ï»¿Elvis Presley Estate Sues Former Global Hotel Over Memorabilia Dispute

Elvis Presley performing at the then-International Hotel, now the Westgate, back in 1969. Their estate happens to be suing the casino to save priceless memorabilia, which it says will be held hostage in a appropriate dispute.

The Elvis Presley estate is suing the former Overseas resort, now the Westgate, an off-strip hotel and casino in which geisha slots download the legendary performer played 100s of sold out shows, which it claims is holding many associated with King’s treasured personal possessions hostage.

While Elvis was historically renowned for summarily ‘leaving the building’ after nonstop applause and calls for encores back in his performance days, his memorabilia is currently very much stuck inside the building at the Westgate.

In what might be called a ‘Heartbreak Hotel’ moment, the estate filed a lawsuit Monday in Clark County District Court in a bid to recover the precious artifacts lent to the Westgate casino last year.

These generally include many of Elvis’ original stage outfits, their famously ostentatious jewelry, and some letters, since well as the TV remote from their Graceland mansion. April these items all were part of the much-feted, yet ill-fated, ‘Graceland Presents Elvis’ attraction, launched at the Westgate last.

Viva Las Vegas

The Westgate may well not be the best-known of Las vegas, nevada’ casino resorts today, however it has a history that is big Sin City.

Built by Las Vegas pioneer Kirk Kerkorian as the International Hotel in 1969, whenever construction was completed, it was the hotel that is biggest on the planet at that time.

Elvis, riding high on his late-1960s comeback, immediately finalized an agreement with Kerkorian, and performed 58 sold-out that is consecutive at the International, breaking all nevada attendance records. Over the following seven years, he played there nearly 600 times and also lived within the Penthouse in the 30th flooring when he had been performing there.

In fact, the casino to his contract, written on a tablecloth (evidently without any lawyers around), is among the impounded artifacts and is now said to be well worth $1 million.

Last year, eager to capitalize on its heritage that is pop-culture Westgate teamed up with a company called Exhibit A Circle on that Graceland Presents Elvis project.

Do Not Be Cruel

On April 24, the 59th anniversary of Elvis’ first-ever Las Vegas performance, former wife Priscilla and just daughter Lisa Marie cut the blue suede ribbon to declare the event open, while the Elvis Show, a complete recreation of the King’s International concerts, played every night for the opening week.

The Westgate spent millions of dollars renovating its theater therefore that it became an exact reproduction of its 1970’s self, also as plowing money into the event space. The casino also created A elvis-themed that is new wedding in preparation for an event that was contractually obliged to last a ten years, at a minimum.

Then again show A Circle actually didleave the building, really literal and, according to Westgate, contractually violating sense.

While display A Circle has offered no reason that is official quitting, the suspicious minds at Westgate believe the exhibition company has defaulted on its 10-year lease and launched legal action of unique.

But Elvis Presley Enterprises Inc. has accused Westgate of ‘aggressively seizing the valuables without having a basis that is legitimate as a way to gain leverage in its case against Exhibit A Circle.

Were Elvis still residing in the penthouse, we suspect he might have popped a cap into his television set about all of this. But it comes to lawsuits, only attorneys end up as winners as it is, wise men say that when.

Donald Trump Denies Knowing Mobster, Could Alleged Connections Affect Tuesday Florida Main Results?

Donald Trump has made this debate and primary season one of the most watchable ever. Whether you love, hate, or feel indifferent to the businessman billionaire and GOP frontrunner, you can’t say he is dull to watch.

Did Donald Trump know a reported associate of New Jersey mob boss John Gotti (pictured here)? (Image: dailymail.co.uk)

Now, aided by the all-important winner-takes-all-delegates Florida primary looming next Tuesday and the stress on the Donald to trounce opponent and Sunshine State senator Marco Rubio, every skeleton in Trump’s cabinet is developing.

And one that’s emerged this week involved his involvement that is alleged with reported associate of John Gotti, a prominent nj-new jersey mobster, back in the early 1990s.

