Shawn Sheikhan Facing Deportation

Twelve years after professional poker player and Las Vegas business owner Shawn Sheikhan was convicted of sexual battery and annoyance or molestation of a child, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has come to get him.  Sheikhan, who did serve nine months in jail and five years probation, was arrested August 30, held for over a week in the North Las Vegas Detention Center, and released on $10,000 bond while ICE targets him for deportation back to his native Iran. 

The 38-year-old Sheikhan has been a legal permanent resident of the United States for 24 years and has a wife and 9-year-old daughter.   

Virginia Kice, a spokeswoman for ICE, said, “This individual was targeted for ICE arrest because of his criminal history.  ICE has an ongoing initiative called Operation Predator targeting individuals, including foreign nationals, who prey upon and sexually exploit children.”

She went on to say, “We want to see him removed from the United States.” 

The decision will be up to an immigration judge, and, of course, Sheikhan and his lawyer, David Chesnoff, are prepared for a fight. 

Sheikhan is perhaps best known for his 11^th place finish at the 2005 World Series of Poker Main Event, where he got into heated verbal confrontations with Mike Matusow when the tournament was down to three tables.