Sheldon Adelson’s day in court on Friday perfectly symbolizes everything wrong with our political system today.
The billionaire casino magnate of Las Vegas Sands is one of the
richest men in the world. In 2012, he became the biggest single
political donor in American history after propping up Newt Gingrich in
the primaries and then supporting Mitt Romney with over $100 million.
On Friday, he argued with a judge in Las Vegas, and the judge put him in his place. According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal,
While he was visiting China in 2001 to investigate the possibilities of building hotels in Macau, Adelson was allegedly told by the mayor of Beijing that he was worried about a bill pending in Congress. The bill would have announced Congress’ opposition to Beijing as a host for the 2008 Olympic Games due to China’s human rights record. Adelson allegedly called Tom Delay — who was later convicted of money laundering for moving corporate money to political candidates — and Delay allegedly called back a few hours later and told Adelson,
According to Media Matters,
Adelson responded to Jacobs’ allegations, telling a reporter,
So, that is why Adelson is in court in Las Vegas this week. His
former executive alleges that he was marched out the door, not even
being allowed to collect his things, because he refused to fulfill
Adelson’s highly illegal demands.
This man — who allegedly relied on bribery, corruption, organized crime, embezzlement, threats, intimidation, blackmail and even the help of murder conspirators to turn a profit — is the Republican party’s most generous donor. His alleged corruption is so extreme that it raised red flags even for the Chinese government. Yet, every Republican who wants to be president also wants to woo Sheldon Adelson for his unlimited money, which flows from the Chinese Triads. He is quickly becoming one of the most influential men in Washington, a sort of puppet master, frequently just behind the scenes on many issues, and influencing decisions on the right.
This is how out of control our campaign finance system is. This man should not have anywhere near the influence that he wields in our political system. If we had a truly functioning democracy, he would not be the godfather of the American right; he would be wearing an orange jumpsuit. He clearly believes that he is above the law, so it was a much needed reminder on Friday when the judge reminded him that she is the boss in her courtroom.
On Friday, he argued with a judge in Las Vegas, and the judge put him in his place. According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal,
“’Sir, you need to answer the question,’ District Judge Elizabeth Gonzalez told Adelson, the billionaire chairman and CEO of Las Vegas Sands Corp.Adelson is in court defending himself against a wrongful termination lawsuit brought by a former executive, Steven Jacobs, at one of Adelson’s casinos in Macau. This may seem mundane, but the alleged reasons why Adelson fired Jacobs, if true, indicate frightening depths of corruption that motivate Adelson’s donations to major Republican politicians.
Adelson argued that the question was abusive, but Gonzalez disagreed. He continued to protest, prompting the judge to tell him, ‘Sir, you don’t get to argue with me. You understand that?’
The question centered on a February 2009 email and whether Adelson’s secretary had sent it on his behalf.
His final answer: ‘I don’t know.’
While he was visiting China in 2001 to investigate the possibilities of building hotels in Macau, Adelson was allegedly told by the mayor of Beijing that he was worried about a bill pending in Congress. The bill would have announced Congress’ opposition to Beijing as a host for the 2008 Olympic Games due to China’s human rights record. Adelson allegedly called Tom Delay — who was later convicted of money laundering for moving corporate money to political candidates — and Delay allegedly called back a few hours later and told Adelson,
“you tell your mayor that he can be assured that this bill will never see the light of day.”The bill stalled in Congress, China was appointed to host the 2008 Olympics, and shortly thereafter, Adelson was awarded a massive contract worth $12 billion for four casinos in Macao, becoming
“likely the largest foreign investor in China—ever.”The Justice Department, the Securities Exchange Commission and the Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated whether Adelson violated the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. The 1977 Act stipulates that American businesses operating overseas must adhere to American anti-corruption regulations, and it particularly bars them from bribing foreign officials.
