Sheldon Adelson, China, Organized Crime, and Thousands of Lawyers
The good news is that Sheldon Adelson may have to pay lawyers all his money to keep his gaming license instead of giving it to Republicans.
In a plot more jumbled than a bushel basket of wire coat hangers, Adelson is being accused of being in an organized crime syndicate with China. Yeah, the country.
Some former employees of Adelson’s highly profitable casinos on Macau are saying that he made unholy deals with Chinese officials, the triads, and organized crime. Sheldon was on the stand in a Las Vegas courtroom for four days.
By the time the hearing was over, Adelson had argued with the judge, contradicted the evidence of his own executives and frustrated his lawyers by revealing more information than he was required to in response to simple yes or no questions. But most importantly, far from laying the allegations against his Las Vegas Sands conglomerate to rest, the billionaire’s answers threw up yet more questions which he is likely to have to return to court to answer.
Yep, that’s our Sheldon. Yakkity, yak.
And to make matters worse for Sheldon …
But if the judge rules that the case belongs in an American court, then the 81-year-old billionaire will face some difficult questions raised by his testimony. Those are likely to be reinforced by internal company documents obtained by the Investigative Reporting Program (IRP) at the University of California, Berkeley, which appear to undermine some of Adelson’s statements in the witness box.
Yet Republican presidential candidates come to Vegas to kiss his ring and by ring I mean patootie.
Something tells me that this is gonna get funner.
Thanks to everybody for the heads up.
This is how campaign fundraising works. It is a system of legalized bribes and the money is dirty.
Which makes it ironic that the Republican primary pool (a very shallow pool containing tinges of urine) is outraged, outraged I say, that a Clinton charitable foundation dared to accept money from furriners. To date there is no evidence of pay-for-play, which is more than I can say for the Repub politicians who court Adelson and his cronies.
1Funny how so many of Adelson’s campaign contribution recipients go by the same name. Ben Dover.
2No surprises there, as Shelly is probably the second most crooked SOB to ever disgrace Nevada. My cup of schadenfreude is brimming with the good news that Shelly deepened his legal problems due to his own big mouth. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Gaming Control in NV, let it suffice to say that in comparison the IRS is a charitable organization.
3With apologies and homage to the late, great Warren Zevon:
I went home with a geisha / The way I always do
How was I to know/ She was with the Chinese too?
I own gambling in Macau / I thought there was no risk
Send lawyers, guns and money / They’ll get me out of this – OY!
I’m an innocent king maker / but somehow I got stuck
Between the Tong and the Triads / And I’m down on my luck.
I’m hiding in Las Vegas / I’m a desperate man
4Send Walker, Cruz and Christie / the $#!^ has hit the fan!
Wingnuts will just pass a bill saying billionaires are immune from testimony,especially the ones that fund wingnuts.They’ll keep it alive until someday they have a Potus willing to sign it into law.
5When you are obscenely wealthy, you surround yourself with people who will always agree with you because they, too, are becoming wealthy by association. After awhile, you began to believe you are not subject to the laws and rules of the little people. Sometimes, that comes back and bites you on the hindquarters.
6Gee, he doesn’t like the Mafia?
7Nice hair Sheldon. Something to dye for? Call JJ’s and get it done right.
8Excellent work daChipster. And JAK, I wonder if he plucked an orangutan to get that hair. Do you think?
9Oh, Lord! Sheldon is actually in disguise. When he ain’t, he’s a big mouth bass. The biggest damn mouth in all bass-dom. And he will probably end up stuffed on somebody’s wall!
10criminals united, how is your oligarch treating you.
sheldon is so obvious. he was going under and the chinese bought him with the gambling concession. besides he’s way too cheap to spend his own money.
11Emporer Shelley’s orangutan red hair is bad, but the comb-over sends it down the drain. Glad to hear this “king maker” will be forced to answer for at least some of his crimes.
12Favorite reader comment from The Guardian: “Found. Dorian Gray’s portrait.”
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