High-rolling Macau junket operator fights gambling charges in US
Most accused in US gambling bust accept plea bargain, but Macau-linked millionaire fights on
The majority of suspects accused by US authorities of running a multibillion-dollar World Cup gambling ring have agreed to plead guilty, reports said.
The decision by the five defendants leaves only Macau junket operator Paul Phua Wei-seng and his son, Darren, to contest the illegal-betting charges before a court in Nevada, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.
Charges against an eighth defendant, reportedly the son of one of the others charged, were reportedly dropped.
The case follows an FBI raid in July on three luxury villas at Las Vegas' Caesars Palace, where the group is said to have run the operation, taking bets on soccer's World Cup.
Phua, a Malaysian native, has consistently denied any wrongdoing, a position reiterated by his Las Vegas lawyer, David Chesnoff, on Thursday.
The five other suspects - Richard Yong Seng-chen, Herman Yeung Chun-sang, Fan Yung-keung, Zhang Yan and Tang Hui - will enter pleas and be sentenced on Tuesday and Wednesday, court documents show.
As part of a deal with prosecutors, four of the five are set to plead guilty to misdemeanour charges, while Tang will admit to a felony gambling charge, the Review-Journal reported.