Poker Pro Appeals Canadian High Court for Return of Uncut Diamonds
US poker pro, Stephen "Stevie Z" Zolotow, has made an appeal to the Canadian High Court for the return of twenty cut diamonds which were confiscated from him in 2000.
In April of that year, Zolotow visited Toronto for one day and tried to clear US customs in New York. However, customs officers found twenty uncut diamonds in his possession which he had failed to declare, and confiscated them.
The diamonds were handed over to the RCMP, who had the diamonds evaluated, and found them to be worth nearly $900,000.
Zolotow failed to make an appeal for the return of his possessions within the required 30 days, and the Canadian authorities later sold them off for $250,000.
For 11 years, Zolotow, who has won two WSOP bracelets and 30 WSOP wins since he hit the professional circuit in 1988, has been trying to get his diamonds back.
On July 5th, he made another request but his motion to the High Court was dismissed. The judge ruled that he had missed the deadline to appeal the sale of the diamonds, and therefore there was nothing that could be done.
"Mr Zolotow pleads that the diamonds are his and that they were never legally seized or forfeited," read the ruling by Judge Russell Zinn. "He seeks their return or return of the proceeds the Crown received from their sale."
"The forfeiture of the goods or monies received in lieu thereof must be considered final," he wrote. He has 30 days to appeal this ruling.
$1.8 Million in Winnings
The prominent Las Vegas based Zolotow is a regular player on the professional poker circuit, and has won $1.8 million since 2009 alone.
His biggest cash win was in World Poker Tour's Season 2, when he took home $259,684. He also finished third in the FullTiltPoker.Net Global Poker Challenge.