The reputed crime boss died in jail from throat cancer in 2002 at the age of 61, but Trump’s alleged six-degrees connections to your infamous Mafioso is actually a point that is sticking the candidate.

Mob Connections Alleged

Going back to 1991, Atlantic City’s Trump Plaza was fined $650,000 by New Jersey regulators for allegedly courting a foul-mouthed, racist mobster with links to Gotti, according to a current report by Yahoo journalist Michael Isikoff.

Donald Trump had been forced to deny this week that he knew Robert LiButti, a high roller at the Plaza who reportedly demanded that black and female casino employees not be permitted to deal at his games. LiButti had been eventually barred from all Atlantic City casinos for his Mob connections, plus in 1994 was imprisoned for five years for tax fraud.

The revelations found light via Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE) documents recently obtained by Yahoo under the New Jersey Open Public Records Act.

Those reports expose that the gangster frequently berated women and ethnic minorities using ‘the vilest language,’ in accordance with one official, and ordered them to be taken out of his sight while he had been during the casino.

Meanwhile, in exchange for his patronage, claims the report, the Trump Plaza showered LiButti with gifts, including at the least nine luxury vehicles, worth $1.6 million; $279,978 in event tickets; five vacations that are european $121,712 of jewelry, and $40,020 in champagne.

The casino ended up being fined $200,000 for racial discrimination and a further $450,000 for the gifts. At the right time, New Jersey laws barred cash comps for high rollers.

‘During the years I very effectively ran the casino business, I knew many high rollers,’ Trump told Yahoo. ‘I assume Mr. LiButti was one of them, but I don’t recognize the name.’

Many sources suggest that Trump’s assertion is unlikely, not minimum LiButti’s daughter, Edith Creamer.

‘Lose the Broad’

‘Of course he was known by him. We flew in the [Trump] helicopter with Ivana [Trump’s ex-wife] and the children. Dad travelled it up and down,’ Creamer told Isikoff.

‘ My 35th birthday party ended up being at the Plaza and Donald ended up being here. Following the celebration, we went on his boat, his big yacht. I like Trump,’ she added, ‘but it p*sses me personally off which he denies knowing my father. That hurts me.’

In accordance with the Yahoo story, in 1990 Plaza that is former executive Tracy agreed to wear a wire in conversions with LiButti, at the behest of police.

In a transcript of the ensuing conversation, LiButti claims, ‘I’m very near with him [Trump],’ but told Tracy that Trump needed seriously to ‘lose the broad,’ talking about Maria Maples, who Donald later married.

‘He’s lost that aggressiveness’ said LiButti. ‘Walks around like a f***ing banana. We can’t believe it’s Donald Trump. I don’t comprehend it.’

LiButti passed away in 2011, around the time Trump ended up being noises that are first making running for president.

‘I’m going to vote for that SOB,’ he apparently told their daughter before he passed.

JPMorgan Gambling Addict Broker Gets Simply 5 Years for $22 Million Embezzlement

Former JPMorgan Chase broker Michael Oppenheim, who spent over $22 million of his clients’ money chasing their gambling losses, was sentenced to simply five years in jail by way of a US District Judge this week.

Michael Oppenheim, former broker for JPMorgan, whom stole over $22 million from clients because of his gambling addiction, received a reasonably light sentence this week in federal court. (Image: Reuters/Brendan McDermid)

Judge Analisa Torres went easy on the defendant in the light of his apparent remorse and determination to battle his gambling addiction, which was exacerbated by the birth of a disabled child, the court heard.

‘I am cognizant that gambling is just a mental disorder which is aggravated during periods of stress and depression,’ said Torres, in rejecting the ten-year sentence requested by the prosecution.

‘I recognize that what I did was horrible,’ Oppenheim said prior to sentencing. ‘we always thought I became one or two trades away from fixing everything. For me personally, one bet is one too many. If We were not in the grips of this addiction, I would not have taken hardly any money.’

He claimed his mind had been ‘hijacked’ by gambling addiction.

Hide and Seek

Oppenheim, who at one point managed 500 clients and had access to almost $90 million in funds, pled guilty November that is last to counts of cable fraudulence, and another count every one of embezzlement, securities fraud, and investment adviser fraud.

