Lawsuit Against Resorts World Las Vegas, Scott Sibella Dismissed

A federal judge has dismissed a wide-ranging lawsuit against a Las Vegas Strip casino by a former customer who alleged that the facility allowed known criminals to gamble and, in response to the information, told management to order another player to harass and intimidate him.

On Wednesday, a U.S. District Court judge in Nevada fired Robert “RJ” Cipriani six-point lawsuit against Resorts World Las Vegas and Scott Sibella, the property’s former general manager. Judge Miranda M. Du dismissed the lawsuit with prejudice, meaning it cannot be refiled.

Cipriani, a high-stakes gambler who goes by the name RobinHood702, accused Resorts World and Sibella, the casino’s former chief operating officer and president, of negligence, civil conspiracy and intentional infliction of emotional distress in a lawsuit filed last year.

In his dismissal decision, Du wrote that Cipriani had not sufficiently shown how Resorts World or Sibella were responsible for the actions of the second gambler, identified in the documents as Robert Alexander, a former Las Vegas businessman and convicted criminal.

“Put another way, it is not the case that the Court merely found that certain factual allegations were absent, but that the existing allegations suggest that there are other facts that make Cipriani’s claims credible,” Du wrote.

Resorts World declined to comment on the court’s decision. Sibella’s civil lawyers did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

John Spilotro, who represents Sibella’s interests in other legal matters, praised the work of both civil lawyers, calling the dismissed case “meritless.”

“This lawsuit never left the starting grid,” Spilotro said Thursday. “The court found that this was the case.”

High-level reaching

Cipriani’s history at Resorts World, which opened in June 2021, was noted in court documents that state November 19, 2021 was a “bad day for Cipriani.”

That day he was approx noisy clash at the property where Cipriani took Alexander’s cell phone because he was upset about being videotaped against his will. He was later charged with robbery and theft, although these charges have since been dismissed. On the same day, Cipriani was also charged by state gaming regulators with back betting – a fraudulent activity in Nevada casinos – while playing blackjack at Resorts World.

Both in his legal documents and on his personal social media account, Cipriani maintained that Resorts World and Sibella were aware that people like Alexander, who was convicted of fraud in 2020 and is still awaiting sentencing, were engaging in fraud. gambling facility.

Cipriani’s attorney did not respond to an email sent Thursday. However, Cipriani provided the Review-Journal with the following statement: “I respectfully disagree with Judge Miranda M. Du’s decision. It gives the green light to all Nevada casinos, especially Las Vegas casinos, to turn a blind eye to behavior that may pose a threat to guests.”

He went on to say that all “legal remedies and options” would be explored.

A series of gambling scandals

Resorts World continues to resurface amid a series of gambling scandals that have led to multiple federal arrests and convictions, as well as victimization of Major League Baseball’s biggest international star.

In August, the Nevada Gaming Control Board filed a 12-count complaint against the casino, alleging, among other things, that its management had created a culture in which “individuals with suspected and actual ties to illegal sports betting who have a history of federal convictions related to illegal gambling businesses and having links to organized crime” were “welcomed” and encouraged to gamble.

The complaint involved Mathew Bowyer, an illegal bookmaker who took action against Ippei Mizuhara, the former translator for Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani. Federal authorities say Mizuhara stole nearly $17 million from Ohtani to pay off gambling debts.

Authorities say Bowyer not only conducted illegal sports betting, but sometimes conducted business while gambling at Resorts World.

The state alleges that Resorts World did not comply properly federal anti-money laundering rules as for Bowyer.

The Nevada Gaming Commission has not yet reviewed the review board’s complaint against Resorts World.

Sibella was the property’s CEO from 2019 to September 2023. Last year, he was charged with violating the Bank Secrecy Act while serving as president of MGM Grand, where he worked before joining Resorts World. While overseeing the MGM Grand, Sibella admitted that she had failed to properly report suspicious financial transactions made by a since-convicted illegal bookmaker named Wayne Nix.

The Gambling Control Commission is actively investigating Sibella’s employment at Resorts World, details of which have not yet been publicly disclosed by management.

David Danzis can be reached at [email protected] or (702) 383-0378. Follow AC2Vegas_Danzis on X