Former Resorts World Las Vegas executive Scott Sibella. (Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Ousted Resorts World Las Vegas president Scott Sibella says the story behind his termination as president of the property will be revealed.
“Soon. Trust me,” Sibella said via text on Monday.
He declined to say whether he is taking legal action against Resorts World, which said Sibella violated company policy when it announced his separation last month.
Sibella’s termination came weeks after the Nevada Current revealed an investigation by federal crime agencies of Las Vegas casinos, including Resorts World and MGM Resorts International, where Sibella worked previously as a top executive.
The longtime casino boss is represented by the law firm of Campbell and Williams in a federal lawsuit filed Tuesday against Resorts World and Sibella by gambler R.J. Cipriani. Cipriani alleges Sibella manufactured cheating allegations against him because he knew too much about the casino catering to alleged unsavory gamblers, such as David Stroj, a convicted illegal gambler and admitted money launderer who was managing his family’s taco stand at Resorts World.
The taco stand closed without explanation shortly after the Current’s report.
“While we are still reviewing Mr. Cipriani’s complaint, it appears to be the latest rehashing of allegations against Resorts World and Mr. Sibella that have been thoroughly investigated and determined to be baseless by Nevada gaming authorities and others,” attorney Colby Williams said in a statement. “Now that Mr. Cipriani has chosen to pursue these matters in federal court, we look forward to establishing their lack of merit in that forum as well.”
Williams declined to respond to Cipriani’s contention the law firm has a conflict in representing Sibella because Cipriani says he spoke with Don Campbell about the case.
Resorts World general counsel Gerald Gardner did not respond to requests for comment.
Cipriani was arrested at Resorts World in November 2021 for taking the cell phone of a convicted fraudster Cipriani says harassed him for weeks as he gambled. The lawsuit says Sibella and other Resorts World executives failed to stop the harassment.
A month later, the Nevada Gaming Control Board filed cheating charges against Cipriani. The lawsuit alleges Sibella directed surveillance personnel to review hundreds of hours of Cipriani’s play and to “find something” to use to accuse him of cheating.
The suit says Cipriani reached out to then-Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo about the charges against him and the convicted fraudsters and admitted money launderers gambling and working at Resorts World.
Gov. Lombardo did not immediately respond to comment.
In March 2022, gambler Brandon Sattler’s statements to the Gaming Control Board about Sibella prompted questions from regulators.
A year later, Lombardo’s appointee to the Gaming Control Board, George Assad, unilaterally announced an investigation of Sibella and Resorts World revealed no wrongdoing.
The lawsuit alleges that Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson intended to drop charges against Cipriani until news media reported the story. Wolfson eventually reduced the cheating charges six months after Cipriani’s arrest, long after the allegations had caused the professional gambler irreparable harm, the lawsuit says.
Note: Reporter Dana Gentry has been represented by Campbell & Williams.
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