Levo Chan, former head of Macau junket operator Tak Chun Group, has been sentenced to 14 years in prison for running a criminal syndicate, illegal gaming, fraud and money laundering.
Chan originally faced 83 charges related to his illegal operations, but Judge Lam Peng Fai reduced that number to 34. After a five-month trial, Chan learned his sentence in Macau’s Court of First Instance on April 21.
Between 2014 and 2020, prosecutors said, Chan facilitated illegal under-the-table bets at VIP rooms in Macau casinos, costing the government HK$575.2 million (US$73 million) in gaming taxes and skimming some HK$135 million (US$17 million) from the operators themselves. Chan’s illegal operations reportedly made HK$1.5 billion (US$190 million) in under-the-table bets during that six-year period.
His co-defendants were sentenced to prison terms ranging from seven years to 11 years. Four defendants, Chan Kam Chi, Choi Wai, Li Manxing, and Tan Guichang, were acquitted of all charges. Each defendant was given 20 days to file appeal to the Court of Second Instance.
According to Inside Asian Gaming Chan got 10 years for criminal association; one year each on 24 counts of illegal gambling in a licensed area; six years each on seven counts of “substantial fraud”; 1.5 years for illegal gambling; and five years for aggravated money laundering, for a total sentence of 82.5 years. That was reduced to 14 years.
Chan and four other defendants must pay restitution for those losses to both the government and five of six gaming concession-holders in the city: MOP$570 million (US$70.5 million) to five concessionaires in the city: Galaxy Entertainment Group, MGM China, Sands China, SJM and Wynn Macau. Melco Resorts and Entertainment was the sole exception.
Chan’s onetime junket rival, Alvin Chau, former boss of Suncity Group, was sentenced to 18 years in prison in January on similar charges.
