Casino Hosts’ licenses held up in casino sex ring

[clevfan]

April 15, 2004

Hosts’ licenses held up in casino sex ring
By DONALD WITTKOWSKI Staff Writer
Press of Atlantic City

ATLANTIC CITY - State gaming regulators Wednesday suspended the licenses of six current or former casino hosts accused of participating in a prostitution ring that supplied young Asian women for high rollers.

The hosts allegedly drummed up business for prostitutes who were recruited from Malaysia and other Far East nations and worked in brothels in Philadelphia, New York, Boston and Washington, D.C. Prostitutes were bused to Atlantic City on weekends for sex with high rollers, who paid $200 or more for their services.

The Casino Control Commission voted Wednesday to suspend the gaming licenses of the six hosts following their indictment March 25 on federal charges. Regulators will next hold a formal hearing to revoke the licenses.

The hosts work or worked at Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort, Resorts Atlantic City, Bally's Atlantic City and Showboat Casino-Hotel. The casinos themselves were not involved in the prostitution ring, authorities said.

Prosecutors allege that a Philadelphia brothel owner used the hosts to arrange sexual trysts for high rollers. Casino hosts, sometimes called marketing directors, cater to premium gamblers by giving them free rooms, meals and show tickets, a completely legal practice.

But in this case, the six hosts allegedly participated in a nationwide ring of brokers and agents that recruited prostitutes for high rollers. Authorities learned of the alleged ring through FBI wiretaps involving a brothel owner.

Appearing Wednesday before the Casino Control Commission, attorneys for three of the six casino hosts claimed their clients weren't involved in the prostitution ring and characterized the government's case as flimsy. They said the hosts did nothing more than make a few innocent phone calls to cater to the high rollers' whims and didn't know that sex was involved.

The five commission members, however, rejected the arguments and voted unanimously to suspend the gaming licenses. Some of the commissioners were openly skeptical of claims that the phone calls involving the casino hosts were completely legal.

"Not to make light of this, but in the phone calls he made, he wasn't talking about the weather," Commissioner Michael A. Fedorko said of one host.

Having their licenses suspended were:


Kevin Chau, of Mays Landing, a host at Bally's.


Minh C. Chau, of Atlantic City, executive director of Far East marketing at Trump Taj Mahal.


James D. Kim, of Egg Harbor Township, executive casino host at Bally's.


Christoper W. Lee, of Atlantic City, formerly employed as an Asian customer development executive at Showboat.


Alexander Luu, of Mays Landing, director of Asian marketing at Resorts. The casino has said it plans to fire Luu following his indictment.


And Pei R. Xue, of Egg Harbor Township, a host at Resorts. Xue will also be fired following his indictment, Resorts has said.

All of the hosts have pleaded not guilty to the charges and are scheduled for a pretrial conference June 4 in federal court, according to Thomas J. Forkin, an Atlantic City attorney who represents Lee.