Editor's note: This is an opinion piece by Poker.org author Jon Pill. The views expressed here are entirely the author's and do not necessarily reflect those of Poker.org or its staff.
Veronica Brill recently interviewed Sabina Johnson, previously known as Stephanie Postle. In the interview, Johnson serves as a brutal character witness. The picture she paints goes a long way to confirm what the poker community already suspected about Postle's character.
The interview serves as one of the most significant indictments of Postle's character outside of the original analyses of the Stones feed. It paints a picture of him that provides motive far beyond mere profit. It also shows a history of similar behaviors.
Johnson should be credited for her testimony in the face of threats from Postle aimed against their daughter. Those are threats that she takes seriously. Johnson claims she moved to Oregon and got a protection order and a guard dog because she is frightened of Postle. That's a fact that Brill did not find reassuring, given her current place in Postle's cross-hairs.
As a witness, Johnson seems a little naive from a poker standpoint, which renders a lot of her testimony vastly more credible.
For example, Johnson says she's sure he cheated online, but isn't sure how. Brill asks if he played online at the same time and table as friends. Johnson says, "Yes," but doesn't seem to understand that this is a rough picture of a team of possible cheats who might be colluding.
Johnson also does not appear to understand the significance of dropping that Postle was friends with Russ Hamilton. Hamilton was one of the key figures behind the UltimateBet super use scandal.
Towards the end of the interview, Johnson says succinctly: "[Mike Postle] is not to be trusted." That could more or less serve as the TL;DR for the interview.
Brill advertised the interview on Twitter. "I interviewed Mike Postle's ex wife for a tell all on her own terms," Brill wrote.
Light as a disinfectant
If you believe what Johnson has to say, then she also tidies up some of the mysteries that have accumulated around the Postle case.
For example, consider the bizarre pro-Postle Twitter accounts. Johnson explains that Postle told her he has several Twitter profiles he uses, and a history of cyberbullying that once got them evicted after he threatened to injure their landlord.
Another of the suspected sock puppets of Postle's, Rounder Life Magazine turns out not to be Postle himself. Postle was a part-owner of Rounders Magazine. In fact, Johnson says she met Postle when she modeled for the magazine. But according to Johnson, the extensive pro-Postle coverage comes largely from Everette Caldwell. Caldwell supposedly owes Postle a debt of gratitude for helping him get Rounder Life back after some legal unpleasantness.
Johnson also puts Caldwell behind the documentary crew that is working on the Mike Postle story. She also suspects that the lawsuit was filed largely for the documentary crew's benefit.
Speaking to character
The interview contains a litany of scams Postle ran. These are ubiquitous and petty for the most part. For example, Postle put at least one new car in his mother's name. This is a classic tactic for keeping assets out of the hands of creditors. In another example, Johnson claims her ex received free hotel rooms and free meals by complaining about opportunistic problems like a loose mirror or a cracked veneer.
The video ends with screen shots of several threatening messages that follow a classic abusive pattern. One says if Postle does something bad to their daughter, it will be Johnson's fault.
The picture is of someone who views other people as opponents to get one over on. And of a man who doesn't have the skill, courage, or intelligence to win without cheating.
Brill tweeted about some of the messages. She wrote: "The constant "karma is gonna get you" and threats. The elaborate narcissistic stories of Postle being the center of this conspiracy and how I'm a rejected woman scorned. If someone gets hurt, it's the fault of the incompetent DOJ and law enforcement at this point."
Did you know Al Capone died of syphilis?
The Al Capone theory of sexual assault is often used by managers to deal with cases of sexual harassment where there is not enough evidence to fire the perpetrator. The theory uses the fact that people who commit sexual assault will often cut ethical corners in similar entitled ways. They will steal from employers, lie for personal gain, bully people, and — of course — cheat on their IRS forms.
In other words, if you can't get Al Capone for bootlegging, you still have a good chance of getting him for tax evasion.
The Al Capone theory of sexual assault applies here in reverse.
When a man who did time in jail for domestic abuse twice and corporal assault once, who has been accused of cheating previously, and who threatens children, and who sponges off his mother in his forties — when a man like that is accused of cheating in a poker game, perhaps no one should be too surprised.
The hour long interview ranges widely over too many topics than could fit here. But you can watch the full interview below:
Featured image source: Youtube
