Sportsbetting Legend Billy Walters Pardoned By Donald Trump

Doyle Brunson has hailed former President Donald Trump for pardoning his old buddy and fellow Vegas legend Billy Walters, with Texas Dolly claiming Walters was “railroaded” in the insider trading case that saw him jailed for 5 years in 2017…

Trump handed out a total of 237 pardons during his four years in the White House, and Walters was among 90 to be given ‘executive clemency’ on the final day of Trump’s presidency before Joe Biden was sworn in.

William ‘Billy’ Walters became a legendary figure in the Vegas sportsbetting world, regularly posting yearly profits of $15million+, with a 39-year winning streak up until his first loss in 2013. 

He is reputed to have won $3.5million on the Super Bowl and $1milion during a round of golf among many other massive bets.

However, his glory days came to an end in 2017 when Walters was described as "a cheater and a criminal, and not a very clever one," by the judge, sentenced to a five-year jail stretch and a $10million fine after being found guilty of an insider trading deal that netted him $43million.

The incredible case saw Phil Mickelson and Carl Icahn embroiled in Walters’ mess, the then-71-year old facing 10 counts including securities fraud, conspiracy and wire fraud.

Jurors at his trial heard Walters played a leading role in trading stock in Deans Food Co, using information he had received from former company chairman and Walters’ golfing buddy Thomas Davis.

Along with the $32million profit Walters made, and $11million in losses the legendary sportsbettor avoided, there were claims that he had been given the inside information by golfer Mickelson, in exchange for a $2million gambling debt.

Mickelson later paid back the $1million profit he made, but Walters was enraged that Mickelson did nothing to help clear his name, and wasn’t even called to the stand to give evidence.

Walters told ESPN after his conviction:

“Here is a guy (Phil Mickelson) that all he had to do was come forward and tell the truth. That was all he had to do. The guy wouldn’t do that because he was concerned about his image. He was concerned about his endorsements.”

“My god, in the meantime a man’s life is on the line,” Walters said of Mickelson’s decision, also claiming that the FBI didn’t do enough to get the golfer on the stand – despite his name being brought up ‘at least 122 times’ during the trial.

In 2019, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal launched by Walters, dismissing Walters’ claims that ‘an FBI agent leaked grand jury details about the investigation to reporters’ as “sheer speculation.”

Walters was released under house arrest last May due to the coronavirus pandemic, Trump-appointed US Attorney General William Barr announcing the release of ‘some of the federal prison system’s oldest and most vulnerable inmates.’

Walters was originally set to finish his sentence in February 2022, but is now considered a free man.

Among Trump’s other pardons this week were his former chief strategist Steve Bannon, rapper Lil’ Wayne, and Google secrets’ thief Anthony Lewandowski.