A mysterious Chicago private intelligence operative, a cryptic California P.O. box, a violinist-turned-councilman, and a high-roller casino feud have converged in Irving in a tangled web of intrigue.
“After failing to sneak their casino zoning past residents and then failing to manipulate elections with dark money to secure their preferred candidates, Las Vegas Sands will now resort to blackballing detractors to force their casino through,” said Irving City Councilman Luis Canosa. “I was the first to speak out against their unethical and anti-democratic ways… Is this the conduct of a legitimate business aiming to benefit our community, or does it resemble a mafia bent on pillaging and extracting from it?”
The Dallas Express became aware that a private intelligence operative was probing Canosa when it obtained a Texas Public Information Act request sent to the Irving City Secretary on April 3. The request sought “any and all personal financial statements filed by Irving City Council member Luis Canosa” — a public document, but one that is only released upon request.
The man behind the request was Ed Murphy, principal at Prospect Strategic Communications and a longtime GOP research operative with deep ties to casino politics. His bio on Prospect’s website says, “In 2014, he led research efforts for [then-Illinois Governor Bruce] Rauner’s successful campaign against incumbent Illinois Governor Pat Quinn.”
Oddly, Murphy asked that the city send Canosa’s personal financial statement to 531 Main St. #330, El Segundo, CA 90245 — an address The Dallas Express found to be a P.O. box in a seedy area, far from Murphy’s apparent base in Illinois.
The request came just two weeks after Canosa and a surprise council majority voted down a zoning measure known as PUD 6 that would have paved the way for casino gaming in Irving. At the same March 20 council meeting, Canosa introduced a motion to explicitly ban casinos in the same area, although the motion failed for lack of a second.
Canosa has been an ardent opponent of casino gaming in Irving since the public first became aware of the issue in late February.
Unlike his colleagues, who often come from well-resourced professional backgrounds in law or tech, Canosa is a professional violinist and runs a small piano business. The 25-year-old also has the least financial wealth among his peers, a subject that has frequently been scrutinized in Irving politics.
The April 3 request came at a crucial moment. Although a hotly contested city council race was on the horizon, media attention had not yet shifted to ardently anti-casino candidates like Sergio Porres. At that time, Canosa was still the most visible face of anti-casino resistance. That changed later in April as early voting began and Sands-aligned political groups such as the Lone Star Conservative Action Fund dumped nearly $170,000 into the Irving race. These expenditures came after the Sands executives previously promised not to intervene in local races in Irving.
The Sands organization has made it no secret that it is deeply concerned about who is funding opposition to its plans. In prior public comments, Sands Senior Vice President Andrew Abboud accused anti-casino groups of being covertly backed by Oklahoma Indian casinos, though The Dallas Express has never found evidence to support that claim.
What has been documented, however, is Sands’ own use of covert tactics.
The Dallas Express previously reported that Sands affiliates paid protestors — some of whom signed non-disclosure agreements — to give the impression of public support during a contentious public hearing in Irving. Representatives from Murphy Nasica, a firm tied to Sands interests, also spoke at the hearing without disclosing their affiliations. Several paid supporters were seen clapping at the wrong moments during the event, and none have appeared at public meetings since The Dallas Express exposed the tactic.
Despite his name, Murphy is not the Murphy in Murphy Nasica. However, the intelligence operative’s professional history suggests deep familiarity with gaming politics. In 2010, he was working in Illinois politics with then-Senator Mark Kirk when the senator received support from the gaming industry. In 2012, Murphy briefly joined the failed Senate campaign of Scott Brown in Massachusetts — a state that had just passed a bill to introduce casino gaming. He later joined the Republican National Committee after Sheldon Adelson, the Sands billionaire patriarch, donated millions to its convention efforts.
Murphy eventually returned to Illinois, serving under Governor Bruce Rauner, who was more open to gaming than his predecessor and signed minor gaming legislation during his tenure. Only a few months after Rauner left office, a decade-long battle to expand access to casinos in Illinois was won by the casino developers. There had previously been a successful riverboat casino effort in Illinois in the early 1990s.
There is now a destination resort casino in Chicago.
Notably, Bally’s Chicago Casino made headlines earlier this year when it brought $63.2M in new revenue to the city, which was far behind earlier projections, local outlet WTTW reported.
“We believe that it would put somewhere about $25 million a year directly into the city of Irving, [and] $40 million into the school district,” a Las Vegas Sands representative previously stated.
Despite the timing and Murphy’s casino-tied resume, no organization has stepped forward to take credit for commissioning the April 3 request. Only a handful of political organizations in Irving could conceivably afford to hire a private intelligence operator. All have denied involvement—except one.
Brian Becker, president of the Irving Fire Association — a powerful local group — denied any connection, saying to The Dallas Express, “No. We aren’t interested in people’s personal lives.” James Bell, political director of Families for Irving, a group that supported Canosa in his 2024 council bid, also denied involvement.
Council races in Irving are non-partisan, and Canosa is not up for re-election for two more years, so the timing of the investigation would not suggest a clear motive for an opposing political party or campaign to be looking into Canosa’s background.
The Las Vegas Sands and Murphy did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
For Canosa, the message is clear. “They are targeting me first,” he said, “digging around to find the best way to get their revenge, and I won’t be the last they come for.”