CfA Apologies and Drops Charges against Las Vegas Sands Chairman
The Campaign for Accountability (CfA), a political watchdog earlier this month accused billionaire and Las Vegas Sands chairman of having ties with the Chinese mafia and alleged that dirty money could be entering into the United States through the Sands Macau operation.
CfA highlighted the fact that Adelson was known for being one of the biggest political donors in the United States and wanted the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs as well as the Federal Election Commission to see if dirty money was being used to finance political campaigns.
The CfA Executive Director Anne Weismann made a strong statement by saying
Sheldon Adelson is one of the largest if not the largest political donor in history. Federal authorities have long been concerned about the reach of the tentacles of Chinese organized crime. If triad money is winding up in the campaign coffers of U.S. politicians through Mr. Adelson’s contributions, the American people deserve to know it. Given the extent to which Mr. Adelson’s wealth derives from Macau and his dominant role in funding Republican candidates, it seems highly likely that illegal foreign money has made its way into American elections.
CfA appears to have had a sudden change of heart on its stance against Sheldon Adelson and decided to retract a number of statements that were made against Adelson. Weismann also issued a personal apology to Adelson and his family for the allegations that were made and any damage that it might have caused.
Adelson has also been accused by online gambling lobbyists of having double standards as the billionaire has personally financed a coalition to stop online gambling stating that the online gambling industry is not properly regulated and could encourage minors to gamble and develop addictions. There is a YouTube documentary ‘Sheldon Adelson Exposed’ which shows how easy it is for minors to gain access to Las Vegas Sands casinos and get their hands on alcohol and be allowed access to gaming tables.
The Las Vegas Sands chairman has also had to take the stand this year as his company battled a lawsuit against its former Macau Sands chief executive officer Steve Jacobs who accused Adelson of forcing him to violate Macau’s laws and gather confidential information on Macau’s government employees that could later be used as leverage to gain favors. Jacobs was terminated by Adelson after he decided not to follow Adelson’s instructions.
A representative of Las Vegas Sands stated that the accusations raised by the CfA were probably part of a political stunt and they were happy to see the allegations retracted.
