the former super hero going to get himself out of this one? Maguire insists that the underground ring was not a formal league of poker faced gentleman and denies that any ringleader (specifically a Molly Bloom who has admitted that she was in control of the structured ring of A-list gamblers) was ever appointed.
Maguire "denies generally and specifically that Molly Bloom and/or Molly Bloom Inc., coordinated poker games, hired the dealers for the Poker Games, collected fees or arranged the Poker Games and arranged for the settlement of gambling winnings and losses between and among the players at the Poker Games," his response detailed.
But according to reports, the poker league was, in fact, a bit more organized than your average smoke-filled garage, card table setup. Players, among which Leonardo DiCaprio and Ben Affleck have also been named, met bi-weekly at the Beverly Hills hotel, Four Seasons or Viper Room to get their gambling on and often played in back rooms guarded by armed security.
But Maguire does not seem to be budging when it comes to opening up his bulky wallet even though scammed investors are chomping at the bit to see their cash returned -- let the battle begin!
