Columnist Jeff German: Reputed Kansas City mob figure getting more heat in Nevada

Thursday, April 16, 1998 | 11 a.m.

PETER RIBASTE got hit with a light sentence for tax evasion this week in Kansas City.

But his troubles are far from over in Nevada.

Ribaste, you may recall, is the reputed underworld figure who persuaded out-going Horseshoe Club co-owner Ted Binion to loan him $100,000 to open a used car dealership.

The transaction put Binion deeper in the doghouse with state gaming regulators and ultimately led to his ordered banishment from the casino industry last month.

The deal also led to a county business license investigation that prompted a partner in the dealership with Ribaste to leave town in a hurry.

At one time in his career on the street, Ribaste is said to have answered directly to Kansas City mob bosses.

This week, a federal judge in Kansas City sentenced him to six months of home detention and four years probation on the tax charges.

His sentence did not escape the attention of Nevada gaming agents who are anxious to nominate him for the state's Black Book of undesirables barred from casinos.

Agents have been watching the presence of Kansas City organized crime figures in Las Vegas the past couple of years. Two Kansas City mobsters recently were listed in the Black Book.

Ribaste's nomination could come as early as May.

Binion's business deal with Ribaste, meanwhile, apparently didn't work out well for the disgraced Horseshoe Club executive, either.

He's said to be still waiting for Ribaste to give him his money back.

Aaron Russo found an unusual ally this week in his convention fee fight with the Republican Party

Russo, who's running for governor against businessman Kenny Guinn in the GOP primary, wants the party to lower the fee for next week's state convention from $125 to $20.

Last week, he lost a suit against the party that sought to reduce the fee so that rank-and-file Republicans could attend the convention without financial hardship.

But this week, Nevada Democratic Party Chairman Paul Henry weighed in on Russo's side.

Henry stirred up the pot in a news release calling the GOP fee a "glorified" poll tax.

"It sends a message that only the privileged should have access to the democratic process," Henry said. "It's no wonder they're having a tough time getting rid of their reputation as the party of the privileged few."

Henry said he didn't agree with Russo's political opinions but that he believed the GOP was "making a terrible mistake" charging the high fee.

He charged that Republicans care more about bottom line profits than opening up the political process.

To prove his point, Henry said delegates to the upcoming county and state Democratic Party conventions will be able to attend for, you guessed it, $20.

Russo, meanwhile, said he's not likely to press the fee issue at the state GOP convention.

He said he's still considering whether to appeal last week's court decision.

Lines are being drawn in what could be a nasty fight between the casino industry and slot route operators over a push by some elected officials to limit neighborhood gambling.

The fight could spill over into the public when the state Gaming Control Board conducts an upcoming hearing on problem gambling. The hearing is scheduled for April 24, but there's talk it might be put off a month.

The casinos are said to be preparing to blame gambling addictions on mom and pop taverns and convenience stores that earn hefty profits off of slot machines.

But the slot route operators are looking to pin the problem on the big casinos.

A bitter war between the two would come at the worst possible time.

The National Gambling Impact Study Commission has scheduled a November trip to Las Vegas to study the city's experience with gaming.