Whistleblower: Elardis off free

Thursday, Oct. 30, 1997 | 11:39 a.m.

The Elardi family, which has sold the Frontier hotel-casino after the nation's longest strike, is going unpunished for spying and harassing pickets, whistleblower Wayne Legare charged.

Legare, who once ran a spy squad for the Elardis, accused state gaming regulators Wednesday of letting the family off the hook for alleged misconduct during the six-year Culinary Union strike.

"It just doesn't seem fair," Legare said. "It bothers me that they're getting away with it."

Legare said the state Gaming Control Board should have "moved" against the Frontier months ago.

"There should have been a complete investigation into their wrongdoing," he said. "It's the old story of the system dragging its feet. If you and I pulled off things like that, we would have been called into account a long time ago."

Legare first surfaced in a SUN story last December in which he acknowledged running the surveillance squad from a second-floor command center, dubbed the "900 Room."

The squad, he alleged, also played dirty tricks, such as firing a large water gun at the strikers, placing manure near where they ate and stealing their hand-held radio frequencies.

His allegations prompted others, such as former Frontier Personnel Director John Patton, to step forward to raise additional spying allegations. Patton, however, did not live to see the Frontier sold. He died two months ago of cancer.

Earlier this year, one Elardi family member, John Elardi acknowledged under oath in a court case that he oversaw the 900 Room. But he insisted no wrongdoing was committed.

His brother, Frontier General Manager Tom Elardi, also has denied wrongdoing. Elardi family lawyer Steve Cohen could not be reached for comment.

The allegations raised by Legare and other whistleblowers, meanwhile, led to investigations by the FBI and the Control Board.

The board had prepared a complaint seeking to revoke the Frontier's gaming license over the accusations.

But this week, after Elardi matriarch Margaret Elardi sold the Strip resort to Kansas industrialist Phil Ruffin, board Chairman Bill Bible said there was no need to file the complaint.

Legare, however, said Tom Elardi still holds a gaming license to run the Casino Royale down the Strip from the Frontier.

"The fact remains, they still have a casino," said Legare, who now works in security at the MGM Grand.

Bible declined Wednesday to comment on Legare's charges.

John Wilhelm, secretary-treasurer of the international Culinary Union, said the union isn't interested in keeping the fight alive with the Elardi family in the wake of the Frontier sale.

"We want to look to the future," Wilhelm said. "We're very excited about Mr. Ruffin's plans for the Frontier, and we're very excited that the strike will be ending on fair terms."

The strike will end as soon as Ruffin obtains his gaming license. Bible has vowed to put Ruffin's background investigation on the fast track.

Wilhelm said the union also no longer is interested in moving forward with a special AFL-CIO committee to investigate the Elardi family.

The committee, formed a month ago, was chaired by former Sen. Howard Metzenbaum, D-Ohio, and included former New York Gov. Mario Cuomo as one of its members.

Wilhelm said he telephoned Metzenbaum after the Frontier sale agreement was reached to tell him his services were no longer needed. "He was delighted," Wilhelm said.

The union leader added that he told Metzenbaum he believed the creation of the committee helped bring about the sale.

Legare, meanwhile, said he's glad the Frontier has been sold. He said he has no regrets about stepping forward.

"The only thing that bothers me," he said, "is that the misconduct is going unanswered."