Charges of professional gambling against Seattle artist DK Pan have been dropped marking the end of a two-year legal process following the bust-up of card rooms on Capitol Hill and other parts of the city.

In a Friday filing, King County Prosecutor requested that the charges against Pan be dropped following testimony from two of the defendants who had already pleaded guilty in the case that revealed that Pan was “minimally involved.”

(Image: Judson Felder via statevpan.org)

In an earlier filing, Donohoe’s office also said that evidence provided to prosecutors by Pan’s lawyer showed that Pan should not face charges of professional gambling.

In October, Pan’s lawyer had filed this motion to dismiss that poked numerous holes in the prosecution’s case:

Motiontodismiss Def

The card rooms first surfaced following a SWAT raid at a speakeasy in the back of the Winston Apartments at 11th and Pike in June 2009. Federal investigators tied the gambling operation to a drug ring and busted the organizer of the card room, Rick Wilson and his counterpart, Marshall Reinsch. Wilson and Reinsch both did time for the crimes.

In the past year, a group of remaining defendants pleaded guilty to gambling and drug charges but only Pan continued to fight the charges en route to a January court date.

An October benefit was held for Pan, whose work includes curating the Sound Transit art project for the Capitol Hill construction wall, at FRED Wildlife Refuge to help the artist cover his ongoing legal costs. The Stranger reports that a New Year’s Eve benefit party for Pan is being planned. You can learn more at www.statevpan.org.