In a headline that came out of left field on Friday, 2004 World Series of Poker Main Event champion Greg Raymer (pictured) was picked up on prostitution charges in North Carolina. According to an ABC News affiliate, “Raymer, 48, was one of six men who responded to an advertisement posted by undercover police on a popular website men often seek out female prostitutes.” You can discuss in this PocketFives thread.

His bond was set at $1,000, and charges include prostitution and attempted crimes against nature, although whether Raymer would ultimately end up facing the latter wasn’t clear. According to PokerNews, Raymer’s first hearing is scheduled for April 18.

Raymer’s attorney told PocketFives, “Mr. Raymer is very sorry for this lapse in judgment. He regrets deeply the pain he has caused his family, friends, and fans. Mr. Raymer is grateful for the many expressions of support he has received.”

An article on the website of WRALquoted Wake Forest Police Chief Jeffrey Leonard as saying, “The locations prostitutes choose for this type of criminal activity vary and seldom remain the same for more than a couple of days at a time, which makes enforcement difficult. In this instance, we conducted the operation at a local hotel with its full cooperation. We are not aware of this type of criminal activity ever occurring at the hotel. Our officers selected the hotel for the undercover operation at random.”

Twitter was on fire with the news. Andre aakkariAkkari, who calls Brazil home, Tweeted, “Greg Raymer is a great guy, honest, sympathetic, intelligent. Respect him. This kind of gossip news doesn’t change anything.” Also chiming in on the social networking site was Mazin Khoury, who wrote, “Someone getting busted for prostitution is not much of a news story. WSOP ME winner or otherwise.”

Many on Twitter stood up for Raymer, including Dani ansky451Stern, who told his followers, “Just read the Raymer stuff and all I have to say is… Who fucking cares?! Leave the man alone.” Lee Jones, who works for PokerStars, called for privacy: “Any of us that would be happy to have our private lives detailed in the news are welcome to comment about Greg Raymer. #FirstStone.”

Raymer is a Board member of the Poker Players Alliance and banked $5 million in 2004 for taking down the WSOP Main Event title against David Williams. He has spoken on behalf of poker players countless times throughout his tenure in the industry. PPA Executive Director John Pappas was unable to confirm Raymer’s future on the Board at the time of writing, but was in the process of speaking to Board members to evaluate how best to deal with the situation.

Others arrested along with Raymer included Kevin Scott Konarzewski, Barrett Lee Bennett, Christopher Burell Shella, Robert Hancock, and Gerald Barham.

We’ll have more for you on this story as it develops.

Want the latest poker headlines and interviews? Follow PocketFives on Twitterand Like PocketFives on Facebook. You can also subscribe to our RSS feed.