Absolute Poker founder Scott Tom has returned to US shores to resolve his lingering federal charges stemming from the April 15, 2011 Black Friday online poker crackdown.

On Thursday, Reuters reported that Tom (pictured) had appeared in a Manhattan federal court, where he entered a plea of not guilty on charges of illegal gambling and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Tom was released on $500k bail following Thursday’s hearing.

It’s not clear why the 37-year-old Tom chose to return after all these years on the lam, but prosecutors said Tom returned voluntarily to the US from Barbados to face the music.

While Tom pleaded not guilty, his attorney James Henderson told the court that he expected to reach a deal with prosecutors in the near future. Henderson said “there’s going to be a resolution in this case quickly” because Tom “just wants to get this behind him.”