It has just been revealed that poker pro Shawn Sheikhan, jailed last week for four years for running an illegal cannabis dispensary, killed a nun while driving drunk in 1999!
A couple of Sheiky post-sentencing notes: He’ll serve his 5-year term at either Lompoc (CA) or Tucson (AZ) to allow family visits. And doing research, I found a link to a gossipy old RGP post about Sheiky accidentally killing a woman in a 1999 car crash. https://t.co/ioyc7zaCzS
— Haley “Aunt Eefah” Hintze *️⃣ (@Haley_Hintze) November 14, 2023
Shawn Sheikhan has been in the headlines for the recent court case that saw him sent to prison for four years for running an illegal cannabis dispensary.
He will serve his sentence at either Lompoc in California or Tucson in Arizona.
However, veteran journalist Haley Hintze this week also discovered that Sheikhan was behind the wheel when he accidentally killed a woman back in 1999.
Driving drunk and too fast led to the accident
From a Las Vegas Sun news article at the time:
“A Mercedes, driven by Las Vegan Shahram Sheikhan, 29, was traveling at speeds too fast for the slick road conditions on Buffalo Drive just north of Charleston Boulevard. The Mercedes slid across the raised center median of southbound Buffalo and struck a Lincoln traveling in the northbound lanes, police said.
The female passenger, 91-year-old Dorathy Ohriner of Las Vegas, died at the scene, the Clark County Coroner’s office said today.”
Sheikhan and the driver of the other car were “taken to University Medical Center with moderate injuries.”
Shawn Sheikhan rape conviction and deportation threat
It appears that Sheikhan wasn’t prosecuted over the accident, but it came just a few years after he served a prison sentence for ‘misdemeanour sexual battery on a child under 18’.
That serious conviction almost saw the Iran-born businessman and poker player deported from the US, a lengthy legal battle arising after he was arrested by ICE officials in 2007.
“This individual was targeted for ICE arrest because of his criminal history,” Virginia Kice, a spokeswoman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, told the Las Vegas Review Journal at the time.
“ICE has an ongoing initiative called Operation Predator targeting individuals, including foreign nationals, who prey upon and sexually exploit children.”
Shawn Sheikhan jailed for illegal cannabis business
Sheikhan, a legal permanent U.S. resident since 1983, escaped deportation but fate finally caught up with him in 2021 when his wholesale cannabis company “Cannaland” was raided by police.
The police search found more than 3,000 pounds of marijuana with an estimated street value in excess of $6 million, along with five firearms.
Despite begging for probation, Sheikhan was last week sentenced to four years in jail for his role, which he will begin on January 8th, 2024.
Hi s rise to fame in the poker world came after his deep run in the 2005 WSOP Main Event bagged him $600,000, but also featured a running battle with Mike “The Mouth” Matusow.
- Get the best rakeback deals
- See the best poker promotions
- View the latest poker news
- Get the best No Deposit Poker Bonuses
- Benefit from the biggest poker bonus
- Watch more poker videos
- Calculate your rakeback with the rakeback calculator
- Watch the best Twitch Poker streamers
Terms and conditions apply. New customer offer and 18+ only. Please gamble responsibly! Should you require help regarding your betting pattern, visit www.begambleaware.org
