"Women in Gaming" A Courtroom Conversation to be Hosted by @TheMobMuseum

On Wednesday, February 19,  The Mob Museum, The National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement, will host “Women in Gaming” in its historic courtroom. Part of the Museum’s ongoing Courtroom Conversation educational programming series, the event will take place at 7 p.m. and feature a panel discussion among three of the top women in the global gaming industry: Patricia Becker, president, Patricia Becker & Associates and former executive director, UNLV’s International Gaming Institute as well as first and only woman to be appointed to the Nevada Gaming Control Board; Jan Jones Blackhurst, executive vice president, communications and government relations, Caesars Entertainment; and Elaine Wynn, director, Wynn Resorts, and president, Nevada State Board of Education. Moderating the discussion will be Marybel Batjer, secretary, California Government Operations and past vice president, public policy, Caesars Entertainment.

Community partners helping present the event include Global Gaming Women and the Women’s Research Institute of Nevada (WRIN). In addition, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Lied Library Special Collections will display archival material relevant to the topic and Vegas PBS will record the event for future broadcast consideration.

These women will come together for one evening at The Mob Museum to discuss the world of gaming from their own unique perspectives. Sure to be among the topics that evening: the highs and lows, challenges and successes of operating as prominent figures in a largely male-dominated gaming industry.

Patricia Becker is the President of Patricia Becker & Associates, a gaming consulting firm that specializes in compliance and regulatory issues. In addition, she currently serves as chair of the compliance committee at Bally Technologies, Inc. She previously served as executive director of UNLV International Gaming Institute, and was the first woman to be appointed to the Nevada Gaming Control Board. Previously, Becker held numerous executive positions including roles with Aladdin Gaming and Harrah’s. She also served as chief of staff to Nevada Gov. Bob Miller from 1993 to 1995 and on the board of directors for Cash Systems Inc., Fitzgerald’s Gaming Corp. and Powerhouse Technologies. In 2004, Becker was the first woman to be inducted into the International Association of Gaming Advisors and has served as the organization’s president.

Jan Jones Blackhurst is Executive Vice President of Communications and Government Relations for Caesars Entertainment, Corp. In that capacity, she oversees all worldwide government affairs, corporate communications, community relations and corporate-social responsibility programs for the $9 billion corporation.  Those programs include Caesars industry-leading responsible-gaming systems and its various initiatives aimed at enhancing diversity and promoting environmental stewardship companywide.
       
Prior to joining Caesars in November 1999, Jones Blackhurst served two terms as Mayor of the City of Las Vegas.  She was the city’s first woman chief executive, and among the most popular mayors in its history, having won reelection in 1995 by a 72 percent margin. While in office, Jones Blackhurst presided over an unprecedented period of economic, social and cultural expansion, one in which the city’s population increased 66 percent, making Las Vegas the fastest-growing major metropolitan area in America throughout much of the 1990s.

In 2011, Jones Blackhurst was the first woman to be honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award in Gaming Communications by the American Gaming Association.  She was also honored by the Women’s Research Institute of Nevada as a mentor and leader in Las Vegas and honored by the Women’s Chamber of Commerce of Nevada for the ATHENA International Award for leadership.  In 2012 Jones Blackhurst received the Americanism Award from the Anti-Defamation League in recognition of her outstanding leadership, dedication to diversity, and commitment to her community.  In 2013, she was awarded the Free Enterprise Award by the Nevada Taxpayers Association, Employers Association of Southern Nevada, and the Metro Chamber as a distinguished community leader who has made a significant and lasting impact on the Southern Nevada economy.  She also received the William Andrews Clark – Lifetime Achievement Award honoring her extraordinary distinction in lifetime success and a tribute to her years of commitment, dedication, and service to the Southern Nevada community.

Elaine Wynn has served as Director of Wynn Resorts since 2000 and has helped guide the company’s expansion from the opening of Wynn Las Vegas in April 2005 and Wynn Macau in September 2006 to the unveiling of Encore in December 2008.

