LAS VEGAS (AP) — An alleged Las Vegas casino scammer skipped his sentencing and thus loses the plea deal he accepted.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports Mark Georgantas' attorney, Michael Pandullo, said his client was absent from court Wednesday because he was "currently in the hospital."
Deputy Attorney General Michael Viets indicated that prosecutors now could seek to pursue habitual criminal status against Georgantas.
That means the plea deal Georgantas accepted in late October for a sentence of two to five years in prison on one count of theft is essentially off the table. Prosecutors can now argue for putting him behind bars for 10 to 25 years.
Georgantas accepted a deal late last year to pay back nearly half a million dollars in connection with a "pure cash" promise of beating Las Vegas casino pit games.
