top of page

THE MONEY LAUNDERING SCHEME

Gino stopped for a minute. “Any questions so far, gentlemen?” Pappy and Mason sat mute, hungry for Gino to go on.
“All right then, I will move on. We will replicate the drab outside appearance of this office with the design of the Desert Club. It will be strictly bare bones. The only showing of life on the exterior of the building shall be two nameplates. The top one shall read ‘Desert Club,’ and below it, ‘Private.’ The interiors, on the other hand, will feature designer selections with special emphasis on oriental designs, but considerably more modernistic than is generally seen in Japan. It will consist of a large, rounded reception area with a private concierge sitting at a circular desk. Aside from guest seating, there will be no other furniture in the room. There will be one or two paintings of original oriental art in low, indirect lighting. There will be two interior doors. Each door will lead to a private, very exclusive gambling parlor. Within each parlor there will be a well-stocked bar, with finger food, gourmet sandwiches, snacks, exotic candies, and related items on display. The concierge will act as host and also serve meals. Hot meals will be available upon request.

 

One room will be set up for either a crap table or a roulette table, or both. The second room will be set up for either baccarat or blackjack, or both. Only those invited to play, accompanied by no more than two friends or family members who are preregistered and fully understand the nondisclosure rules, will be allowed. We will only admit guests from a foreign country, primarily Japan. The minimum bet will be ten thousand dollars per roll of the dice or per card game. The upper limit for each bet will be fifty thousand dollars. Those kinds of big bets can only be placed in a very private setting. To do so in the usual public atmosphere of a gambling parlor would be too conspicuous, and it would target our clientele to some hardhearted, nefarious souls looking for prey.”
Gino smiled to himself as he looked at his guests. Their eyes said it all. “Actually, gentlemen, although our guests love Las Vegas and love the action, there is another reason that makes our concept very attractive to moneyed people from abroad. Although we are starting out with our primary focus on building a Japanese clientele, we intend to expand to other Asian nationalities as well within three to five years. As I mentioned, our guests want to gamble in our backyard, but just as importantly, they also want to bring huge sums of money into this country and park them here—and this, I think, is the biggest motivation of all.” Gino looked at his watch. “Gentlemen, you have been very patient; let’s take a break before lunch.”


As Mason sauntered toward the men’s room, Pappy held back to talk about another deal with Gino. Mason’s thoughts raced with a mixture of anxiety, excitement, worry, and puzzlement. He couldn’t help but ask himself, What am I getting myself into? I can feel it. I know there’s great risk to this. I know that I would be playing with the big boys, and the potential to rake in a small fortune is tremendous. The question is, should I pull out? Yet Mason knew in his heart that though he would reexamine the same issue a dozen times and ask the same questions over and over, he would end up going for it. This sounded like the chance of a lifetime. He had to run with it.


Before Pappy and Mason were seated, Gino resumed. “There are many reasons why the big hitters from Japan, and eventually from other Asian countries, want to bring highly valued, unreported, hidden assets over here, usually in the form of cash and loose jewelry. But let me make it perfectly clear, gentlemen: this is called money laundering. Plain and simple, it is against the law. Now is the time if either one of you wants to back out. You will be the front men, and you will be the most exposed.”
Gino looked at each of their faces. He went from one to the other. He was keenly interested in whether they had the balls to go forward. They did not respond. Now comfortable, he decided to proceed.


“As I mentioned, foreign investors are particularly attracted to buying major office buildings, primarily in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. A few will desire to open up or buy a business; others will play it safe and just hoard cash. I don’t expect any of them to invest in the stock market. Whatever their reason, when they bring big money in, they bet big, and of course, this is what we want. Placing big bets excites them. What am I talking about? I mentioned a minimum bet of ten thousand dollars per roll of the dice or per hand of baccarat or blackjack. Keep in mind, that’s per roll or per hand. It can quickly add up, especially in craps, if it’s a long roll. If they make the usual number of side bets in a long roll, hell, they could easily have one hundred thousand dollars on the line in one game, which would take no longer than ten minutes. If their usual bet is twenty-five thousand dollars, it could add up to three hundred thousand or more per game. As for baccarat or blackjack, each of which is a fast game, especially in the hands of our dealers, they could easily lose fifty thousand to one hundred thousand dollars or more in one hour. Yes, I realize we could lose that much in an hour also, but since they will usually play for at least five hours, the odds favor us to come out ahead, since the percentages over the long haul are in our favor.”


His face suddenly broke out in a broad grin, which was unusual because he usually held back. “This game of playing Monopoly, but for real, is great fun. I can’t help but laugh. I do want to caution you, however, that everything I say must be held in the strictest of confidence. Let me be even more specific. You two are going to have your asses on the line. You are the public figures. It’s to your advantage that you keep absolutely quiet about this. Believe me, and I want to emphasize this point, I will not come to your rescue. Don’t screw up.”

bottom of page