In her role, Wynn has overseen a multitude of details that have contributed to the creation of the “Wynn lifestyle.” These range from the selection of staff uniforms, luxury shops and spa amenities to playing a key role in special events and the company’s charitable involvement. Prior to her current position, Wynn served in a similar capacity as Director of Mirage Resorts from 1976 to 2000.

Wynn is personally and actively involved in a variety of community organizations and civic bodies dedicated to the enrichment of children, including serving as president of the Nevada Board of Education, chairman of the national board of the Communities In Schools drop-out prevention organization and co-chair of the Greater Las Vegas After-School All Stars, among others.

Wynn has also been a strong supporter of the arts.  Her role as a business leader in Nevada led to her appointments to the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Board of Trustees and the Library of Congress Trust Fund Board. In 2011 she established the Elaine Wynn Studio for Arts Education at the Smith Center for the Performing Arts in Las Vegas. The Elaine Wynn Studio includes classrooms, conference rooms and offices for education program staff, interns, and artists in residence.  The building’s two performance spaces, a “black box” theater and cabaret theater, are also used for children’s theater and educational programming.

Her dedication to the community has garnered numerous awards and accolades including the Governor’s Philanthropist of the Year in 2005 and an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Nevada Las Vegas in 1986. She was awarded one of seven National Promise of America Founder’s Awards for improving children’s lives at a ceremony at the White House. She is especially proud of the dedication of the Elaine Wynn Elementary School in 1991.

Seating for this once-in-a-lifetime event is extremely limited. VIP tickets are $250; preferred seating tickets are $125 and include a private reception prior to the event. General admission entry is $40. Dessert and refreshments will be available following the event for all attendees.

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Precious House, Brian Huges, Michael Turner, and Keith Foster Indicted in Alleged $1.4 Million Automobile Loan Fraud Scheme

Four Chicago and area defendants were indicted on federal bank fraud charges for allegedly engaging in a scheme to fraudulently obtain 46 automobile loans totaling approximately $1.4 million without ever intending that the borrowers would purchase the high-end luxury cars that they claimed to be buying. As a result, various credit union lenders, Including Great Lakes Credit Union, Pentagon Federal Credit Union, and Sherwin-Williams Credit Union, incurred losses totaling at least $914,000, the charges allege.

One defendant, Precious W. House, 47, of Chicago, the president of Rolling Auto Inc., a Plymouth, Indiana wholesale auto dealership that purported to be selling many of the autos, was arrested yesterday. He pleaded not guilty to five counts of bank fraud and one count making false statements on a loan application and is scheduled to have a detention hearing at 9:15 a.m. next Tuesday before Magistrate Judge Sidney I. Schenkier in U.S. District Court.

Another defendant, Brian K. Huges, 41, of Homewood, was arrested January 9 and was ordered detained in federal custody. He was charged with four counts of bank fraud and one count of making false statements on a loan application.

Co-defendants Michael O. Turner, 44, of Richton Park, who was charged with one count of bank fraud, and Keith B. Foster, 46, of Harvey, who was charged with one count each of bank fraud and making false statements on a loan application, were not arrested and will be arraigned next Tuesday in U.S. District Court.

The six-count indictment was returned by a federal grand jury. The indictment also seeks forfeiture of approximately $914,511 from all four defendants.

According to the indictment, between February and November 2013, the defendants fraudulently obtained at least 28 automobile loans of the 46 they fraudulently applied for and obtained approximately $914,000 of $1.4 million they sought in loan proceeds. They made and caused others to make false representations in documents submitted to lenders, including loan applications, vehicle purchase orders, and verifications of employment, concerning the individuals’ income, employment, credit history, intent to use the loan proceeds to purchase automobiles, and the existence of contracts obligating the borrowers to purchase vehicles from House and Rolling Auto.

