Friday, Aug. 3, 2001 | 10:28 a.m.
In a rare move, the state Gaming Control Board is considering withdrawing Sam Cecola's nomination to the "Black Book."
Cecola, the founder of the Club Paradise topless dancing club in Las Vegas, was nominated by the control board for inclusion on the state's list of persons excluded from casinos in September 2000. The board's nomination cited Cecola's 1997 conviction on federal tax violations and his alleged ties to organized crime. Cecola now lives in Barrington, Ill.
But Dennis Neilander, chairman of the control board, said the board is now considering withdrawing the Cecola nomination. Such a move would have to be approved by the Nevada Gaming Commission, which has the final say on any Black Book nomination, and has yet to act on the Cecola nomination.
"We haven't decided yet," Neilander said. "There's some evidence in that case that wasn't what we thought it was. We're considering our options at this point."
Neilander declined to say what evidence was being called into question.
Cecola was convicted in 1997 on six felony counts in Chicago federal court for skimming money from adult bookstores in Illinois and Wisconsin. The federal government had accused Cecola of skimming more than $2.5 million from the stores over an 11-year period. Cecola was sentenced to 46 months in prison.
Technically, a felony conviction is all that's required to add someone to the Black Book. In practice, however, evidence that a person is a threat to the gaming industry or has ties to organized crime is necessary for inclusion.
In Cecola's case, the board's nomination cited a "notorious and unsavory reputation," as outlined in a 1997 report by the Chicago Crime Commission. The commission report brands Cecola an associate of organized crime figures.
Shortly after the nomination, however, Cecola attorney Dominic Gentile questioned the strength of this report as grounds to add Cecola to the Black Book. Gentile noted that Cecola is referred to in the report as a businessman associated with organized crime, not as a member of a crime organization. Gentile also suggested Cecola was forced to pay organized crime figures to keep his adult bookstore open.
Gentile declined to comment on the potential withdrawal.
Persons included in the Black Book are barred for life from entering any gaming facility in Nevada, and casinos can be fined heavily for allowing someone on the list to even set foot on property. There are currently 37 people on the list.
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