Hard Rock International fires top exec in betting scandal as it plans NYC casino with Mets owner Steve Cohen
Hard Rock axed Alex Pariente, its senior vice president for hotel and casino operations, after a whistleblower claimed he engaged in shady money structuring practices with clients and allowed credit markers to go unpaid at its casino in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.
'Hard Rock International has completed its initial investigation in connection with recent public allegations regarding executives at Hard Rock Punta Cana Casino and can confirm it has separated with the executive in question,' the company said in a statement to The Post on Tuesday.
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6 Hard Rock Hotel & Casino entrance in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.
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6 Hard Rock axed Alex Pariente, its senior vice president for hotel and casino operations, after a whistleblower claimed he engaged in shady money structuring practices with clients and allowed credit markers to go unpaid at its casino in Punta Cana.
AP
6 Steve Cohen, owner of the New York Mets.
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The internal probe included independent investigators from 'two of the nation's most respected law firms who specialize in gaming regulatory and compliance issues,' the company said.
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'We take these matters seriously and remain committed to our guests, partners and team members,' the statement added.
Hard Rock International, which recently submitted a joint bid with Mets owner Steve Cohen for a license to operate a $8 billion casino complex next to the team's Queens ballpark, fired a top executive accused of engaging in improper betting practices.
The scandal comes at an unwelcome time, as Hard Rock and Cohen are in dogged pursuit of one of up to three state licenses to operate a casino in the New York City downstate region. The Hard Rock-Cohen plans would see construction of an $8 billion casino complex but gaming regulators will weigh each bidder's background as part of the review.
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High stakes gambler RJ Cipriani is the whistleblower who notified Hard Rock brass of Paliente's alleged actions.
6 Axed Hard Rock executive, Alex Pariente.
Among the alleged misdeeds cited was an instance in which an employee, at Pariente's behest, took a $100,000 deposit from a Chinese national. To avoid anti-money laundering regulations, she broke up the sum into 33 separate $3,000 deposits, violating reporting requirements, according to Cipriani.
Cipriani said the IRS criminal unit and gaming regulators in Florida, Las Vegas and New York are aware of the situation.
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'I applaud [Hard Rock CEO] Jim Allen for believing in the intel I presented him with over a month ago. He acted swiftly,' Cipriani told The Post Tuesday.
6 The internal probe included independent investigators from 'two of the nation's most respected law firms who specialize in gaming regulatory and compliance issues,' the company said.
Getty Images for Hard Rock Hotel
6 Jim Allen, CEO of Hard Rock International.
AP
'I didn't want the negative and illegal things that happened in Punta Cana to reflect negatively on Hard Rock's attempt to get the downstate license in New York.'
Hard Rock International is the gaming unit of the Seminole Tribe of Florida, which operates 18 casinos in the US, Canada and Punta Cana.
Paliente's ouster was first reported by casino.org
The state Gaming Facility Location Board received eight casino bids, including the Metropolitan Park proposal from Cohen-Hard Rock at Willets Point. The bids are currently being reviewed by community advisory committees.
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