According to FlushDraw, former Full Tilt Poker CEO Ray Bitar (pictured) is suffering from a “medical condition,” leaving the future of his Black Friday case up in the air. What medical condition Bitar has succumbed to isn’t clear, but according to the site, the following went down in a Federal courtroom last Friday:

“Appearing before the Hon. Loretta Preska, lawyers for the U.S. Attorney’s Office said that plea discussions in the case had been ‘superseded by a medical condition of the defendant.’ Bitar’s lead lawyer… requested that the courtroom be cleared before discussing Bitar’s condition. He also asked that the transcript relating to that portion of the hearing be sealed in order to protect Bitar’s privacy.”

When the courtroom was once again filled, the judge was quoted as saying, “The medical condition that [Bitar] faces makes it critical he try to resolve this case.”

Last week on Cole South’s Twitter feed, it was revealed that longtime PocketFives member stevesbets is a member of Bitar’s defense team. South Tweeted, “Just heard a rumor that stevesbets was in court yesterday as part of Ray Bitar’s defense team… Tell me this is true!” Another person responded, “Yes, Steve is a witness and paid member of Ray Bitar’s defense team. He’s allegedly being paid $500k.”

Plea discussions will continue for another month, according to FlushDraw. Bitar surrendered to U.S. authorities last July, although Full Tilt Poker players in the United States have yet to be paid back. A call placed to the U.S. Department of Justice last Friday by PocketFives revealed that an announcement is expected “soon,”although DOJ officials could not elaborate any further.

In July, Bitar was freed on bail, with the U.S. Government arguing that he was a flight risk. He faces a litany of charges including Conspiracy to Violate the UIGEA, Violating the UIGEA, Operation of an Illegal Gambling Business, Conspiracy to Defraud Banks, Wire Fraud, Money Laundering Conspiracy – Promotion, and Money Laundering Conspiracy – Use of Funds.

According to John Juanda (pictured), a former Full Tilt Poker pro, Bitar was making $200,000 per monthfrom Full Tilt after Black Friday. The poker site, then insolvent and deemed a “global Ponzi scheme” by the DOJ, ultimately had its operating license yanked and its assets were sold to its one-time chief rival, PokerStars.

PocketFives was unable to independently confirm the FlushDraw article, so this will officially go down as a “report” until we hear otherwise.

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