Real or staged? Obscure Michigan poker pro George Janssen found with hands ziptied, claims kidnapping/extortion attempt

[Dan Druff]

https://www.poker.org/fbi-believed-t...t-ring-winner/

According to the article above by Haley Hintze, George Janssen was found on the road with his hands ziptied, claiming he escpaed a house in Toledo, Ohio where he was held for the past 5 weeks.

He has 4 Michigan Online WSOP Circuit rings, including two scores of around $80k each over the past 3 months.

The FBI is reportedly investigating.

Some are theorizing that Janssen had backers and either chunked off the money owed to them, or simply didn't want to pay it (perhaps using it to pay others). It is possible that Janssen faked the kidnapping in order to explain where the money went.

He was found in Meade Townsip, MI -- 175 miles from Toledo. He claimed to have been brought back to Michigan to retrieve money he had at home.

It is much easier to zip tie your own hands behind your back than it is to tie them with a rope. One could simply put their hands into a closed but very loose ziptie, and then use one of the hands to pull it tight.

His Hendon mob shows $440k total cashes.

What do you think? Real or fake?

My opinion is fake, and the FBI will eventually conclude he is the Jussie Smollett of poker.

[Dan Druff]

Here's another article: https://www.abc12.com/news/crime/fbi...5e2e7bad9.html

This one mentions that Janssen's abandoned car had $50 bills on the floor (lol).

It also says he owned a car dealership which closed this year.

Janssen claimed he had been the "target of extortion for the past 2 years".

I find all of this very unlikely. The $50 bills on the floor is a detail you might see in a movie for dramatic effect, but extortion never really works that way. The car dealership closing indicates likely financial distress. The repeated targeting of extortion seems unlikely for a guy struggling financially. It's not like he just won the WSOP Main Event. Why wouldn't these extortionists target actual rich guys in the area?

Huge bullshit stench on this one.

[Texter]

Here's another article: https://www.abc12.com/news/crime/fbi...5e2e7bad9.html

This one mentions that Janssen's abandoned car had $50 bills on the floor (lol).

It also says he owned a car dealership which closed this year.

Janssen claimed he had been the "target of extortion for the past 2 years".

I find all of this very unlikely. The $50 bills on the floor is a detail you might see in a movie for dramatic effect, but extortion never really works that way. The car dealership closing indicates likely financial distress. The repeated targeting of extortion seems unlikely for a guy struggling financially. It's not like he just won the WSOP Main Event. Why wouldn't these extortionists target actual rich guys in the area?

Huge bullshit stench on this one.

$50s are bad luck, and no one pays out in $50s anyhow….sounds fake.

[Dan Druff]

I wouldn't be surprised if he was so broke that he used $50s instead of $100s because he couldn't afford to leave $100s on the floor of the vehicle AND hide out for awhile.

I would love to know where he really was all this time. I'm guessing in some weekly motel a few towns over, where he didn't have to show ID.

[The Boz]

Here's another article: https://www.abc12.com/news/crime/fbi...5e2e7bad9.html

This one mentions that Janssen's abandoned car had $50 bills on the floor (lol).

It also says he owned a car dealership which closed this year.

Janssen claimed he had been the "target of extortion for the past 2 years".

I find all of this very unlikely. The $50 bills on the floor is a detail you might see in a movie for dramatic effect, but extortion never really works that way. The car dealership closing indicates likely financial distress. The repeated targeting of extortion seems unlikely for a guy struggling financially. It's not like he just won the WSOP Main Event. Why wouldn't these extortionists target actual rich guys in the area?

Huge bullshit stench on this one.

$50s are bad luck, and no one pays out in $50s anyhow….sounds fake.

Never understood this claim. Especially among gamblers, anyone know where or why it started?

[Dan Druff]

Some guy at Commerce didn’t want to play 200/400 limit with $50 chips.

I asked him, “If they’re unlucky, how can everyone at a poker table be unlucky?”

He couldn’t answer that.

The actual answer would be, “We will all lose to the rake.”

[JeffDime]

Reminds me of the Forensics File episode where the killer was traced because he gambled with his player’s card inserted. FBI should get his gambling history from as many casinos/Apps ASAP and they will get a good idea. May not take too many man hours to wrap this one up.

It’s 99 percent bullshit. Seems way to elaborate a story. Guess dude didn’t have the coin and/or stones to fly to a non extradition country. This will make things much worse for him. But he could have owed the wrong people the money and it may just save his life. Maybe he was fucked either way.

I do hope somehow it’s true. But just can’t get myself there. Probably just panicked and thought up this half ass scenario.

BTW when the report says “treated for minor injuries”….that basically means he was healthy as a horse. Doesn’t look good. 35 days in captivity in his forties and requires basically no treatment? Escaped while ziptied? He would be in rough rough shape.