Tweet

Sam Cooper

12 Feb, 17 tweets, 5 min read

RCMP warned B.C. govt capital flight from China related to organized crime and drug cartels: inquiry | Globalnews.ca globalnews.ca/news/7637459/r…

2. And the RCMP saw a link between casinos and fentanyl trafficking and money laundering. But the Lottery Corp. was still arguing "no one has been convicted in terms of money laundering in casinos," Meilleur testified.

3. And the RCMP officer, Calvin Chrustie, warned one official “we also know the cartels are close to Chinese networks.”

@BCLC

4. Statistics fans out there: 5 of Xi Jinping’s 100 most wanted corrupt official fugitive suspects were @BCLC patrons, and the River Rock had a plan to expand high limit space to capitalize on capital flight from Xi’s crackdown, we heard, in evidence this week.

@BCLC

5. It starts to quantify how @BCLC and specifically the River Rock appeared to be global magnets for corruption funds exiting China’s economy.

6. We also heard from former BCLC ceo Mike Graydon BC casinos targeted the Mainland China highroller market in Macau and built the infrastructure and bet limits to satisfy that market.

@CullenInquiryBC

7. Case @CullenInquiryBC lawyers are examining, is who knew what, and when. When managers knew, or should have known, proceeds of crime likely the explanation for bags of 20s in bricks of $10,000 — did managers protect the integrity of gaming or the opposite, open the gates wider

@BCLC

8. No idea whether Liberal party fundraiser Raymond Chan associate Michael Ching was a @BCLC VIP. He was on the SkyNet list seems like he’s good now. Any idea how his funds arrived in Canada? @ianjamesyoung70 @FinanceCanada @FINTRAC_Canada @CullenInquiryBC

9. Kevin Sun?

10. Mailin Chen?

11. Tiger Yuan?

12. Guo Tai Shi?

13. Hai Pang Yang?

14. Ke Xiao?

TBC

@FinanceCanada

Mexican cartels and Chinese underground banks, to be clear, is the convergence @FinanceCanada of @FINTRAC_Canada trade based money laundering @erinotoole that RCMP intel pointing to. Ottawa paying attention yet?

@BCLC

A boutique law firm got @BCLC out of hot water with Fintrac @FinanceCanada it’s a good story line Ottawa, wake up, real estate up next @CullenInquiryBC

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More from @scoopercooper

Sam Cooper

@scoopercooper

12 Feb

Breaking: Evidence email RCMP Calvin Chrustie warned BCLC and GPEB in June 2015 that the Mainland China "financial elite have close ties to organized crime and we also know the cartels are close to Chinese networks," and BCLC wasn't paying attention to large cash transactions.

@BCLC

2. The evidence is about a June 2015 @BCLC 'AML Summit' and Chrustie felt that "it is a complex issue, but as stated yesterday, while the flight of capital issue is a key concern,"

3. Chrustie felt that indicators of money laundering were strong in the "Chinese money lending culture," in Vancouver, but BCLC was not seeing it that way on 'unsourced cash' former GPEB Len Meilleur says, he agrees 'not everyone in the room' at the summit agreed w. Chrustie

Read 8 tweets

Sam Cooper

@scoopercooper

11 Feb

@FINTRAC_Canada

BC Lottery Corp. CEO ignored federal anti-money laundering direction on bags of cash: inquiry | Globalnews.ca globalnews.ca/news/7635314/b… @FINTRAC_Canada @BCLC @CullenInquiryBC

1. A former BC Lottery Corporation CEO drove his executives to increase revenue via high-limit gambling but didn’t follow a direction from Canada’s anti-money laundering watchdog that required B.C. casinos to establish the source of massive cash transactions.

2. Commission lawyers have been building the case that Lottery Corp. and casino managers hungered after revenue from foreign high rollers, even after being warned by investigators that B.C.’s casinos were being used to launder money by Chinese transnational drug gangs.

Read 7 tweets

Sam Cooper

@scoopercooper

3 Feb

Hearing about sexual assault at River Rock Casino by a VIP player on a female staff, and BCLC Ross Alderson writes a report that GCG manager Pat Ennis felt BCLC had no authority to interfere, and that GCG didn't call police, and VIP was allowed to continue play; and GCG

2. VIP program manager Lisa Gao acted inappropriately. The VIP had assaulted another River Rock employee too. Alderson wrote the staff sexually assaulted by the VIP didn't get any support from Great Canadian.

@CullenInquiryBC

3. @CullenInquiryBC quickly jumped to a question back in 1999 regarding "China's most wanted" LAI Changxing. Ennis says he's not sure if Great Canadian allowed LAI to continue playing, despite reports in media LAI is criminal suspect.

Read 13 tweets

Sam Cooper

@scoopercooper

2 Feb

Top BC Lottery Corp. executives disagreed on province’s suspicious-cash directive, inquiry hears globalnews.ca/news/7614773/b… (And BCLC alternative cash theories vs ‘confirmation bias’)

1 During his cross-examination Tuesday, Desmarais was accused by B.C. government lawyer Jacqueline Hughes of downplaying the branch’s money-laundering concerns and constructing alternative theories to justify mysterious cash transactions that came predominantly from Chinese VIPs.

2. Hughes told the inquiry that Lightbody wrote back: “I completely agree with all your comments … I would suggest … reposition (the) document around misperception of money laundering.”

Read 6 tweets

Sam Cooper

@scoopercooper

2 Feb

B.C. casino bosses complained that drug-trafficking probes were hurting business: inquiry | Globalnews.ca globalnews.ca/news/7612942/b…

2. “We are acutely aware of the revenue implications for both of us,” Brad Desmarais emailed to Michael Graydon, the inquiry heard. Desmarais said he was “pressing” B.C.’s casino regulator to disrupt illegal casinos where the high rollers may have taken their business.

3. A River Rock patron made $1.8 million in transactions with small bills in just seven days, the inquiry heard, and casino staff had not reported some of the high roller’s suspicious transactions

Read 16 tweets

Sam Cooper

@scoopercooper

29 Jan

Jim Lightbody: "To be told in the media by our minister (Eby) that we were wilfully blind (and to read in media) our employees were turning the other way" ... Lightbody says he regrets not being able to respond. .. Rod Baker called me in September 2015 and he was angry

that our BCLC investigators were interviewing Rod Baker's River Rock Casino VIPs and scaring business away. Lightbody claims he responded with an email to Baker and said "no" BCLC won't stop interviewing River Rock VIPs. "I believe that is the last contact" Lightbody + Baker had

@CullenInquiryBC

The evidence we've heard is BCLC investigators were told in 2012 not to interview River Rock VIPs after Rod Baker complained to BCLC brass. Lightbody was not asked by @CullenInquiryBC if that was his direction, in 2012.

Read 4 tweets

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