Published on: April 13, 2026, at 03:36h.
Updated on: April 13, 2026, at 03:36h.
- Poker star sentenced for running a multi-million dollar auto loan fraud scheme
- Missing dealer found injured, alleging a 33-day kidnapping experience
- Authorities doubt the kidnapping story as claims remain unverified in court
George Janssen, a four-time WSOP Circuit ring-winner, was sentenced to three years in federal prison after admitting to bank fraud. In late 2023, he claimed to have experienced a kidnapping, stating he was held for 33 days against his will.
The 42-year-old from Michigan confessed to defrauding credit unions of almost $4 million through fake auto-loan applications between 2016 and 2023. Prosecutors stated he produced false documents to “float” loans, effectively borrowing multiple times against the same vehicle from his dealership.
In October 2023, Michigan authorities revoked his car-dealer license for five years due to fabricated documents. Just two weeks later, he disappeared.
Reported Missing
Family members reported Janssen missing in November 2023 after finding his vehicle abandoned with $50 bills scattered in the interior.
He was located on December 16, zip-tied and injured, along a remote road close to his hometown of Bad Axe, Mich.
He asserted he had been abducted and held captive by a “Hispanic extortion gang” in an Ohio basement, claiming to have escaped.
Janssen had previously confided in a friend about being extorted and threatened by a criminal organization for approximately two years, as indicated in a November 2023 missing persons report.
He recounted that the ordeal started when a masked individual threatened him at gunpoint in a Detroit casino parking garage, demanding $2 million—a sum he claimed he could not provide.
According to his friend, the extortionists later gave him a burner phone for communication and threatened his family if he failed to comply. Janssen stated he was instructed to deliver cash in boxes to specific drop-off spots.
“K-I-D-N-A-P” Letter
While he was missing, a family member received a handwritten letter from Janssen, which included several genuine acquaintances alongside six seemingly made-up relatives—Kirby, Iggy, Daisey, Noah, Anthony, and Parker. Their initials formed the acrostic “K-I-D-N-A-P.”
During his supposed captivity, multiple friends and business associates came forward, stating they had been cheated by Janssen, who had urged them to acquire multiple vehicle loans, and wished to clear their names.
Prosecutors raised doubts about Janssen’s narrative, yet he was never indicted for the alleged kidnapping, and his claims remain unverified in court.