Felony Convictions, Unpaid Restitution: Questions Emerge Over Democrat-Backed Witness on Senator Blackburn's Prediction Market Panel
Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) is convening what was poised to be one of the most consequential congressional hearings of the year. Now, a last-minute Democratic addition to her witness panel is raising questions about whether the proceeding can deliver the credible, independent scrutiny Washington has been demanding.
A Critical Moment for Kalshi and Polymarket
The stakes surrounding Blackburn's May 20 hearing -- titled "No Sure Bets: Protecting Sports Integrity in America" – could not be higher for the prediction market platforms Kalshi and Polymarket.
Prediction markets, which allow users to trade on the outcome of virtually any event, have exploded into a multi-billion-dollar industry in just a few years. To try to sway Washington, Kalshi and Polymarket spent a combined nearly $1 million on federal lobbying in 2025 alone, and Kalshi blanketed Washington's bus shelters and billboards with a defensive ad campaign this spring. But Washington's patience with Kalshi and Polymarket has worn thin.
In April, a U.S. Army Special Forces soldier was indicted on charges that he used classified military intelligence to pocket more than $400,000 trading on Polymarket -- placing 13 wagers that the U.S. would capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro before the operation was publicly known. President Trump, responding to the indictment from the Oval Office, was unsparing: "The world, unfortunately, has become somewhat of a casino. I was never much in favor of it. I don't like it, conceptually."
The Polymarket scandal was not an isolated event. In March, Kalshi itself suspended and fined three congressional candidates for insider trading on their own races. A bipartisan Senate bill targeting both platforms was introduced the same month. And on April 30 – the same day Blackburn announced her hearing – the Senate unanimously passed a resolution banning all members and staff from trading on prediction markets like Kalshi and Polymarket, citing insider trading concerns. The resolution took effect immediately.
Blackburn's hearing was shaped in that environment – a moment for Congress to ask serious, pointed questions about accountability and consumer protection in a rapidly expanding industry. The original witness list reflected that seriousness: Bill Miller, President of the American Gaming Association, a leading industry trade group, is set to testify alongside former House Financial Services Committee Chairman Patrick McHenry, who gained national prominence in 2023 when he served as Acting Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Then Ranking Member Maria Cantwell and Senate Democrats pushed to add a fifth witness.
A Last-Minute Addition
That witness is Dr. Harry Levant, Director of Gambling Policy at the Public Health Advocacy Institute (PHAI) at Northeastern University, whose addition was announced just this week -- weeks after the original panel was published.
His biography describes him as a "recognized Internationally Certified Gambling Counselor" and "a respected voice in the field." He has been featured on 60 Minutes, CBS Sunday Morning, and CNN.
What his biography does not mention is his criminal record.
Thirteen Felony Counts
Before Harry Levant was a policy advocate, he was a Philadelphia attorney who pled guilty to 13 felony counts – theft by deception, theft by failure to make required disposition of funds, forgery, and receiving stolen property – after stealing approximately $2 million from 12 clients over a two-year period.
His victims were not abstract. Donna Johnson, a double amputee, had her legal settlement looted. Levant forged her signature and made unauthorized transfers from her account. Susan Bennett, Levant's own sister-in-law, had more than $1.2 million stolen through 24 or more unauthorized transactions, was forced to sell her home, and had to apply for state benefits. "He has stolen my future," she told the court. Tracy Lacy, another victim, described Levant as "a manipulative thief and liar who preyed on people like me who trusted him."
"Two Systems of Justice"
Levant faced up to 24 years in prison. The prosecuting assistant district attorney requested jail time. Instead, in February 2015, Levant walked out of Philadelphia Common Pleas Court with probation, a restitution order, and a $6,000 money order -- on a $2 million debt.
Criminal law experts interviewed by Philadelphia public radio station WHYY called the outcome "highly unusual" and "a travesty of justice." Attorney Nicholas Guiliano, who represented two of Levant's victims, was pointed. "Earlier that day in the same courtroom, a guy got 12 years for stealing a Cadillac," Guiliano told the ABA Journal. "This changed my perception of the justice system. That, in fact, there are two systems of justice out there. One for people who are connected and one for people who are not connected."
Levant's political connections were documented. U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans (D-PA) testified on his behalf at sentencing -- by Evans' own account, the first time he had ever publicly testified for a defendant. And Levant's sister-in-law Kathleen Martin, the same woman from whom he stole more than $1.2 million, served simultaneously as chief of staff, general counsel, and chief integrity officer of the Philadelphia District Attorney's office. That conflict was severe enough that when Levant later violated his probation – missing nine consecutive monthly restitution payments by September 2016 – the case had to be referred to a prosecutor in another county to avoid the appearance of impropriety.
Victims Still Waiting
As of the last public reporting, Levant still owes his victims approximately $1.7 million. Five victims were made whole only because the Pennsylvania Lawyers Fund for Client Security intervened – and that fund holds Levant responsible for those amounts as well.
In none of his congressional appearances, media interviews, or professional biographies has Levant voluntarily disclosed his criminal history to the audiences he addresses.
The Question Before May 20
Washington has spent months demanding that the prediction market industry answer serious questions about insider trading, accountability, and consumer protection – questions that led directly to a unanimous Senate resolution, a federal criminal indictment, and multiple pieces of proposed legislation targeting Kalshi and Polymarket specifically.
Senator Blackburn's hearing was designed to be the forum where those questions get answered. The original panel was assembled to do exactly that.
Whether a Democrat-backed witness with 13 felony convictions, a disbarment, a probation violation, and $1.7 million in unpaid restitution to his own victims strengthens or undermines that effort – and whose interests his addition ultimately serves – are questions worth asking before May 20.
