Michigan Poker Pro Craig Bergeron Arrested and Charged with Murder
Craig Bergeron, a 35-year-old poker professional from Michigan known for his success in live and online tournaments, has been arrested and charged with multiple felonies, including first-degree murder. The charges stem from the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Tommy “Mike” Ireland on Detroit’s east side Monday night.
The incident occurred at approximately 8:40 p.m., when Bergeron allegedly shot Ireland with a rifle. Authorities reported that the suspect fled the scene in a white SUV, which police later traced back to Bergeron, potentially using security or traffic camera footage. Ireland was pronounced dead at the scene.
Bergeron was arrested on Christmas Eve and is now facing four felony charges: first-degree murder, two counts of felony firearm use, and possession of a firearm by a felon. He is currently being held in the Wayne County Jail, which serves Detroit and surrounding areas. Details of his prior felony conviction have not yet been disclosed.
Further Allegations and Investigation
Shortly after the murder, Bergeron is also alleged to have been involved in another assault in St. Clair Shores, a suburb of Detroit. However, charges in that case have not yet been filed. Investigators are still working to determine what led to the fatal encounter between Bergeron and Ireland, as well as why Bergeron was in Detroit, nearly 50 miles from his home in Saline, Michigan.
Bergeron’s Poker Career
Craig Bergeron was a notable name in the poker world during the late 2000s and early 2010s. According to the Hendon Mob database, he accumulated over $1.3 million in live tournament winnings from 2008 to 2019.
His most significant cash came in 2010 when he finished fourth in the EPT Deauville Main Event, earning nearly $313,000. He also claimed victories in preliminary events at the 2009 EPT Dortmund and the 2011 WSOP Circuit series at the Hammond Horseshoe near Chicago. However, Bergeron has not logged any recorded tournament results since 2019, and he has never cashed in a WSOP.com event, which became accessible in Michigan in 2021.
Michigan’s Recent String of Poker-Related Tragedies
Bergeron’s arrest is the latest in a series of shocking and often tragic poker-related incidents in Michigan. In 2020, beloved poker pro Susie Zhao was brutally tortured and murdered in a Detroit suburb. Her killer, Jeffery Bernard Morris, was sentenced to life in prison.
More recently, Rudy Gavaldon, another Michigan poker player, won a WSOP.com online bracelet in 2023 while out on bail for the attempted murder of his wife. He was later returned to jail for violating bail conditions.
In another bizarre case, poker pro George Janssen was found zip-tied and bloodied in Michigan’s Thumb region in December 2023. Janssen claimed to have been kidnapped and held for ransom in Ohio before escaping. The FBI began investigating, but no updates have emerged in the year since.
Bergeron’s arrest adds another troubling chapter to this pattern of disturbing events connected to Michigan’s poker scene.
Source: https://www.poker.org/latest-news/c...eron-arrested-on-murder-charges-ah0yT7x6pHKL/
Craig Bergeron, a 35-year-old poker professional from Michigan known for his success in live and online tournaments, has been arrested and charged with multiple felonies, including first-degree murder. The charges stem from the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Tommy “Mike” Ireland on Detroit’s east side Monday night.
The incident occurred at approximately 8:40 p.m., when Bergeron allegedly shot Ireland with a rifle. Authorities reported that the suspect fled the scene in a white SUV, which police later traced back to Bergeron, potentially using security or traffic camera footage. Ireland was pronounced dead at the scene.
Bergeron was arrested on Christmas Eve and is now facing four felony charges: first-degree murder, two counts of felony firearm use, and possession of a firearm by a felon. He is currently being held in the Wayne County Jail, which serves Detroit and surrounding areas. Details of his prior felony conviction have not yet been disclosed.
Further Allegations and Investigation
Shortly after the murder, Bergeron is also alleged to have been involved in another assault in St. Clair Shores, a suburb of Detroit. However, charges in that case have not yet been filed. Investigators are still working to determine what led to the fatal encounter between Bergeron and Ireland, as well as why Bergeron was in Detroit, nearly 50 miles from his home in Saline, Michigan.
Bergeron’s Poker Career
Craig Bergeron was a notable name in the poker world during the late 2000s and early 2010s. According to the Hendon Mob database, he accumulated over $1.3 million in live tournament winnings from 2008 to 2019.
His most significant cash came in 2010 when he finished fourth in the EPT Deauville Main Event, earning nearly $313,000. He also claimed victories in preliminary events at the 2009 EPT Dortmund and the 2011 WSOP Circuit series at the Hammond Horseshoe near Chicago. However, Bergeron has not logged any recorded tournament results since 2019, and he has never cashed in a WSOP.com event, which became accessible in Michigan in 2021.
Michigan’s Recent String of Poker-Related Tragedies
Bergeron’s arrest is the latest in a series of shocking and often tragic poker-related incidents in Michigan. In 2020, beloved poker pro Susie Zhao was brutally tortured and murdered in a Detroit suburb. Her killer, Jeffery Bernard Morris, was sentenced to life in prison.
More recently, Rudy Gavaldon, another Michigan poker player, won a WSOP.com online bracelet in 2023 while out on bail for the attempted murder of his wife. He was later returned to jail for violating bail conditions.
In another bizarre case, poker pro George Janssen was found zip-tied and bloodied in Michigan’s Thumb region in December 2023. Janssen claimed to have been kidnapped and held for ransom in Ohio before escaping. The FBI began investigating, but no updates have emerged in the year since.
Bergeron’s arrest adds another troubling chapter to this pattern of disturbing events connected to Michigan’s poker scene.
Source: https://www.poker.org/latest-news/c...eron-arrested-on-murder-charges-ah0yT7x6pHKL/
