Thread by @karolcummins

‼️Tales of Global Casino scandals & Their Many Ties to TeamTrump & Associates

James Packer & Lawerence Ho’s Crown Resorts’ emerging Organized Crime & Foreign Influence Agents Scandals

#TipOfIceberg #CrownResorts

🔑AU’s peak criminal intelligence agency has announced a sweeping inv’n into organized crime in Australian casinos amid revelations about Crown Resorts' dealings w/ junket operators w/ links to suspected Chinese crime bosses & foreign influence agents.
theage.com.au/business/compa…

🔑Mr Phelan announced that his inquiry, known as the Targeting Criminal Wealth special investigation, is probing the operation of agents known as junkets who are responsible for bringing high roller clients into casinos, usually from offshore, to gamble.
theage.com.au/business/compa…

2017: Background: Crown Confidential
H/T @mopeng
abc.net.au/4corners/crown…

Crown Resorts’ $2bn luxury casino and apartment tower rising at Barangaroo has been synonymous with James Packer, one of Australia’s richest men, reflecting his greatest achievement.
theguardian.com/australia-news…

Packer shed some of that load on 31 May 2019, when he sold 19.99% of his stake in Crown to Lawrence Ho, his former business partner in a joint venture in Macau, realizing nearly $1.8bn.
theguardian.com/australia-news…

There has been speculation about how and when Ho patched up his once close relationship with Packer, forged during the 10 years the two jointly developed casinos in Macau and the Philippines as Melco-Crown. #Mob
theguardian.com/australia-news…

📌2015: Lawrence Ho bets big on venture in Vladivostok

📌Ho’s adventure in Russian far east banks on attracting high-rollers from N Asia.

📌Ho owns the controlling stake in Summit Ascent, a venture w/Russian & Taiwanese equity.
scmp.com/news/china/mon…
scmp.com/news/china/mon…

💰Packer & the Hollywood RatPack

When Brett Ratner and James Packer joined forces to create RatPac Entertainment in late 2012, Hollywood took notice.
variety.com/2017/film/spot…

Packer👉🏼RatPack👉🏼Brett Ratner👉🏼Mnuchin👉🏼Weinstein👉🏼Blavatnik

https://twitter.com/lincolnsbible/status/956600304660893696?s=21

💰The RatPack & the Sony Hack

https://twitter.com/lincolnsbible/status/1009449254346096645?s=21

2008: Ratner announced that he is doing a big screen version of Sony hack-& comedy Trump Heist.

Starring Eddie Murphy & Chris Tucker, Trump Heist follows a group of con artists who land jobs at Trump's Trump Towers so that they can swindle its residents.
kotaku.com/guess-whos-not…

📌The Real denizens of Organized Crime Infesting Trump Towers

https://twitter.com/zeddary/status/1155486497451184128?s=21

Packer👉🏼Mnuchin👉🏼Netanyahu👉🏼Trump

🔑2016: Steven Mnuchin is the business partner of James Packer, whose gifts to the Netanyahu family are being probed by the Israel Police.
haaretz.com/israel-news/.p…

🔑Mnuchin named as Trump Campaign Finance Chair

May 2016: Steven Mnuchin, a business partner of Australian gaming mogul James Packer, has been named as Republican Donald Trump's national finance chairman for the US presidential election.
afr.com/news/politics/…

🔑2016: Steven Mnuchin, then a hedge fund manager who has been a business partner of gaming mogul James Packer, is tapped by US president-elect Donald Trump to be Treasury secretary.
afr.com/world/north-am…

📌Lawmakers Target Steven Mnuchin Over "Conflict of Interest" in Ties to Hollywood Investor Len Blavatnik

hollywoodreporter.com/news/lawmakers…

House of Reps demand that Mnuchin answer questions regarding his Hollywood ties to Ukraine-born billionaire and entertainment investor Len Blavatnik.
hollywoodreporter.com/news/lawmakers…

🔑The move follows Mnuchin’s decision to lift sanctions on aluminum giant Rusal and other companies linked to oligarch Oleg Deripaska, which was seen as a boon to Russian president Vladimir Putin.
hollywoodreporter.com/news/lawmakers…

🔑Blavatnik, whose Access Industries owns Warner Music Group, has links to Rusal and has been in business with Deripaska as well as Viktor Vekselberg — both oligarchs considered close to Putin.
hollywoodreporter.com/news/lawmakers…

Vekselberg & Bank of Cyprus

https://twitter.com/karolcummins/status/1147229974581010432?s=21

Trump 👉🏼Packer

🔑Trump inauguration offers a silver lining for James Packer's Las Vegas plans

There is a former casino operator heading for the White House, and who better to throw the inauguration party than your friends in the casino industry.
smh.com.au/business/trump…

Who else connects with James Packer?

