Columnist Jeff German: State gamers step up Kansas City mob crackdown

Thursday, Oct. 9, 1997 | 11:09 a.m.

REPUTED KANSAS CITY mob associate Peter Ribaste may be the next member of Nevada's Black Book of undesirables banned from casinos.

The state Gaming Control Board, in a continuing crackdown on the Kansas City mob's presence here, will discuss Ribaste's Black Book nomination at its November meeting in Las Vegas.

Ribaste, a 42-year-old convicted felon facing tax evasion charges in Kansas City, made the news earlier this year when suspended Horseshoe Club executive Ted Binion acknowledged loaning him $100,000 to buy into a Las Vegas used car dealership.

The loan formed the basis of a new complaint the Control Board filed against Binion, who also has drawn scrutiny because of his relationship with the late Chicago underworld figure Herbie Blitzstein. The complaint seeks to ban Binion permanently from the industry.

Ribaste, though he has a home and family here, reportedly has been spending a lot of time in Kansas City recently amid the Las Vegas heat.

The FBI has alleged that Ribaste once ran an illegal gambling operation for the Kansas City mob. He reportedly took orders directly from the late Mafia boss Carl Civella and his underboss, Carl DeLuna, who's now in federal prison.

Civella and DeLuna were among the Midwest crime lords convicted of skimming profits from the Tropicana hotel-casino in the 1970s. The convictions were credited with breaking the mob's hidden influence there.

Within the past year, two other reputed Kansas City mobsters, Anthony Civella (Carl's son) and William Cammisano Jr., were listed in the Black Book, which is designed to protect the casino industry from unsavory elements. Both men were known to have made frequent visits to Las Vegas. Cammisano even was comped several times at a Strip resort.

The Control Board, meanwhile, isn't likely to take very long debating the merits of adding Ribaste to the Black Book. His nefarious ties are key to proving the board's case against Binion.

The final word on Ribaste's Black Book worthiness will come from the Nevada Gaming Commission.

Bruce James is sticking to his game plan despite efforts to back him out of the Republican primary for the U.S. Senate.

The retired Lake Tahoe publisher was in Las Vegas this week filming TV ads for his campaign. The ads could hit the airwaves next week, as James kicks off his statewide campaign against Sen. Harry Reid.

Nevada GOP Chairman John Mason and other top Republicans have tried to persuade James to step aside to pave the way for the party's anointed favorite, Rep. John Ensign, to challenge Reid.

But Mason and company haven't had much luck.

Part of the reason is that Mason can't be trusted to speak the truth. His word is not his bond.

Last Thursday, Mason, who wants Ensign to be his party's Senate nominee, was quoted here indicating a weekend Reno meeting to show James the door had been canceled.

But it turns out the meeting took place. So the laugh must be on us.

Mason had enlisted the persuasive powers of a host of big-name Republicans, among them former Gov. Bob List, ex-Sen. Chic Hecht and former Rep. Barbara Vucanovich, in his bid to pressure James at the meeting that never existed.

A week prior to the showdown, Masonites spoon-fed the story to a local conservative columnist with strong Ensign ties in an attempt to intimidate James ahead of time.

But the strategy backfired.

James appears more determined than ever to remain in the race. That will be obvious once his campaign ads start airing next week.

Ensign has yet to declare his candidacy, but he has indicated he's "90 percent" certain he'll run.

Gary Peck, Nevada's ACLU director, isn't too impressed with the Evans/McDonough Co. survey that shows Sheriff Jerry Keller is popular with the voters.

Tuesday's column reported the results of the survey of 400 Clark County registered voters.

The poll found that Keller enjoys a 74 percent favorable rating, even though the majority of those surveyed said they felt less safe today than three years ago when the sheriff was elected.

Peck, who's been critical of Keller's handling of alleged police misconduct in recent weeks, says the public has an "inaccurate belief" that Keller has been acting aggressively against cops who break the law.

"Surveys can sometimes be very misleading," Peck says. "Based on my experience as ACLU executive director, there are many people in our community who have lost confidence in Metro and that is particularly true in communities of color and low income."