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The Bear Growls: Planet Hollywood and other casinos think false imprisonment and extortion “make good sense”
By LVBear | September 17, 2009
This complaint filed today with the Nevada Gaming Control Board speaks for itself:
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Jerry Markling, Chief of Enforcement
Randall Sayre, Board Member
Nevada Gaming Control Board
Unsuitable practices complaint against Planet Hollywood — False imprisonment and extortion
Please accept this for the purpose of filing an unsuitable practices complaint against Planet Hollywood, for its admitted conduct in detaining patrons for purposes other than making a citizen’s arrest or other purposes permitted by statute. I know you normally would not take a complaint based on a newspaper article, but this one quotes the security director by name. He essentially admits these crimes were committed.
It would appear that there are at least sixty-five cases of false imprisonment, as well as numerous other felonies committed by Planet Hollywood employees. I understand that Metro and/or the District Attorney should be the primary agencies investigating and prosecuting the criminal matters, but a licensee blatantly committing such crimes surely is also an unsuitable method of operation that should be addressed by the Board. I respectfully suggest that if this security director is a key employee, consideration be given to revoking that status; indeed, revoking his privilege to work in the industry at all.
From the article:
(Calvin) Abercrombie (Planet Hollywood security chief) told detectives that 65 people Planet Hollywood detained had enrolled in the program, but that the resort had received notification from the company that only two had completed the program. The casino received two $100 checks from United States Justice Associates for those cases, the affidavit says. …
They allegedly pitched a program to casinos to do an end run around law enforcement and the courts. It was to have worked like this, authorities allege: When the casinos’ security forces detained people on trespassing and other minor criminal charges, the casinos were to route those people into United States Justice Associates’ program rather than calling police to make the arrests. Once enrolled in the program,
the detainees would be charged $500 and the company would kick back $100 to the casinos for each person who completed the program
the affidavit says. (emphasis added)
Receiving such kickbacks is unsavory, and certainly does “…reflect or tend to reflect discredit upon the State of Nevada or the gaming industry…” (Regulation 5.011). With the ongoing incidents of false imprisonment by casino security employees, this appears to be a perfect case for the Board to address the issue. The basic facts of the multiple instances of wrongdoing do not appear to be in dispute; in fact are admitted by the head of security of the licensee. Undeniably, the conduct is egregious.
The article mentions that other licensees may be involved in these crimes:
The attorney added that United States Justice Associates had agreements with a “number of casinos,” all of which thought the program made good sense.
It “made good sense” to commit false imprisonment and extortion? If you are able to determine which licensees they are, please extend the unsuitable practices complaint to them as well.
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Topics: Casino Executives, Las Vegas, Las Vegas Law Enforcement, Nevada Gaming Control Board, Planet Hollywood, Police | 1 Comment »
One Response to “The Bear Growls: Planet Hollywood and other casinos think false imprisonment and extortion “make good sense””
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September 18th, 2009 at 10:11 am
Different Interpretation:
I read the text of the newspaper article as indicating that it was chief of security that was voicing concerns about the program, even though his casino had been using it.
I wonder about the 65 diverted but only 2 completed.
Is that because the attendees learned they did not have to complete it or are the statistics being skewed because of the kickback situation?