🔑Trump👉🏼Huge Republican donor Sheldon Adelson

https://twitter.com/mopeng/status/999603745972355072?s=21

🔑James Packer among other billionaires hit by $100 billion Macau casino losses
Gambling billionaires like James Packer, Sheldon Adelson and Stanley Ho have been hit with fines, which may turn the fortunes of the world's largest gambling hub.
smh.com.au/business/james…

Steven Mnuchin sold his stake in RatPac-Dune Entertainment to a “third party unconnected” to Leonard Blavatnik, the Ukrainian-born billionaire and entertainment investor linked to a Russian company that was recently removed from the U.S. sanctions list.
variety.com/2019/politics/…

Viktor Vekselberg

https://twitter.com/mopeng/status/1156692024570961921?s=21

Blavatnik’s Access Industries, acquired an interest in RatPac Entertainment, which in turn owned a minority stake in RatPac-Dune.

Blavatnik’s company bought the stake from James Packer, the Australian investor.
variety.com/2019/politics/…

🔑Blavatnik and Viktor Vekselberg were sanctioned, are partners in a company, Sual, that is a major shareholder in Rusal. Speier wrote that Sual’s “stake will be increased as a direct result of Mnuchin’s sanctions relief package.”
variety.com/2019/politics/…

Trump👉🏼Mnuchin👉🏼Netanyahu👉🏼Adelson👉🏼GOP👉🏼Trump

Netanyahu has been dogged by corruption scandals for much of his career.
washingtonpost.com/world/2019/02/…

🔑Trump’s Patron-in-Chief
Casino magnate Sheldon Adelson has never been more powerful.

🔑The Trump administration has advanced his ideological and financial interests, including an assist in his quest to build a casino in Japan
features.propublica.org/trump-inc-podc…

🔑2016: Adelson, Donated Over $100 Million to the GOP, 'Watching' Results With Trump
haaretz.com/us-news/.premi…

📌2018: Sheldon Adelson kicks in $30M to stop Democratic House takeover

📌The donation to the Congressional Leadership Fund is a big boost to Republicans facing a tough midterm environment.
politico.com/story/2018/05/…

📌2013: Sheldon Adelson’s Sands Casino to pay $47 million fine for failing to report deposits from alleged drug trafficker
nydailynews.com/news/national/…

📌2013: Sheldon Adelson Casino Fined for Underaged Gambling
pokerupdate.com/news/industry-…

🔑2017: Sheldon Adelson’s Las Vegas Sands (LVS) agreed to pay a $6.96 million criminal penalty to end a U.S. DOJ probe into whether it violated a federal anti-bribery law by making payments to a consultant to help it do business in China and Macau.
fortune.com/2017/01/20/san…

🔑The casino operator run by Sheldon Adelson entered a non-prosecution agreement, in which it admitted that execs knowingly failed to set up acct’g controls to ensure that the payments were legitimate, & were properly recorded in its books & records.
fortune.com/2017/01/20/san…

🔑From 2006 to 2009, Adelson’s Las Vegas Sands transferred about $60 million to the consultant to promote its business and brands, and paid him about $5.8 million without any “discernable legitimate business purpose,” according to settlement papers.💰💦
fortune.com/2017/01/20/san…

The resolution of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act case follows Adelson’s Las Vegas Sands‘ related $9 million civil settlement last year with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission over its dealings with the consultant.
fortune.com/2017/01/20/san…

Justice Department’s Reversal on Online Gambling Tracked Memo From Adelson Lobbyists
Analysis sent to Justice Department argued that 2011 opinion that helped online gambling was wrong
wsj.com/articles/justi…

Billionaire casino operators such as Sheldon Adelson, head of Las Vegas Sands, and Steve Wynn of Wynn Resorts have visited or sent representatives to Japan to lobby for legalisation of Casinos in Japan
theguardian.com/world/2016/dec…

🔑James Packer’s Crown Resorts is reportedly one of several casino operators that see huge potential in establishing a presence in Japan, regarded as the industry’s “final frontier”.
theguardian.com/world/2016/dec…

💰James Packer & Steve Wynn

When Mr Packer made his foray into Macau casinos a decade ago, he did so purchasing a casino licence from Mr Wynn.

