I wouldn't trust Brawker either right now. With the recent flux of BTC price allot of places that trade Bitcoin are not keeping up with the price. At this moment on Brawker you can spend $100 and get 0.190166 BTC which equates to around $81.

Basically, don't use Brawker until they get it together.

Why was the former pool owner charged with being a sex offender?

Because when he closed down, he screwed all those miners.