Today's entry comes to us via a Las Vegas Review-Journal article and the AP, reprinted here for your entertainment.
Jul. 27, 2007 Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal
Spending of mistress listed in complaint
Money used on expensive LV buys
By RYAN NAKASHIMA THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
The mistress of a Chinese-Mexican businessman accused of shipping illegal drug chemicals to Mexican cartels told authorities she used money he gave her to buy a million-dollar home, jewelry, luxury cars and factory equipment, court documents show.
Michele Wong, a 26-year-old former casino host at The Mirage, used $500,000 that Zhenli Ye Gon wired her to buy air conditioning units and transformers, which she shipped to his pharmaceutical plant in Mexico, according to a federal criminal complaint.
Wong also paid $1.1 million in cash for a Las Vegas home and bought two Mercedes-Benz cars after she said Ye Gon told her he was being blackmailed by drug dealers to launder "dirty money" in Las Vegas, the complaint said. Wong also is said to have purchased jewelry with money Ye Gon gave her.
"Ye Gon told Wong that the group instructed him to launder the money in Las Vegas and that he should gamble with the money and purchase high value items in Las Vegas," the complaint said.
Wong's Las Vegas house was at 2290 Casa Bella Court, near Durango Drive and Sahara Avenue. Using Ye Gon's money, she paid off the mortgage within about three months of its April 2006 purchase, the court document stated.
Authorities seized title records for the house that stated Wong put a $305,108 down payment on the house and obtained a $853,500 loan to cover the rest of the cost, according to court records.
Wong told authorities that Ye Gon last came to Las Vegas on March 9 on a flight from Orange County, Calif., on a private jet provided by The Venetian.
Ye Gon lost more than $125 million playing high stakes games in Las Vegas casinos since 2004, the complaint said.
Ye Gon, also known as "Charley Ye," was arrested Monday by U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents in a suburban Washington, D.C., restaurant. Authorities in March seized more than $207 million in cash and traveler's checks hidden in compartments at his Mexico City mansion.
Mexican Attorney General Medina Mora has said the cash seized at Ye Gon's home was connected to one of the hemisphere's largest networks for trafficking pseudoephedrine, the main ingredient in making methamphetamine.
Mora said the ring had been operating since 2004, illegally importing the substance and selling it to a drug cartel that mixed it into the crystal form and exported it to the United States.
Ye Gon has said the chemicals imported by his company, Unimed Pharm Chem de Mexico SA, were legitimate and intended for use in prescription drugs to be made at a factory he was building in Toluca, just west of the Mexican capital.
Ye Gon's lawyers have said he has nothing to do with illegal drugs and is merely a victim of political corruption in Mexico.
Wong was arrested in Las Vegas on Monday and ordered to be detained and transported to Washington, D.C., to face felony money laundering and conspiracy charges in a federal court.
Wong first met Ye Gon in October 2004 when she was a casino host at The Mirage, and he was a high-rolling customer, the complaint said. Their relationship turned romantic a month after she was fired in January 2005.
She told authorities Ye Gon gave her up to $1.5 million over the course of their relationship, and that Ye Gon is the father of her 17-month-old son.
The allegations of money laundering were questioned by Nevada gambling regulators, who said strict procedures mandate extensive record keeping and require gamblers who bring large amounts of cash to take the same cash away with them if they win.
The $125 million Ye Gon lost seemed out of proportion to the perks and cash that he may have received as a standard "discount" on his losses, state Gaming Control Board member Mark Clayton said.
In addition to the flight on a private jet, The Venetian, one of Ye Gon's favorite resorts, gave him a Rolls-Royce, he told The Associated Press in a recent interview.
"It'd be one thing if I come in with a suitcase of $100 bills, I gamble for 20 minutes and then ask for a check. That would be a typical example of money laundering," Clayton said.
"But it's a pretty ineffective way to launder money by losing it all at the casino."
Review-Journal writer David Kihara contributed to this report.
-------Casino hosts aren't the most popular coworkers at any resort, so there's no love lost for anyone else in the business who happens to hear about that whole mess.
And... The only response from the five-star resort guys following the news of the bust of this particular high roller...? "Damn, there goes our tips!"
Friday, July 27, 2007
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Meanwhile, Back at the Five-Star Resort...
Dealer Guy's Saturday, while not one of the most exciting or hilarious or ridiculous shifts ever, did have it's share of high points... and low.
