Talk:Noted magic dealer pleads guilty to US federal charges

Reporter's notes
I have ordered magic/novelties from Hank Lee's Magic Factory in Massachusetts for at least 30 years.....the man/his business is a staple in the magic world. I've been on his store's e-mail list for about 10 years......yesterday, I recieved the below mail-out. Bddpaux (talk) 17:31, 22 April 2012 (UTC)

"A very special and serious message from Hank Lee.

As many of you are aware, yesterday I made a court appearance to plead guilty to my actions.

I did a really bad thing, and there's no turning the clock back. My actions have affected myself, my family, my friends, my business and the magic community which has supported me for the past 37 years. It was stupid and senseless and the worst thing I have ever done in my life. I am publicly apologizing and have separated myself from the business I love.

I am aware that apologizing does not fix things. It is only a first step in the healing process.

The synopsis of the court proceedings which has appeared online, of course, listed the maximum penalties and fines. God willing these will not come to pass. The federal court system works on a point system which, until now, I was completely unaware of. When the sentencing hearing happens in July, everything will be taken into account.

For me, it is important that I write this. You have been my customers and friends for a really long time and I needed to let you know where things stand.

Hank Lee"

The magic-related discussion boards are quite abuzz with this....honestly most people (including myself) are quite surprised; personally, most of my transactions with his store/business have been positive. The DOJ release identifies the victim as "R.G.", I'm guessing that this could be noted PC game creator, Richard Garriot....he lives in Texas, certainly is quite wealthy and is a major magic hobbyist.....he was instrumental in starting the Society of American Magicians' museum in Austin, Texas (where he works/resides). Of course, I'm not certain about this, but how many people in Texas, who would routinely mail-order magic and could (essentially) ignore their American Express bills for two years? I'm just saying......... Bddpaux (talk) 14:05, 23 April 2012 (UTC)

......and further exploration reveals that many others in the magic community have been guessing the same thing, but I don't want to venture too far out into "yellow" journalism land.Bddpaux (talk) 17:50, 23 April 2012 (UTC)

Article topic
reading this article makes me feel insane; the title makes him sound like a drug dealer and why in the world is there a top hat icon? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 76.112.52.33 (talk • contribs) 20:41, 29 April 2012‎
 * Interesting comment, but it's just an article.....maybe you should visit with a trained mental health practitioner. Any-hoo, this gentleman admitted to engaging in some pretty criminal acts to get money, then cover his tracks. Oh, did you catch the part where he stole over a half-million dollars, from one person??! I was just ill about this.....I've sent this guy my money since I was a little kid, peddling newspapers for extra coin. He's an institution among magicians. Regarding the graphic, I didn't put it there, but read the caption beneath. I usually don't talk this much to anonymous IP addresses, by-the-by. Bddpaux (talk) 00:31, 30 April 2012 (UTC)
 * Perhaps the term "magic dealer" is unclear &mdash; someone might think "magic" is the street name of some drug. This may be a possible misunderstanding to keep in mind for the future, so that one will know to choose other wording.  --Pi zero (talk) 02:08, 30 April 2012 (UTC)