Ady An’s Husband, Levo Chan, Goes to Trial for Illegal Gambling
Ady An’s (安以軒) husband, Levo Chan (陳榮煉), was arrested in February for illegal gambling operations. It is said that he made profits of 1.5 billion Hong Kong dollars from these activities. The case is currently undergoing trial, and Levo made an appearance in court on December 5.
The former CEO of Tak Chun Group, which was the second largest casino operator in Macau, is charged with 83 counts of illegal activity and could face up 20 years in prison. The breakdown of the charges include: 39 counts of operating illegal gambling activities in a licensed area; 33 counts of large-scale fraud; 8 counts of attempted fraud; 1 count of illegal gambling; and 1 count of money laundering.
Arrested in February and detained at a prison facility in Coloane in Macau, Levo’s case caused a sensation in local tabloids. His company is connected to another casino figurehead, Alvin Chau (周焯華), who was arrested in November 2021 for running illegal cross-border gambling operations in China. With Chinese authorities said to be launching a large scale crackdown against vice operations, Levo was hiding in a hotel in China when he was arrested.
At the court hearing, maximum security procedures were in place, with five prison guards present. Levo was the only one of nine accused to go into custody and appear in court. The judge questioned Levo about his background and criminal history before reading out the testimony from a witness in China and inviting other witnesses to stand. In additional to criminal charges, the prosecution also filed civil claims on behalf of the Macau government and other gambling institutions.
During the trial, the prosecution claims that Tak Chun Group used a VIP club to entice gamblers with higher returns through illegal “under the table betting practices.” While the customer is placing a bet on the gaming table, they also bet against other players privately which multiplies their leverage several times. This allows high rollers to bet above official gambling hall wager limits. This type of practice is illegal, which reduces government taxes.
From April 2014 to February 2020, it is estimated that Tak Chun’s illegal practices resulted in a loss of more than HK$570 million in gaming tax revenue for the Macau government, and at least HK$1.5 billion in illegal profits for Tak Chun.
Source: [1]
This article is written by Kiki for JayneStars.com.
Alvin Chau Arrested for Operating Illegal Cross-Border Gambling Scheme