Bear in mind, kids... He works at one of the five or so resorts (will I name it specifically...? Are you kidding?? HA!) considered to be the creme de la creme of Las Vegas. Customers have high expectations... even as they're acting like fools, snobs or rude jerks. Oh yes, there are the decent types that come to play, too, but are they as entertaining? Not usually. It's the fools, snobs and rude jerks you'll mostly hear about on this blog.
Craps... a simply divine word for a game of chance... CRAPS. Yesterday, the table was full of 22-year-old fools with limited skills nor luck, and with even further limited vocabularies or imagination. "SHOW ME THE MONEY!" "SHOW ME THE MONEY!" "SHOW ME THE MONEY!!!!" They screamed all day... And Dealer Guy came home half deaf in one ear. I asked if he did, indeed, show them the money. "Oh, hell no" was the cheerful response. (Dealer Guy gets a jolly or two when the fools lose. Can't really blame his deaf self.)
Celebrities - A bastion of honest, caring and lovely adult people, right? Well, yeah, I know... Not exactly, is it? And these people LOVE Las Vegas. They come to play, they come to win - they hope - and they come to... cheat or at least ATTEMPT to cheat. That's part of the thrill of gambling - to see just what they can get away with. (The old days of cheaters' arms being broken over a curb behind Binion's downtown are pretty much over now.) The five-star resort guys had a celebrity at the Craps table last night. He was betting around $200 a shot and pressing it up as the dice continued to roll. The gentleman was also trying his best to cheat; however, the five-star guys are on top of the game - especially against a fool. Don't be trying to move your chips to a more favorable spot on the layout when there are four sets of eyes watching you. The celebrity-level fool lost yesterday, too.
Eventually, the CRAPS table emptied of players, leaving the five-star resort guys to their own crappy devices. Yes, kids... These grown men, some of the best in their profession... play fart tricks on each other. (Do I push my embarrassment aside and go on? Yeah, I do. Dealer Guy shared this brief tale with me over lunch yesterday, so I'm not going to shy away from sharing it with you) . Dealer Guy and his buddies - men who will be boys - are pros at this game, too... childish and gross as it is.
Dealer Guy "owed one" to the buddy who shall be known as "Jimmy." Good ol' Jimmy was on a 20-minute break that began just as Dealer Guy realized he had a "really BAD one" ready to cut loose. So, what's a guy to do? Save it. Keep it "on the edge" and ready to rip at the moment Jimmy returns to the CRAPS table. While we're waiting, I'll let you know that the last time Jimmy received pay-back, Dealer Guy nailed him with a nasty one while walking up the stairs... right in front of his "friend's" face. Nice. Funny though, Dealer Guy has a tendency to not tell me about the moments when he, himself, is the victim. No bragging rights in that, I guess.
So, the twenty minutes passed and Jimmy returned to the crew. Dealer Guy proudly announces, "Hey Jimmy, I've got one for ya!" And the fart heard 'round the resort ripped forth from the black dress slacks, followed by groans of happy disgust emitting from all present. The guys love this stuff. They'd award trophies if they could. I ask Dealer Guy, "What if a customer had walked up just then." His well-thought-out response... "So?"
Remember the fart games, kids, the next time you step into one of Las Vegas' multi-billion dollar luxury resorts. Some of the 'finer' details aren't much different than Circus Circus.
Bear in mind, kids... He works at one of the five or so resorts (will I name it specifically...? Are you kidding?? HA!) considered to be the creme de la creme of Las Vegas. Customers have high expectations... even as they're acting like fools, snobs or rude jerks. Oh yes, there are the decent types that come to play, too, but are they as entertaining? Not usually. It's the fools, snobs and rude jerks you'll mostly hear about on this blog.
Craps... a simply divine word for a game of chance... CRAPS. Yesterday, the table was full of 22-year-old fools with limited skills nor luck, and with even further limited vocabularies or imagination. "SHOW ME THE MONEY!" "SHOW ME THE MONEY!" "SHOW ME THE MONEY!!!!" They screamed all day... And Dealer Guy came home half deaf in one ear. I asked if he did, indeed, show them the money. "Oh, hell no" was the cheerful response. (Dealer Guy gets a jolly or two when the fools lose. Can't really blame his deaf self.)