The court heard as he moved funds from one account to another, playing ‘hide and seek’ with customers’ money, according to the FBI that he had covered up the embezzlement by doctoring his customers’ account statements.

Oppenheim’s solicitors stated he began betting on NFL games as far back as 1993. After losing a sum that is six-figure he started to take from clients to cover his mounting losses. Eventually, he moved on to options trading, where he once destroyed $2.7 million in mere one day, in a high-risk effort to break also.

‘Judge, i will be ashamed of my conduct,’ he said during trial. ‘I wish I might have now been caught sooner.’

New York Federal Reserve Deflects Responsibility for $100 Million Cyber Heist, But Were Casinos Cash Launderers?

The New York Federal Reserve says it had been taking part in no wrongdoing in what seems to be a successful $100 million cyber heist month that is last.

Good as gold: Although thieves never even stepped foot in the New York Federal Reserve building in Manhattan, they was able to steal $100 million via cyber SWIFT codes before allegedly laundering it through three Filipino casinos. (Image: untappedcities.com)

On February 5, hackers looted the Central Bank of Bangladesh’s Federal Reserve Account, stored in Manhattan, by scheduling a $100 million cable transfer through the Society for internationally Interbank Financial Telecommunications network (SWIFT).

Just What happened next varies according to whom you believe.

The general understanding, however, is that the funds had been promptly delivered from the Federal Reserve to Philippines bank Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC), after which distributed via a black market forex broker, before being laundered internationally through at the very least three casinos.

New York Federal Reserve boss William Dudley said no compromise ended up being experienced on his end, and that the duty needs to be placed on SWIFT.

‘The payment instructions had been fully authenticated by the SWIFT texting system in accordance with standard authentication protocols,’ Dudley spokeswoman Andrea Priest said in a press launch.

Bangladesh authorities argue otherwise. ‘ We kept cash with the Federal Reserve Bank and problems must be with the individuals who handle the funds here,’ Bangladesh Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith explained to Bloomberg News.

Swift Action

Muhith told reporters on Tuesday that his country will take legal action to recover the stolen funds, but didn’t go so far as to threaten an actual lawsuit against the NY branch (there are 12 in all) of this American federal bank system. Now more than a thirty days since the theft that is alleged with no celebration has yet taken the blame, to nobody’s shock provided the potential legal repercussions.

Belgian-based SWIFT said it would not comment on specific cases, but did say that it authenticates ‘between giving and institutions that are receiving before approving any transaction.

RCBC in addition has denied involvement, saying that it doesn’t work with gambling enterprises. The bank did confirm an $81 million deposit was completed through certainly one of its branches and that its investigations division is probing the transfer.

Back the US, the Fed says it is dealing with the Bangladesh Central Bank, but retains its position that there surely is no proof the country’s account was breached.

The Federal Reserve in Manhattan provides banking accounts and transaction solutions for some 250 foreign countries. Bangladesh’s foreign currency reserve balance is currently around $27 billion.

More Safeguards Needed

While a $100 million transfer at your local community bank would certainly raise plenty of eyebrows, it likely didn’t cause much suspicion at the NY Federal Reserve, where more than $2.6 trillion in assets is ( allowed to be) safeguarded.

Presuming the Bangladesh heist was certainly performed by criminals and maybe not an inside job, the robbery should stress the continued need certainly to create more sophisticated cyber safeguards. The biggest Federal Reserve in the United States being so easily compromised is undoubtedly cause for much concern for just about everyone.

In reality, other institutions that are federal using proactive measures to better defend their operations online. Earlier this month, the Pentagon invited vetted hackers to try and infiltrate its private network and public sites.

‘Hack the Pentagon’ is a bounty competition where approved hackers are rewarded for infiltrating and exposing areas prone to intrusion.

‘I am confident that this innovative initiative will strengthen our electronic defenses and ultimately enhance our national security,’ US Defense Secretary Ash Carter stated associated with certainly unusual, but apparently much-needed, program.