Wynn kidnapper under house arrest

Kim Smith

Wednesday, Jan. 26, 2000 | 10:44 a.m.

One of the men involved in the kidnapping of Steve Wynn's daughter seven years ago will be spending the next three months on house arrest.

Anthony Watkins confessed Tuesday to violating the terms of his probation by using marijuana and failing to report in to his probation officer, Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas O'Connell said.

In exchange for his guilty plea, O'Connell said the U.S. Attorney's Office agreed not to object to the U.S. Department of Probation and Parole's recommendation that Watkins get three months of home detention.

Watkins will be allowed to serve his probation in Sacramento where he now resides, and he will also be permitted to work outside the home, O'Connell said.

U.S. District Judge Lloyd George also ordered Watkins to submit progress reports every 30 days, O'Connell said.

Watkins was sentenced to 6 1/2 years in prison and three years supervised release in September 1994 for his role in the kidnapping of Kevyn Wynn, then 26.

He was released from prison June 4, and a warrant was issued for him last month after a California probation officer alleged Watkins failed a drug test and failed to report to him for six weeks.

Watkins was arrested in Sacramento Dec. 13.

According to authorities, Ray Cuddy, Jacob Sherwood and Watkins kidnapped Kevyn Wynn from her Las Vegas home July 26, 1993, and held her for a $1.45 million ransom.

Sherwood left an unharmed Kevyn Wynn at McCarran International Airport after Cuddy and Watkins picked up the money Steve Wynn, Mirage Resorts Inc. chairman, agreed to pay.

The three were identified quickly after authorities were able to trace the calls they made to Steve Wynn. Cuddy was arrested Aug. 1, 1993, while making a down payment on a $196,000 Ferrari in California and the other two were arrested in St. Louis Sept. 20, 1993.

Nearly $1 million of the ransom money was recovered.