US District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan has accepted the plea deal of John Campos, the last of five defendants accused of illegally processing funds in the Black Friday cases, extinguishing the remaining hope that online poker would have its day in court this year.
Campos pled guilty to a single misdemeanor charge in a deal struck with federal prosecutors. Judge Kaplan questioned the agreement, requesting the prosecutors justify in writing their leniency in the case.
In their response, prosecutors argued that the sentence “advances the Government’s interests and the defendant’s interests, constitutes a fair and just resolution of the matter, and accords with the sound administration of justice.”
They went on to argue that a plea of the five felony charges would effectively offer the same guidelines for sentencing as the single misdemeanor charge, considering that the felony charges would be treated as a single group of related charges and the defendant’s reduced responsibility would limit the sentencing.
Under the single charge, Campos faces up to six months in federal prison. Sentencing is scheduled for the end of June. The plea agreement also additionally stipulates that Campos faces a lifetime ban from working in the banking industry.
