Poker Pro Paul Phua Denies Organized Crime Ties in World Cup Betting Probe
Attorneys for poker pro Paul Phua (real name Wei Seng Phua ) denied he has any links to a Chinese organized criminal syndicate. Phua, a wealthy Malaysian businessman, and his son Darren Phau were charged this past summer with operating a World Cup betting ring out of a Las Vegas resort. Six others were also charged for their involvement in the alleged scheme.
The case has gained worldwide attention for the way in which FBI agents were able to intercept the Phuas alleged operation.
Federal agents dressed as computer repairmen in order to gain access to computers used by the father-son tandem.
From the New York Post:
The FBI employed the ruse against the recommendation of an assistant U.S. attorney, Kimberly Frayn, according to lawyers for four of eight men charged in the case. They filed a motion late Tuesday in federal court in Las Vegas to dismiss evidence in the case. According to a conversation recorded by an investigator for the hotel, the prosecutor told FBI agents “it was a consent issue,” the lawyers said.
Under U.S. law, a person whose property is inspected generally must waive his constitutional protections against unreasonable searches unless authorities obtain a warrant. Evidence collected improperly is not supposed to be used at trial.
On Tuesday, the Phaus attorneys Thomas Goldstein and David Chesnoff argued in the court papers that the “flimsy” evidence was designed to mislead a federal judge into authorizing the raid at Caesars Palace.
The Las Vegas Review Journal first reported on the FBI’s claims that the Phuas had ties to Chinese organized crime.
Last month, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that FBI agents had obtained new evidence during the raid tying a reputed ranking member of another Chinese Triad to the betting ring that accepted wagers on the World Cup soccer tournament.
Documents seized by agents show a Macau casino junket company associated with Cheung Chi-Tai — whom authorities have identified as a leader of the Hong Kong-based Wo Hop To Triad — was among several companies the betting organization is believed to have used to settle up wagers with its wealthy customers.
During the Las Vegas raid, agents also retrieved photos from a computer of several international passports, including a Hong Kong passport belonging to Cheung, according to an FBI report filed in the case.
Lawyers for all eight defendants are attempting to have the case thrown out. A hearing is schedule for December 15.
- Ace King, Gambling911.com