House, Hughes, and Turner allegedly recruited individuals seeking auto and personal loans and agreed to find loans for them in exchange for a fee of 20 to 30 percent of the loan. Then, they submitted false information in the borrowers’ loan applications, their income, employment, and credit history, as well as their intent to use the loan proceeds to purchase autos from Rolling Auto and other dealerships, and the existence of contracts obligating them to purchase luxury automobiles made by BMW, Chevrolet, Jaguar, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, and Porsche, the indictment alleges.

If the individual borrowers refused to cash checks obtained as part of the scheme, Hughes allegedly threatened them with civil lawsuits and criminal prosecutions. House allegedly deposited the loan proceeds into bank accounts he controlled in Illinois, California, and Georgia.

The indictment was announced by Zachary T. Fardon, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Robert J. Holley, Special Agent in Charge of the Chicago Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The government is being represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher R. McFadden.

Each count of bank fraud and making false statements on loan applications carries a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine, and restitution is mandatory. The court may impose an alternate fine totaling twice the loss to any victim or twice the gain to the defendant, whichever is greater. If convicted, the court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal sentencing statutes and the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines.

The public is reminded that an indictment contains only charges and is not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent and are entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

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Details on Conrad Ulz's Indictment in Alleged $3.2 Million Mortgage Fraud Scheme Involving Properties in Chicago’s Englewood Community

A Lake County man who operated two real estate–related firms was indicted on federal mortgage fraud charges. The defendant, Conrad Ulz, allegedly engaged in a scheme to fraudulently obtain 13 residential mortgage loans, totaling approximately $3.2 million, from lenders to purchase properties in Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood. The indictment alleges that Ulz paid buyers to purchase the properties and promised them no out-of-pockets costs and then made false statements to lenders on their behalf. As a result, the lenders incurred losses totaling more than $3.1 million because the amount of the mortgage loans was not fully recovered through subsequent sale or foreclosure.

Ulz, 73, of Libertyville, who operated Citywide Financial Group and Metro Realty Services, was charged with five counts of wire fraud and three counts of making false statements to financial institutions in an indictment that was returned by a federal grand jury. The indictment also seeks forfeiture of at least $3.1 million. Ulz will be arraigned on a date to be determined in U.S. District Court.

According to the indictment, between August 2007 and May 2009, Ulz caused buyers to fraudulently obtain 13 mortgage loans from various lenders for properties on South Sangamon, South Carpenter, South Morgan, South May, and South Ada streets, among others, in Englewood on the city’s south side. The alleged fraud involved false representations in documents, including loan applications and HUD-1 settlement statements concerning sales prices and the buyers’ employment, assets, income, and intention to occupy the property.

Ulz allegedly recruited buyers with good credit, promising to pay them for purchasing the properties and promising that they would not have to pay any of their own money toward the purchases, including down payments and mortgage payments.

The charges were announced by Zachary T. Fardon, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Robert J. Holley, Special Agent in Charge of the Chicago Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The government is being represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Renai Rodney.

Each count of wire fraud affecting a financial institution and making false statements on loan applications carries a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine, and restitution is mandatory. The court may impose an alternate fine totaling twice the loss to any victim or twice the gain to the defendant, whichever is greater. If convicted, the court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal sentencing statutes and the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines.

The public is reminded that an indictment contains only charges and is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

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Kamalu Gonzales Sentenced to More Than Six Years in Prison for Investment Fraud Scheme

A former loan officer from Henderson, Nevada, who convinced at least 16 victims to give him money for a high-yield investment scheme involving the foreign currency exchange market was sentenced today to six-and-a-half years in prison, five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay over $830,000 in restitution for his guilty pleas to federal fraud and money laundering charges, announced Daniel G. Bogden, United States Attorney for the District of Nevada.

Kamalu Gonzales, 47, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Gloria M. Navarro and was permitted to self-report to federal prison by April 17, 2014. Gonzales pleaded guilty in August 2013 to two counts of mail fraud, six counts of wire fraud, and two counts of money laundering.

