A lawyer for Steve Wynn has reported one of the women who accused him of sexual misconduct to the FBI, claiming the victim tried to extort the beleaguered one-time King of Las Vegas despite receiving a settlement more than a decade ago, new court documents showed.
In the filings received by a Las Vegas state court in early March, the lawyer disclosed that he and Wynn sought the help of the federal agency in February to investigate the woman who allegedly tried “to extort [Wynn] by threatening to go public with details” from the settlement that happened in December 2006, the Associated Press reported on Monday.
According to Wynn’s legal representatives, the “former Wynn employee” contacted the lawyer who represented Wynn in the settlement in January, right after the Wall Street Journal report came out. In her emails, the woman informed the lawyer that of her intention “to reveal the details of the settlement publicly” on the belief that “telling her story would be a good thing,” even though she signed a non-disclosure agreement.
The woman’s emails did not ask for money, but Wynn lawyer Donald Campbell told the court they “clearly evidenced that she was engaged in an effort to ‘shakedown’” the embattled casino mogul, prompting them to seek help from the federal investigators.
Campbell said he was notified last Feb. 10 that the FBI had already “concluded its investigation.” The feds, however, declined to confirm if it investigated the extortion claims.
Meanwhile, a lawyer for the alleged sexual misconduct victim told the Associated Press that her client “simply stated that she wanted to speak,” pointing out that the woman’s “emails did not seek any money.”
“That is surely why the FBI has not even questioned her about this, nor has she not been charged with any crime,” the lawyer said, according to the news outlet.
The court documents, which were filed by Wynn’s legal team, made it clear that the casino mogul had brokered settlements with at least two former employees of Wynn Resorts, including the woman who would later become subject of the alleged FBI investigation.
The allegations of decades’ worth of sexual harassment against female members of the Wynn Resorts’ staff has resulted in Steve Wynn stepping down from his position as chairman and CEO of the casino empire he founded. Last week, the troubled casino titan settled his fight with ex-wife Elaine Wynn over a stock fortune worth over $4 billion, and a court order has freed both parties to sell their respective shares in Wynn Resorts.