According to Media Matters,
“In 2012, Adelson’s corporation came under three different investigations from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Justice Department, and the Securities and Exchange Commission, for violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), an anti-bribery statute. Additionally, the Times reported at the time that several of the company’s subsidiaries also ‘came under investigation by Chinese regulators.’The DOJ, SEC and FBI investigations centered around the testimony of former Sands Macao executive Steve Jacobs, who says that he was wrongfully terminated because, he:
Adelson allegedly attempted to bribe the Chief Executive of Macau, where a substantial portion of his casino business was located, and reportedly instructed Sands Corp. to bribe a Macau legislator with about $700,000 in ‘legal fees.’ (ProPublica reported that ‘several Las Vegas Sands executives resigned or were fired after expressing concerns’ about the fee.) A former Sands Corp. executive also alleged that Adelson fired him after he refused to engage in illegal activity and protested the presence of Chinese organized crime syndicates in Sands’ Macau casinos.
Adelson initially insisted that he was being unfairly targeted, but Sands Corp.’s own audit committee ultimately admitted there were ‘likely violations’ of the anti-bribery law. And in August 2013, Sands Corp. agreed to pay the federal government more than $47 million in a settlement to resolve a separate money-laundering investigation, in which the casinos were accused of ‘accepting millions from high-rolling gamblers accused of drug trafficking and embezzlement.'”
“has alleged that Adelson ordered him to keep quiet about sensitive issues at the Sands casinos on the Chinese island of Macau, including the casinos’ alleged ‘involvement with Chinese organized crime groups, known as Triads, connected to the junket business.’”According to Matt Isaacs’s extensive report on Reuters, Jacobs has testified
“that he was repeatedly threatened with termination if he ‘objected to and/or refused to carry out Adelson’s illegal demands.’”Isaacs reports that:
“U.S. diplomats and the Chinese government share the concerns raised by Jacobs about Macau’s booming junkets industry, which they describe as rife with organized crime.”The Chinese government is becoming increasingly worried about the alleged Triads’ connections to junket operators in Macao and their high-roller mainland clients who:
“are betting with embezzled state money or proceeds from official corruption, and substantial portions of these funds are flowing on to organized crimes groups in mainland China, if not Macau itself.”Isaacs reports that Jacobs also alleged that Adelson ordered him to look into possibilities for blackmailing local officials,
“Adelson, Jacobs charged, instructed him to secretly investigate senior Macau government officials. ‘Any negative information could be used to exert ‘leverage’ in order to thwart government regulations/initiatives,’ the lawsuit claims.”Isaacs also reports that the casino employed a highly placed local manager who was an alleged crime boss and an alleged murder conspiracy ringleader:
“Last year, Reuters published a report on a man named Cheung Chi-tai, described in court testimony as the mastermind behind a plot to murder a dealer suspected of cheating.Jacobs’ testimony paints a picture of Adelson aggressively doing absolutely whatever it took, regardless of any law or ethical norm in any country, to make his casinos more profitable.
At trial a witness identified Cheung as a leader of the Wo Hop To — one of the largest triads in Hong Kong.
Cheung was also, according to witness testimony, ‘the person in charge’ of a VIP room at the Sands Macao, and Hong Kong stock exchange filings showed him to be a ‘substantial shareholder’ in a junket company with ties to the cloistered room.
The allegations emerged in a routine trial, barely noted beyond the crime pages of Hong Kong newspapers. Yet the revelations were historic: this was one of the first documented examples of an alleged criminal figure financially linked to a U.S.-based, publicly traded casino.”
Adelson responded to Jacobs’ allegations, telling a reporter,
“We will go after him in a way that he won’t forget…”
This man — who allegedly relied on bribery, corruption, organized crime, embezzlement, threats, intimidation, blackmail and even the help of murder conspirators to turn a profit — is the Republican party’s most generous donor. His alleged corruption is so extreme that it raised red flags even for the Chinese government. Yet, every Republican who wants to be president also wants to woo Sheldon Adelson for his unlimited money, which flows from the Chinese Triads. He is quickly becoming one of the most influential men in Washington, a sort of puppet master, frequently just behind the scenes on many issues, and influencing decisions on the right.
This is how out of control our campaign finance system is. This man should not have anywhere near the influence that he wields in our political system. If we had a truly functioning democracy, he would not be the godfather of the American right; he would be wearing an orange jumpsuit. He clearly believes that he is above the law, so it was a much needed reminder on Friday when the judge reminded him that she is the boss in her courtroom.
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