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Nevada gaming regulators are reportedly looking into whether Sheldon Adelson’s Las Vegas Sands Corp broke stringent bribery laws through its dealings in the Asian gambling Mecca of Macau.
The Nevada Gaming Control Board's probe, disclosed by two sources familiar with the matter, comes on top of reviews by the U.S. Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission, which the company confirmed in a March filing, according to a Reuters report that surfaced on Monday (July 13, 2012).
LVSC reportedly transferred documents linked to a wrongful dismissal case to the United States from Macau and this matter is currently under investigation by Macau law enforcement. The matter involved allegations related to solicitation of prostitution on the Sands Macau property.
Former CEO of Sands China Ltd., Steve Jacobs, is said to be cooperating with U.S. officials in the investigation.
From Reuters:
In that suit, Jacobs alleges he was fired after repeatedly clashing with Adelson over "Adelson's illegal demands". High on the list of disagreements was whether to hire a Macau official as a local legal counsel, which Jacobs said raised the risk of breaking U.S. anti-corruption law. Sands has denied illegal activity from the beginning, and Adelson has been quoted as saying "none of what he says is true and he can't prove it."
Adelson is one of the biggest contributors to the Republican party.
MSNBC contributor, Rachel Maddow, has expressed concern over the Adelson-GOP “love affair”, raising this point:
"[Adelson] is the guy at the heart of this mess in Macau, and the federal investigation into it," mused MSNBC host Rachel Maddow. "If you were that guy...how much would it be worth it to you to get a brand new Justice Department installed in Washington?"
- Aaron Goldstein, Gambling911.com
