Gambling figure pleads innocent in bodyguard assault

The Stratosphere hotel-casino founder's plea was entered Thursday in Las Vegas Municipal Court through Stupak's attorney, Karen Winckler. A pre-trial hearing was set for Feb. 22.

Stupak's former bodyguard, Ralph Owens, claims Stupak assaulted him in the lounge of the Thunderbird Hotel, which the former chairman of the Stratosphere Corp. owns.

Owens filed a complaint with the Metropolitan Police Department, which submitted the case to the Las Vegas city attorney's office for prosecution.

In December Stupak called Owens' claim "silly. I never heard of anyone punching their bodyguard."

Misdemeanor battery carries a possible sentence ranging from a fine and an order to stay out of trouble to six months in jail.

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