Station Casinos executive target of gaming probe

Adrienne Packer

Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2000 | 11:11 a.m.

After months of investigating an anonymous political flier attacking Clark County Commissioner Lance Malone, the state Gaming Control Board has decided to move forward with its probe of a Station Casinos Inc. executive.

Board Chairman Steve DuCharme said today that his agency will begin a key employee licensing investigation of Station Casinos Executive Vice President Mark Brown.

In November Brown filed the key officer application, a process required of gaming executives. DuCharme said the board has the discretion to investigate the application.

"Because he is an officer of the company, we process the application, do a background check and put it on the agenda to discuss his suitability as a key officer," DuCharme said.

An anonymous political flier mailed to 39,000 voters in District C last spring led to the investigation. The piece, which slammed Malone, did not list the party sponsoring the message, a violation of state campaign laws.

The mailer was distributed after Malone gave Brown his word that he would vote against plans for a competing neighborhood casino. Malone had a last-minute change of heart at the January commission meeting and became the vote that pushed the project through.

After Malone filed a lawsuit against the unknown parties who produced the flyer, Brown called to meet with Malone in a northwest Las Vegas park. According to sources in Malone's camp, the commissioner taped the conversation, which included threats of more anonymous fliers, on a micro-cassette recorder.

Malone also was told there would be a strong effort to defeat him in the November election if he did not drop out of the race, sources said. The tapes were eventually turned over to the FBI.

In April Station officials finally admitted to producing the flier with lobbyist Tom Skancke.

Clark County District Attorney Steward Bell cleared Brown of extortion charges in June. But the State Gaming Board vowed to continue its probe into the case.