Anthony Hutchison, a high-stakes poker participant in Texas who was discovered responsible of defrauding a Houston school district by way of bribery, desires a brand new trial.
The previous athlete who had a quick cup of espresso within the NFL within the Nineteen Eighties and his co-defendant, Brian Busby, have been convicted final month on a mixed 33 legal counts. Each face a long time in federal jail and are scheduled to be sentenced this summer time. However attorneys for the poker participant want to have, on the very least, acquittal on “sure counts.”
Hutchison, with the help of Houston Unbiased Faculty District’s (HISD) former chief working officer (COO), Busby, bribed district workers to favor Hutchison’s companies and overbilled the district for landscaping providers, which brought about “hundreds of thousands of {dollars} in loss” to the college system, the 12-person jury decided.
Can Poker Participant Get a New Trial?
Rusty Hardin, Hutchison’s legal professional, requested the court docket, and was granted, an extension to file post-trial motions of acquittal and motions for a brand new trial. The prosecution, choose, and co-defendant accepted the extension till August 4, 2025.
“Anthony Hutchison intends to file post-trial motions, together with motions for brand new trial and motions for judgment of acquittal associated to sure counts. To take action, Mr. Hutchison requires further time to overview and summarize the voluminous trial transcripts and information and to carry out further investigation of points supporting motions for brand new trial and judgment of acquittal,” Hardin wrote.
Hutchison was convicted on all 21 counts he confronted, together with conspiracy, bribery and wire fraud. In response to U.S. federal legislation Rule 33, “upon the defendant’s movement, the court docket could vacate any judgment and grant a brand new trial if the curiosity of justice so requires.”
Hutchison frequented high-stakes personal video games in Houston, however he was apparently a massive losing player. He misplaced as much as $300,000 in a session and would usually chase his losses, in keeping with testimony from Ayaz Mahmood, a World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner who competed within the video games.
The previous NFL athlete did, nonetheless, at all times repay his poker money owed, Mahmood instructed the court docket. However the jury discovered that the proof, which included quite a few receipts, indicated Hutchison and Busby overbilled HISD by greater than $800,000 every year between 2013 and 2020.
The federal government confirmed proof proving that when Hutchison needed to repay his poker losses, he’d write checks to Bulldog Timber, an organization that acts as a intermediary to loggers and sawmills. The enterprise additionally cashes checks on the aspect, charging a three-percent payment.
Mahmood testified that he or one among his couriers would ship the checks to Bulldog Timber, after which the money can be distributed to the gamers from the personal video games to cowl Hutchison’s losses. Prosecutors offered to the court docket a few of these checks, which listing HISD tasks within the memo line.
However Bulldog Timber’s proprietor, Theodore Theilen, testified that he does not recall ever having carried out any providers for the college district. Prosecutors stated Hutchison deliberately misclassified checks to Bulldog Timber as enterprise bills as a method of lowering his taxable revenue.
Protection attorneys can now overview transcripts from the prolonged trial to find out if there are any grounds for Hutchison and Busby receiving a brand new trial. They’ve till Aug. 4 to clarify to the court docket why all or some counts must be vacated. Newly found proof, jury misconduct, and irregularity in court docket continuing are widespread arguments made for a brand new trial. It is unclear if the protection crew has obtained any new proof that would assist Busby and Hutchison land a brand new trial.
Hutchison is scheduled to be sentenced on July 28.
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