Judge OKS settlement in Mirage case

Thursday, Aug. 21, 2003 | 11:13 a.m.

A judge has approved a settlement involving a former Mirage resort employee who failed to file thousands of required anti-money laundering reports with the federal government.

Under an agreement approved by Clark County District Court Judge Joseph Bonaventure on Wednesday, Christopher Morishita pleaded guilty to failing to maintain records and report currency transactions. He will receive 36 months of probation during which he will not be allowed to hold a gaming-related position and will be required to disclose his case with potential employers who hold state gaming licenses.

Morishita will be sentenced Oct. 22 in District Court.

In an affidavit released by the Attorney General's Office, Morishita admitted he avoided filing the reports and lied to supervisors to hide the fact. Failure to file the reports is a felony that carries a penalty of up to five years in prison.

If he completes the terms of his probation, his felony charge would be reduced to a gross misdemeanor.

Morishita is the first person to be prosecuted under Regulation 6A, the state law governing money laundering reports.

Chief Deputy Attorney General Elizabeth Quillin said she was pleased that the judge accepted the agreement.

The settlement is primarily related to the fact that Morishita had no criminal record and that the Attorney General found no evidence that he had engaged in a money laundering scheme, Quillin said.

A state investigation has determined that he had completed the necessary reports but had failed to drop them in the mail.