Despite the April ruling by United States District Judge Andrew Gordon, which removed evidence in the Paul Phua illegal gambling case, federal prosecutors have added yet another charge to the list of current charges against the gambler. Just last month, Gordon ruled that Phua’s privacy rights were violated by FBI agents during a raid of his villa at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, removing certain evidence gathered in the case.
Phua now faces a conspiracy charge on top of the transmission of wagering information and illegal gambling business operation charge. Phua is the last individual involved in the July 2014 arrest of eight individuals who were found to be running an illegal betting operation from Caesars Palace.
David Chesnoff is the defense lawyer in the Phua case and has stated his client maintains his innocence, claiming one cannot be guilty of conspiracy if they never agreed to do anything that is illegal. Phua must now appear in court on Wednesday?May 20th to face the additional charges.
After removing the evidence deemed an invasion of privacy, the FBI feel the additional evidence taken from other villas at Caesars Palace is more than sufficient to sustain a conviction of Phua during the trial. Prosecutors claim the evidence will demonstrate that the defendant did more than just place bets and maintained a leadership role in an operation based on illegal gambling.