Celebrities - A bastion of honest, caring and lovely adult people, right? Well, yeah, I know... Not exactly, is it? And these people LOVE Las Vegas. They come to play, they come to win - they hope - and they come to... cheat or at least ATTEMPT to cheat. That's part of the thrill of gambling - to see just what they can get away with. (The old days of cheaters' arms being broken over a curb behind Binion's downtown are pretty much over now.) The five-star resort guys had a celebrity at the Craps table last night. He was betting around $200 a shot and pressing it up as the dice continued to roll. The gentleman was also trying his best to cheat; however, the five-star guys are on top of the game - especially against a fool. Don't be trying to move your chips to a more favorable spot on the layout when there are four sets of eyes watching you. The celebrity-level fool lost yesterday, too.
Eventually, the CRAPS table emptied of players, leaving the five-star resort guys to their own crappy devices. Yes, kids... These grown men, some of the best in their profession... play fart tricks on each other. (Do I push my embarrassment aside and go on? Yeah, I do. Dealer Guy shared this brief tale with me over lunch yesterday, so I'm not going to shy away from sharing it with you) . Dealer Guy and his buddies - men who will be boys - are pros at this game, too... childish and gross as it is.
Dealer Guy "owed one" to the buddy who shall be known as "Jimmy." Good ol' Jimmy was on a 20-minute break that began just as Dealer Guy realized he had a "really BAD one" ready to cut loose. So, what's a guy to do? Save it. Keep it "on the edge" and ready to rip at the moment Jimmy returns to the CRAPS table. While we're waiting, I'll let you know that the last time Jimmy received pay-back, Dealer Guy nailed him with a nasty one while walking up the stairs... right in front of his "friend's" face. Nice. Funny though, Dealer Guy has a tendency to not tell me about the moments when he, himself, is the victim. No bragging rights in that, I guess.
So, the twenty minutes passed and Jimmy returned to the crew. Dealer Guy proudly announces, "Hey Jimmy, I've got one for ya!" And the fart heard 'round the resort ripped forth from the black dress slacks, followed by groans of happy disgust emitting from all present. The guys love this stuff. They'd award trophies if they could. I ask Dealer Guy, "What if a customer had walked up just then." His well-thought-out response... "So?"
Remember the fart games, kids, the next time you step into one of Las Vegas' multi-billion dollar luxury resorts. Some of the 'finer' details aren't much different than Circus Circus.
Friday, July 20, 2007
Hanging on the Mid-Level Rungs of the Corporate Ladder
Yes, some days it definitely feels like I'm 'hanging' there. Technically, I'm a low-level management 'professional;' a company-minded, raise-the-roof 'rah-rah' for the troops. On days like today, I'd prefer being one of troops. Heaven knows they make more $$ than I do, so I'd have to be nuts not to be a bit envious - especially when I'm putting up with B.S. from my so-called "peers."
Once again, I was asked to perform a task I've done a million times, but for some unknown, i.e., stupid, reason the request came through a third party because the requester had no friggin' idea what my specialty happens to be. (Yeah, this is vague... Who the hell knows if my coworkers might stumble onto this blog and then kick my ass for it...) My revenge...? Wrap up the assignment quickly and proficiently, and then throw it in the face of the requester. Yeah, there was a sense of satisfaction in that... "See, dumbass? This IS what I do for a living, so next time flippin' ask me directly, okay?" kinda way.
Keeps everyone happy in the long run, I suppose. But will anything change before it happens again? I haven't the foggiest idea. In the meantime, I'll log today's accomplishment onto my ridiculous 'goals made and met' sheet for review at the end of the year so I can collect my measly 2.5% increase for 2008.
Yes... On days like this, I tend to long for the past... When I wrapped up for the day and that was it. No baggage. No leftovers. Less money, but fewer hassles.
Let's all work to get ahead, kids! Or not.
Once again, I was asked to perform a task I've done a million times, but for some unknown, i.e., stupid, reason the request came through a third party because the requester had no friggin' idea what my specialty happens to be. (Yeah, this is vague... Who the hell knows if my coworkers might stumble onto this blog and then kick my ass for it...) My revenge...? Wrap up the assignment quickly and proficiently, and then throw it in the face of the requester. Yeah, there was a sense of satisfaction in that... "See, dumbass? This IS what I do for a living, so next time flippin' ask me directly, okay?" kinda way.
Keeps everyone happy in the long run, I suppose. But will anything change before it happens again? I haven't the foggiest idea. In the meantime, I'll log today's accomplishment onto my ridiculous 'goals made and met' sheet for review at the end of the year so I can collect my measly 2.5% increase for 2008.
Yes... On days like this, I tend to long for the past... When I wrapped up for the day and that was it. No baggage. No leftovers. Less money, but fewer hassles.
Let's all work to get ahead, kids! Or not.
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