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Steve Wynn's China case may depend on Mar-a-Lago documents

The prosecution team behind the RICO case against Steve Wynn has commented following the case’s dismissal.

Steve Trump

Jordan Matthews, lead counsel in the RICO case against Wynn, revealed that the dismissal: “directly coincides with efforts by the National Archives and Records Administration (‘NARA’) to obtain allegedly missing documents from Mar-a-Lago, that may very well contain further evidence of Steve Wynn’s alleged attempts to continually lobby the Trump Administration to protect his business interests in Macau.”

Recently, a US court dismissed the case against the casino magnate and Co-Founder of Wynn Resorts, after it said Wynn couldn’t be forced to register as a foreign agent of China because allegations of Wynn’s association with China ended in 2017.

However, now it appears that there may be documents at former US President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence that may incriminate Wynn.

Matthews revealed as much in his statement, saying: “The documents Trump is allegedly withholding from NARA could reasonably contain evidence of more recent efforts by Steve Wynn since he said he was 'anxious to help’ if an opportunity arose in the future.

"And he remained ‘grateful for the privilege of being a part of the Macau and PRC business community.”

Meanwhile, Matthews further admitted that, although he and his team were “disappointed” with the dismissal of the case, there were several reasons to be encouraged by the court’s ruling.

He said: “First, the DOJ’s action was dismissed without prejudice and can be re-filed. Second, the Court made it clear that it reached its decision ‘without ever considering whether Wynn was a PRC agent or not. Third, the court made it clear that the ‘Government could still attempt to impose criminal sanctions’ on Wynn.

“Fourth, in connection with Wynn’s alleged lobbying efforts on behalf of the Chinese government, Wynn announced a $2 billion expansion in Macau and the Macau government passed legislation limiting the number of gaming licenses, where shares of Wynn Resorts, Ltd. jumped 10%."

Matthews concluded: “Fifth, the Court only held that it cannot compel Steve Wynn to register under FARA retroactively if he is no longer performing lobbying work."

Wynn's attorneys sent the following comments to Gambling Insider: "We are delighted that the District Court today dismissed the government’s ill-conceived lawsuit against Steve Wynn. Mr Wynn never acted as an agent of the Chinese government and never lobbied on its behalf. This is a claim that should never have been filed, and the Court agreed."

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