Poker Pro Raymond Davis Charged with Sex Crimes
Longtime poker pro Raymond Davis has never refrained from speaking his mind. Now, he is proclaiming his innocence from a jail in Las Vegas as he faces nine counts of sex-related crimes involving minors.
The entire tale is a sordid one, including minors, allegations of blackmail and judicial bias, a longtime unserved warrant, and inappropriate courtroom behavior.
Davis now sits in the Las Vegas jail, unable to raise the money needed for his new bail set at $500K. And while he participated in an interview from jail to declare his innocence, others have uncovered information that could be construed as incriminating evidence.
Who is Raymond Davis?
For newer players and fans in poker, Raymond Davis may not be a familiar name. His presence in poker was more noticeable during the poker boom and in the initial ensuing years.
The Wisconsin-born man spent much of his youth in Milwaukee and then served four years in the United States Army before being discharged. Davis then lived in Seattle for a decade before moving to Los Angeles. He still has a home there but claims to also have a home in Las Vegas.
Working as a professional poker player, Davis also says he is the founder of Real Grinders. He is listed on its team of pros, so his role in the company remains a bit unclear. However, he shares the team pro label with players like Todd Brunson, Johnny Chan, Dan Heimiller, Jeff Madsen, Mike Matusow, Jeff Lisandro, and Paul Darden as team pros.
Real Grinders did have a significant presence at the 2018 WSOP.
The Real Grinders Facebook page is still very active and currently boasts of more than 18K members.
As for Davis’ live poker tournament record, his Hendon Mob page shows more than $1.6 million in lifetime earnings. His poker skills were nurtured by mentors like John Bonetti and Phil Ivey.
Entries date back to 2002 and include numerous wins of small tournaments, as well as a significant win at the 2004 Legends of Poker. He has had some deep runs in events like the WSOP and World Poker Tour (WPT) since then.
2016 Warrant, 2019 Arrest
According to KLAS 8 News Now in Las Vegas, a warrant was issued in September 2016 for his arrest. But he didn’t get arrested until April 2019 when he was pulled over by the local police for a traffic violation.
The reason for the years-delayed arrest is unclear, as Davis claims he was “very high-profile.” He said the authorities never went to his house or his Real Grinders store in Las Vegas, any casino or other locations that he frequented.
The Realgrinders Lounge is HEATING THE FUCK UP!!!!! pic.twitter.com/BCgIZreLcX
— raymond (@TheRealRayDavis) October 30, 2018
Davis claims he would’ve gone to the courthouse and turned himself in if he had known.
Regardless, his original April 2019 arrest came with a $25K bond, and he posted it. However, he went to court and tried to represent himself, and that did not go well.
In fact, Davis’ actions in front of Judge Jacqueline Bluth were evidently so inappropriate, including making allegations against the judge and prosecutor, that he was taken into custody again. It also resulted in his bail being raised to $500K.
Prosecutor Stacey Kollins claims Davis has lived under several aliases (Davey Davis, Greg Johnson, David Prince, David Robbins, Jack Robertson), but Davis denies this. He claims the prosecutor is biased against him.
Nine Charges
Davis faces nine charges involving sex crimes against children. KLAS reported, “Metro Police say an underage girl claimed he paid her for oral sex at his home on several occasions after they met on Facebook. AT one point, her friend said he paid them to take a shower while he watched.”
Three charges apply to felony offenses and six listed as gross misdemeanors. The list of charges that date back to time before 2014 includes sexual assault against a child under the age of 14 and gross lewdness in the first degree. The minors at the center of the charges against Davis are 14 and 16.
Reporter Vanessa Murphy interviewed Davis at the Las Vegas jail, and he denied the charges. “I have been to massage parlors; I admit that. I have picked up girls off of Craigslist; I admit that. But I have never, never in my life paid a girl, an underage woman, girl for sex.”
(Note: An underage female is a girl, not a woman.)
Robert Kraft, I checked out this Massage Parlour for you, it's all clear.#LMAO pic.twitter.com/5d1QXB5TCW
— raymond (@TheRealRayDavis) February 26, 2019
Davis’ criminal record shows convictions for three felonies, which is part of the reason he is being held on such high bond, in addition to his actions in court.
Past Charges
The forum on Poker Fraud Alert offers more information, though it has not been independently confirmed.
(Warning: The forum contains offensive language about mentally-challenged people, women, and rape.)
One set of charges stems from an incident more than a decade before this one. Davis was charged with first-degree kidnapping and molestation of a mentally-retarded minor. Those charges were dismissed in 2004, though, reportedly on the basis of the victim being unwilling or unable to testify.
We are attempting to find information on the past felony convictions mentioned by the prosecutor. Criminal conduct supposedly dates back to 1986, with charges filed in Wisconsin, California, Washington, and Nevada.
