World Series of Poker champ Greg Raymer was arrested this week for soliciting prostitution.
Raymer, better known as the Fossil Man, was arrested at a hotel in Wake Forest , North Carolina after he tried to arrange a meeting with a prostitute online. It turns out that the prostitute was actually an undercover police officer.
North Carolina police arrested the poker champ, as well as five other men, after he responded to an online ad on a website frequently used by prostitutes. Initial reports claimed that the website had a large population of male prostitutes but officers said that the sting involved an advertisement for female prostitutes.
Police Chief Jeffrey Leonard said that no actual prostitutes were in the hotel at the time of the sting. Leonard said in a statement: “In this instance, we conducted the operation at a local hotel with its full cooperation… We are not aware of this type of criminal activity ever occurring at the hotel. Our officers selected the hotel for the undercover operation at random.”
Raymer, 48, was charged with misdemeanor prostitution and attempted crimes against nature. He was placed on $1000 bond and will have to return to court on April 18.
According to his website, the poker champ has been married to his wife Cheryl since 1994 and has a 17-year-old daughter. He reportedly owns a $1.6 million home in North Carolina .
Raymer, who gained fame in 2004 when he won $5 million at the World Series of Poker, currently works with PokerStars and frequently travels to major poker tournaments.
Here’s a video of his 2004 win.