Nevada regulators go undercover, videotape illegal limousine operators

Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2000 | 10:42 a.m.

Ray Vinole squirmed in his chair as a videotape he was in was played for members of the Nevada Transportation Services Authority.

Vinole, owner of High Roller Limousine, was in a hearing before Commissioners Sandra Lee Avants and Paul Christensen for a citation he received for operating a limousine without state certification.

The videotape -- the first ever made of an undercover sting set up by TSA agents -- showed Vinole explaining his services and negotiating with several men to drive them from the Mandalay Bay hotel-casino to the Palomino Club, a North Las Vegas nude dancing bar.

Vinole winced when the tape showed him telling his passengers to lie to TSA enforcement officers if the limo got flagged down.

"Tell them we're going to Hoover Dam," Vinole told the men. "We're not really going to go there, but tell them that."

Vinole has the federal certification that allows him to transport passengers between states, but doesn't have a state certificate allowing trips within the state. Limousine operators with Interstate Commerce Commission certificates will make a run to Hoover Dam or Primm and cross into Arizona or California to qualify the tour as an interstate trip.

Some, the TSA allege, do what Vinole did on Jan. 20 -- not go out of state, but tell their passengers to say they did.

The videotape was the TSA's first venture into hidden-camera surveillance. John Plunkett, the TSA's new chief of enforcement, said the sting operation had scenes that are common among illegal limousine operations.

Plunkett said similar stings may be used in the future when the TSA receives complaints about illegal limo operators.

Often, complaints come from rival limousine companies that lose business to illegal operators. Others come from customers who say they were ripped off by a company that doesn't have state certification.

Plunkett said the goal of the agency's enforcement division is to encourage all limousine operators to get the certification they need to conduct business. He said he hopes Vinole is successful in his bid to be certified.

"Personally, I like Ray, and I hope he makes it through the process," Plunkett said.

Vinole apparently will get his chance.

Avants, who served as hearing officer for the TSA in the proceeding, said she is recommending to the full commission that Vinole's company be fined $5,000 in the incident. However, she said $3,000 of the fine would be vacated if the company becomes certified and isn't cited again for a year.

Ironically, Vinole had a second hearing immediately following the one involving the ride between Mandalay Bay and the Palomino Club. In the second hearing, Vinole responded to allegations in a citation that he illegally transported passengers between Mandalay Bay and Caesars Palace on Jan. 7 during the Winter Consumer Electronics Show.

Vinole said in that incident a "lights of the city" tour was planned to Hoover Dam, but his passengers bailed out when TSA investigators moved in and questioned him. The passengers were guests of Microsoft Corp. and WebTV, which paid Vinole's company $9,207 for transportation during the convention.

Avants also recommended a $5,000 fine with $3,000 vacated if the company becomes certified and isn't cited again for a year.

In addition to those two recommended fines, which will be considered when the full TSA next meets in March, Vinole was fined $2,000 for a November incident in which he was cited for transporting passengers between the Las Vegas Hilton and the Imperial Palace.

Vinole was remorseful after the evidence was presented.

"What you decide today decides my fate," said Vinole, who said he could not afford an attorney to represent him at the hearing and attended with a business partner and fellow driver.

When she announced her decision, Avants said she was giving Vinole one last chance.

"You have to do your part," Avants said. "This is a two-way street."

After the hearing, Vinole said even with $6,000 in fines facing him in addition to the expense of filing for a state certificate, he said he would be able to keep his three-vehicle business going with interstate transports.

"I have some savings that I'll have to dip into," Vinole said. "I'll use that to get by while the commission reviews my financials (financial information provided to the TSA for certification). That's all I can do."