Darren Phua Decides to Enter Plea Agreement in Illegal Betting Case

T he father – son duo of Paul and Darren Phua have been in the midst of a long and grueling battle with the legal system for months now, trying to get illegal gambling charges against them dropped due to illegally obtained evidence, the police misrepresenting the facts when obtaining a search warrant, and more.

The Phuasare the only two defendants still fighting this case, while the others have entered into plea agreements and put the matter behind them. According to the latest reports from the Las Vegas Review-Journal, it seems that the younger Phua has also had enough and is ready for a deal.

Like most of the other defendants who were not absolved of all charges, 23-year-old Darren will plead guilty to a misdemeanor, forfeiting $125k and the equipment seized during the raid that took place during the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas last year. The reasons behind his decision, explained by defense lawyer Richard Schonfeld, stem from the fact that the younger Phua has become homesick and after nine months of legal battles, he is ready to go home.

That will leave Paul Phua alone in his efforts to clear his name. A trial is set for April 13 and the Malaysian businessman and his lawyers are not only fighting the illegal betting allegations, but also trying to refute claims that Phua is connected to a very powerful Chinese criminal syndicate known as 14K Triad.

Recent developments hint at the possibility that prosecutors will be starting the trial with not much to go on as evidence gathered during the July 9 raid was deemed inadmissible due to the fact that the search warrant was procured by presenting false information.

Phua’s attorneys are also fighting to get a verdict that states that the agents who entered the villas pretending to be Internet repairmen acted against the U.S. Constitution. That request was denied during the same hearing that excluded the evidence but defense attorneysare not giving up easily.

Federal prosecutors, on the other hand, are attempting to have the magistrate judge’s decision on inadmissible evidence overturned and reintroduced. Should they fail, Paul Phua could go back home free of all charges.