Gambling kingpin Paul Phua likely to walk free as US judge throws out FBI evidence

A former Macau junket operator accused of running an illegal soccer World Cup gambling scheme looks set to walk free after the presiding judge in the Las Vegas trial tossed the remaining evidence on the back of government misconduct.

Prosecutors in the case against Paul Phua Wei-seng now have until Friday to decide whether they still wish to pursue the illegal gambling and conspiracy charges against the Malaysian national, who was due to stand trial on June 15.

Phua, a world-ranking poker player, was arrested in the US gambling hub in July last year following a raid by federal authorities on three luxury villas in the city’s Caesars Palace resort.

The 50-year-old from Sarawak was then charged with running an online betting operation during the soccer World Cup, which authorities alleged processed millions of dollars of bets.

However, the case swung in Phua’s favour last month when US District Judge Andrew Gordon ruled that evidence obtained during the raid on his villa was inadmissible due to errors and omissions made by agents in the search warrant affidavit.

Gordon also said that Phua had his privacy rights violated when FBI agents, posing as internet repairmen, went undercover into the residence in a bid to gather information before the raid.

Prosecutors then lodged conspiracy charges in an attempt to tie the Malaysian to the alleged activities in the other villas raided by the FBI.