Citing the D.C. Circuit’s 1987 precedent in United States v. McGoff, “Because Wynn’s duty to register ended almost seven years ago, McGoff dictates that there is no legal basis for the government to compel him to register now, and the district court properly dismissed the case,” Judge Patricia Millett wrote for the appeals court.
The Department of Justice cannot force casino owner and real-estate developer Stephen Wynn to register as a foreign agent for past lobbying activities on behalf of China, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit has ruled.
“Wynn long ago ceased acting as a foreign agent” and therefore “has no present obligation to register” under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), Judge Patricia A. Millett wrote in the court’s opinion June 14 affirming a lower court judgment. “For that reason, the district court properly dismissed the government’s suit for failure to state a claim.”
