WYNN CAMP: 2ND PAYOFF SETTLEMENT
Embattled casino mogul Steve Wynn paid a 2006 settlement to a second woman who accused him of sexual misconduct, according to court documents.
Wynn — the driving force behind the $2.4 billion Wynn Boston Harbor casino under construction in Everett — came under siege in late January as published news reports detailed decades of sexual assault and harassment allegations.
The latest report of a second settlement came from his own attorneys, who maintain that Wynn went to the FBI to accuse the second woman of trying to extort him by threatening to go public with details of the 2006 settlement.
The documents received earlier this month in state court in Las Vegas say Wynn recently went to the FBI to accuse the woman of trying to extort him by threatening to go public with details from the 2006 settlement.
Lawyer Lisa Bloom, who represents the woman, told The Associated Press her client denies the extortion allegations. Another woman already has told the AP Wynn raped her on multiple occasions in the 1970s, and said she became pregnant and gave birth in a gas station restroom; another said she quit her job as a card dealer after Wynn pressured her for sex.
The Wall Street Journal reported in January that a former manicurist at a Wynn property in Las Vegas received a $7.5 million settlement from Wynn.
After the first explosive report, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission began an ongoing investigation into Wynn. Massachusetts casino law requires anyone with more than a 5 percent stake in a casino company licensed by the state be found “suitable” by the gaming commission.
The commission is exploring how a background check of Wynn prior to awarding the gaming license for the resort did not reveal the allegations of abuse or the settlement.
After the allegations became public, Wynn — who retains a 12 percent stake in Wynn Resorts — resigned as CEO, and stepped down from his post as finance chair of the Republican National Committee, a position he was recommended for by long-time friend President Trump.
Wynn forfeited a severance valued at $330 million when he resigned from Wynn Resorts, but said then he had no plans to unload his stake in the namesake casino empire.
Earlier this month, Attorney General Maura Healey questioned whether the company should be allowed to keep its gaming license, and Healey joined Gov. Charlie Baker in calling for the removal of Wynn’s name from the project.
Wynn has denied all the allegations.