June 1, 2016

Sheldon Adelson’s Casino Company Settles Major Lawsuit That Prompted Federal Investigation

The settlement, reported at over $75 million, was announced just days before the lawsuit was to go on trial.

David Becker/ZUMA

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Las Vegas Sands Corp., the casino company controlled by Republican megadonor Sheldon Adelson, agreed on Tuesday to settle a wrongful termination lawsuit by Steve Jacobs, a former Macau executive, who claimed he was fired after refusing orders to perform “illegal activities,” including secretly investigating Macau government officials.

The lawsuit, which prompted a federal investigation into corruption and organized crime inside Adelson’s casino empire, was set to go to trial in September. The Wall Street Journal reports the company paid between $75 to $100 million to settle with Jacobs.

In April, Adelson agreed to pay $9 million to settle a separate, five-yearlong Securities and Exchange Commission bribery investigation looking into the casino magnate’s Chinese properties. He did not admit any wrongdoing.

Read Mother Jones‘ deep-dive investigation into the lawsuit, and how Adelson’s Macau dealings are influencing the current presidential election.

Correction: An earlier version of this article misstated the trial’s scheduled date.

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DEMOCRACY DOES NOT EXIST...

without free and fair elections, a vigorous free press, and engaged citizens to reclaim power from those who abuse it.

In this election year unlike any other—against a backdrop of a pandemic, an economic crisis, racial reckoning, and so much daily bluster—Mother Jones' journalism is driven by one simple question: Will America move closer to, or further from, justice and equity in the years to come?

If you're able to, please join us in this mission with a donation today. Our reporting right now is focused on voting rights and election security, corruption, disinformation, racial and gender equity, and the climate crisis. We can’t do it without the support of readers like you, and we need to give it everything we've got between now and November. Thank you.

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