“Prosecuting persons who commit financial fraud crimes is a top priority of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Nevada,” said U.S. Attorney Bogden. “Many of these persons target elderly and other vulnerable victims. If someone promises you an investment opportunity with unusually high rates of return, it is likely that the opportunity is fraudulent and that you will lose your money.”

During 2007, Gonzales worked as a loan officer for Meridias Capital in Henderson. Gonzales helped persons refinance their homes and placed false information in the loan applications so the individuals could obtain refinancing and cash to which they would not have otherwise been entitled. Gonzales also told individuals that he was a successful investor and trader in the foreign currency exchange market. Gonzales recruited individuals to invest with him in the market, telling them that they could earn high rates of return on their investments in a short period of time. Some of the victims wired money to Gonzales, and others borrowed money from their retirement funds or lines of credit. Gonzales also convinced some of the persons who refinanced their houses to give him some of the cash they received from refinancing for his investment fraud scheme. None of the victims agreed to pay Gonzales any commissions or fees or agreed that he could use their investments for personal or business expenses or to pay other investors.

In order to continue the scheme and to keep victims from discovering the crime, Gonzales lied to the victims repeatedly and told them their investments were doing well. As a result of the lies, some victims gave Gonzales more money to invest. Gonzales also made payments to some of the victims using money he received from other victims.

Gonzales received approximately $1 million total from at least 16 victims in 2007 and 2008. Gonzales did not invest the victims’ funds as promised and diverted approximately $410,000 for his own personal purposes.

The case was investigated by the FBI, IRS-Criminal Investigation, and the Henderson Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kathryn C. Newman and Kimberly M. Frayn.

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U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control Continues to Target #SinaloaCartel with Support from DEA

Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Agent in Charge Doug Coleman announced that the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) reported the designation of Jose Guadalupe Tapia Quintero, a Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico based senior lieutenant of the Sinaloa Cartel.  Jose Guadalupe Tapia Quintero was designated for his role in the drug trafficking activities of Ismael "Mayo" Zambada Garcia and for playing a significant role in international drug trafficking.

"DEA and its OFAC partners will not allow these dangerous cartels and their associates to exploit the U.S. financial system," said DEA Special Agent in Charge Doug Coleman.  "We're relentlessly following the financial trail to deprive these traffickers of their assets, draining the lifeblood from their criminal enterprises."

Tapia Quintero oversees the transportation of cocaine and marijuana for the Zambada Garcia drug trafficking organization and is responsible for coordinating the purchase and transportation of cocaine and methamphetamine from Sinaloa into the U.S., specifically Arizona and California, on a monthly basis.  Tapia Quintero also transports methamphetamine on behalf of a drug trafficking cell affiliated with Joaquin "Chapo" Guzman Loera from Sinaloa to Tijuana, Baja California via tractor trailers.  The President identified Joaquin Guzman Loera, Ismael Zambada Garcia, and the Sinaloa Cartel as significant foreign narcotics traffickers pursuant to the Kingpin Act in 2001, 2002 and 2009, respectively.

Pursuant to the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act (Kingpin Act), this designation generally prohibits U.S. persons from conducting financial or commercial transactions with Tapia Quintero, and also freezes any assets he may have under U.S. jurisdiction.

"We will continue to target all aspects of the narcotics trade," said Treasury's Director of the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) Adam J. Szubin.  "Our actions will focus on their financial nerve points as well as the underlying logistics which are essential to their day to day operations such as the transportation network that we are taking action against today."

This action would not have been possible without the support of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), specifically the Phoenix Field Division, and the multi-agency OCDETF Strike Force.

Since June 2000, the President has identified 103 drug kingpins, and OFAC has designated more than 1300 entities and individuals, pursuant to the Kingpin Act. Penalties for violations of the Kingpin Act range from civil penalties of up to $1.075 million per violation to more severe criminal penalties. Criminal penalties for corporate officers may include up to 30 years in prison and fines up to $5 million. Criminal fines for corporations may reach $10 million. Other individuals could face up to 10 years in prison and fines pursuant to Title 18 of the United States Code for criminal violations of the Kingpin Act.

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