Mr Packer would later tell shareholders he turned that $US600 million investment into a $US6 billion windfall.
smh.com.au/national/from-…

"I think Steve Wynn is the greatest developer in the world," Mr Packer said in an interview with The Australian Financial Review in 2012. He was also reported to have attended Mr Wynn's wedding in 2011.
smh.com.au/national/from-…

🔑Steve Wynn Is a friend of, and former fundraiser for, President Donald Trump
smh.com.au/national/from-…

Massachusetts Fines Wynn Resorts $35 Million
fortune.com/2019/05/01/wyn…

Nevada casino regulators said on Tuesday they had fined Wynn Resorts Ltd $20 million in a settlement with the company involving misconduct claims against former chief executive Steve Wynn.
reuters.com/article/us-wyn…

💰Wynn, Broidy, Cohen & RNC

https://twitter.com/karolcummins/status/1079132016606494720?s=21

🔑Scandals engulf multiple RNC finance chairs

The RNC will soon be toast folks, stand by for incoming...eta TBD.
msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-…

💰1MDB - Elliot Broidy💰

https://twitter.com/karolcummins/status/1149450262441971712?s=21

💰Broidy UPDATE refresher thread

https://twitter.com/karolcummins/status/1142072333433094146?s=21

💰Nader - Broidy UAE & Qatar m

https://twitter.com/karolcummins/status/1152754128512094211?s=21

💰1MDB -Trump Campaign💰

https://twitter.com/karolcummins/status/1149464204228698112?s=21

Cohen: Andrew Intrater, Viktor Vekselberg, Columbus Nova LCC, Renova Group, Essential Consultants, Stormy & Avenatti, Inauguration, lifting RU Sanctions, TT meeting, RNC, Bounty Investments, VTB bank, Kazakhstan’s BTA Bank JSC, TT Moscow, Sater

https://twitter.com/karolcummins/status/1131219602908696576?s=21

💰Qatar - Russia/Rosnef - Qatari Sovereign Wealth Fund & TeamTrump

https://twitter.com/karolcummins/status/1149801026242744320?s=21

💦💰Trump Inauguration

Barrack, Adelson, Wynn & Broidy

https://twitter.com/karolcummins/status/1036049079074140161?s=21

🔑Presidential Inauguration Committee Chaired by Tom Barrack, Finance vice-chars: Adelson, Broidy, Steve Wynn.

📌Look to EDNY for incoming fireworks.

https://twitter.com/karolcummins/status/1046124061695197184?s=21

Packer👉🏼Aitken👉🏼Bell Potter👉🏼Barrack

Angus Aitken, managing director of institutional equities at Bell Potter, suggests Packer to look at monetising Crown's hotel assets in Australia, which could be worth up to $3 billion.
smh.com.au/business/james…

Aitken can envisage a deal between Packer and US property dealmaker Tom Barrack, from private equity firm Colony Capital, with whom Packer holds close personal ties.
smh.com.au/business/james…

Trump's Rival-Turned-Pal, Billionaire Steve Wynn, Named RNC Finance Chair. He will help lead the the GOP’s fundraising for the 2018 midterm elections.
forbes.com/sites/chasewit…

Republicans take $400k from casino mogul accused of sexual assault
.
politico.com/story/2019/05/…

Steve Wynn resumes raising money for GOP candidates, causes
reviewjournal.com/news/politics-…

Billionaire casino mogul Steve Wynn has donated millions to Republicans while donating a much smaller amount to Democrats.
businessinsider.com/who-did-steve-…

🔑U.S. Investigates Work at Pacific Island Casino Project With Trump Ties
nytimes.com/2017/05/04/bus…

The inv’n in Saipan carries a twist of irony:

The chairman of the company that is building the casino hotel was once a protégé of Mr. Trump’s own casinos in Atlantic City.
nytimes.com/2017/05/04/bus…

📌Mark A. Brown, a casino industry veteran who before Saipan worked at properties in Cambodia, Macau & Las Vegas, got his start as a protégé in Trump’s Atlantic City casinos, eventually rising to the position of CEO of Trump Hotels and Casino Resorts.
nytimes.com/2017/05/04/bus…

On the Saipan Casino board sits James Woolsey, (Trump Transition), Louis Freeh, a former F.B.I. director, and Ed Rendell, a former governor of Pennsylvania.
nytimes.com/2017/05/04/bus…

🔑Former FBI director Louis Freeh represented Russian firm at center of major money-laundering probe
Prevezon is also represented by Natalia Veselnitskaya, the Russian lawyer who met with top Trump campaign officials in June 2016 at Trump Tower.
businessinsider.com/fbi-director-l…

The former chief of staff to then-Gov. Ed Rendell was sentenced Thursday to a year of probation after pleading guilty last year to felony wire fraud for taking thousands of dollars from a fake company set up by the FBI in a public corruption investigation.
mcall.com/news/pennsylva…

🔑Trump's casino was a money laundering concern shortly after it opened
cnn.com/2017/05/22/pol…

🔑The 1998 Trump Taj Mahal Casino settlement was publicly reported at the time, and the Associated Press noted it was the largest fine the federal government ever slapped on a casino for violating the Bank Secrecy Act.
assets.documentcloud.org/documents/3722…

According to a dozen anti-money laundering experts, casinos often run into these problems. But getting caught with 106 violations in the casino's opening years is an indicator of a serious problem, they said.
cnn.com/2017/05/22/pol…

📌FinCEN caught the Trump Taj Mahal dodging anti-money laundering rules again two decades later. In 2015, it fined the casino $10 million.

cnn.com/2017/05/22/pol…

📌In the consent order, the casino admitted it "willfully violated" the Bank Secrecy Act's "reporting and recordkeeping requirements from 2010 through 2012."
cnn.com/2017/05/22/pol…

📌Just what were Donald Trump’s ties to the mob?
politico.eu/article/what-w…

https://twitter.com/donmothra/status/1104062575132770305?s=21

🔑2010: James Packer’s partner Stanley Ho Hung-sun is an associate of known and suspected triads who has permitted 'organised crime to operate & thrive within his casinos', according to a report by the New Jersey state AG’s Division of Gaming Enforcement.
scmp.com/article/708998…

🔑Adelson’s Las Vegas Sands allowed a man identified by the U.S. Senate as an organized crime figure Charles Heung Wah Keung.to move a $100,000 gambling credit from a Las Vegas casino to one of its Macau casinos
huffpost.com/entry/las-vega…

A 1992 U.S. Senate subcommittee probe into Asian organized crime identified him as an officer of Sun Yee On, one of the triads, the Chinese organized crime groups known for everything from racketeering to loan-sharking to prostitution.
huffpost.com/entry/las-vega…

🔑2015: This ongoing investigation reveals how the US casino groups made their billions against Macau’s seamy backdrop of triads, vice and corruption.
theguardian.com/world/2015/apr…

🔑Australia will examine allegations that some of casino company Crown Resorts Ltd. ’s business partners have organized-crime links, and that it obtained favorable visa treatment for wealthy Chinese gamblers.
wsj.com/articles/austr…

The SEC is investigating the Kushner family's company over its use of a controversial visa program
amp.businessinsider.com/sec-launches-p…

🔑Crown casino's links to Asian organised crime exposed
Crown, which is part-owned by one of ames Packer, may also have exploited weaknesses in Australia’s visa processes to fly VIP gamblers into Australia without sufficient vetting.
theage.com.au/business/compa…

‼️Trumps Ties to China & the Steele Dossier 🔼🔽

https://twitter.com/karolcummins/status/1046124061695197184?s=21

Yes, folks it’s all connected.

I hope an enterprising journalist can refine & better tell this story @wsj @nyt @washingtonpost @Maddow. Please?

There are so many decades long inter-connections & similarities all pointing to an intriguing story abt global politics & corruption

@threadreaderapp unroll please and thank you.

#Packer
#Adelson
#Trump
#Wynn
#Casinos
#Barrack
#Deripaska
#Netanyahu
#Mnuchin
#Blavatnik
#AccessIndustries
#Vekselberg
#Putin
#LawrenceHo
#StanleyHo
#SummitAscent
#Ratner
#RatPack
#Weinstein
#SonyHack
#BankOfCyprus
#Inauguration

https://twitter.com/mopeng/status/1156699623932612608?s=21

https://twitter.com/margo94/status/1156728205715353602?s=21