GOP’s Largest Benefactor Admits Bribing Chinese Officials

International corruption
Politics • Views: 37,817

He spent (wasted, actually) a huge amount of money trying to get first Newt Gingrich, then Mitt Romney elected President of the US, and his Las Vegas Sands Corporation has now admitted bribing Chinese officials to allow his gambling businesses to expand there.

Casino mogul Sheldon Adelson, who spent as much as $150 million on independent expenditures to bolster Republicans in the 2012 election, has informed the Securities and Exchange Commission that his Las Vegas Sands Corporation “likely violated a federal law against bribing foreign officials.”

“[T]here were likely violations of the books and records and internal controls provisions” of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the company said in its annual regulatory report published on Friday. Late last year, Adelson reportedly held meetings with at least one House GOP leader to discuss “possible changes to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act,” arguing that he had been the target of federal investigations under the Act as retribution for his strong support for Republican candidates.

The Las Vegas Sands Corporation is suspected of improperly and in some cases illegally bribing Chinese government officials to expand its business in China. The company may have violated the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act with a $700,000 payment to a Chinese associate and worked with organized crime gangs to drive business from mainland China to their Macau casino.

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82 comments
1 Kragar (Antichrist )  Sun, Mar 3, 2013 12:46:48pm

Its not like he would pay off US politicians or anything.
//

2 Mich-again  Sun, Mar 3, 2013 12:49:38pm

I can’t think of an easier way to take money from foreigners who want to influence American political campaigns than by laundering it through betting tables in a casino. Sure Adelson is admitting to bribing the Chinese. The other questions surround the huge amount of money he injected into right wing causes and politicians this last campaign. There would be no way to track if that $100+ million he donated started out as wink-wink deals back at his casino in China.

3 Bob Dillon  Sun, Mar 3, 2013 12:52:43pm

Bribery is a way of life deeply entrenched through (in my experience) Asia. From residence visas to international business contracts and local permits - someone with the approval chop or series of people with the chops almost always is a toll gate. Individuals are appointed to these position by relatives or friends in power. It becomes their “rice bowl” to supplement their megar government salary.

Shocking? Not!

4 wrenchwench  Sun, Mar 3, 2013 12:54:31pm
Late last year, Adelson reportedly held meetings with at least one House GOP leader to discuss “possible changes to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act,” arguing that he had been the target of federal investigations under the Act as retribution for his strong support for Republican candidates.

It’s so circular. Maybe he wanted a Republican president so badly to enhance his chance of changing the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.

5 Lidane  Sun, Mar 3, 2013 12:55:32pm

re: #3 Bob Dillon

Except for the fact that there are rules that American companies still have to follow when doing business abroad, even in countries where “greasing the wheels” is common:

Foreign Corrupt Practices Act

6 Bob Dillon  Sun, Mar 3, 2013 12:56:36pm

re: #5 Lidane

There are so many ways around it, its a joke.

7 Mich-again  Sun, Mar 3, 2013 12:57:09pm

re: #6 Bob Dillon

There are so many ways around it, its a joke.

None of them legal.. if that matters.

8 Bob Dillon  Sun, Mar 3, 2013 12:57:44pm

re: #7 Mich-again

Of course it matters if ethics are involved.

9 Lidane  Sun, Mar 3, 2013 12:58:22pm

re: #6 Bob Dillon

There are so many ways around it, its a joke.

It’s a joke until the DOJ and SEC start knocking. See: Adelson, Sheldon.

10 Mich-again  Sun, Mar 3, 2013 1:00:17pm

re: #8 Bob Dillon

Of course it matters if ethics are involved.

Are you saying there are clever legal ways to bribe foreign officials?

11 Glenn Beck's Grand Unifying Theory of Obdicut  Sun, Mar 3, 2013 1:00:34pm

re: #3 Bob Dillon

Bribery is a way of life deeply entrenched through (in my experience) Asia. From residence visas to international business contracts and local permits - someone with the approval chop or series of people with the chops almost always is a toll gate. Individuals are appointed to these position by relatives or friends in power. It becomes their “rice bowl” to supplement their megar government salary.

Shocking? Not!

It is extremely common, but that doesn’t make it any less reprehensible.

12 Bob Dillon  Sun, Mar 3, 2013 1:00:55pm

re: #9 Lidane

And it matters which party is in power as to if and when the knocking starts if ever.

13 Bob Dillon  Sun, Mar 3, 2013 1:01:46pm

re: #10 Mich-again

No. Just extreamly clever.

14 Lidane  Sun, Mar 3, 2013 1:02:07pm

re: #12 Bob Dillon

And it matters which party is in power as to if and when the knocking starts if ever.

Sure. The GOP hate to prosecute their own.

15 Bob Dillon  Sun, Mar 3, 2013 1:03:16pm

re: #14 Lidane

Sure. The GOP hate to prosecute their own.

It seems to be a trend on both sides.

16 Sol Berdinowitz  Sun, Mar 3, 2013 1:04:17pm

re: #15 Bob Dillon

It seems to be a trend on both sides.

It is a quid pro quo in many cases “we won’t prosecute yours if you don’t prosecute ours”. A perverse twist on “let he among you without sin cast the first stone”

17 kirkspencer  Sun, Mar 3, 2013 1:05:06pm

re: #15 Bob Dillon

It seems to be a trend on both sides.

example?

18 Varek Raith  Sun, Mar 3, 2013 1:05:58pm

re: #1 Kragar (Antichrist )

Its not like he would pay off US politicians or anything.
//

Totally wouldn’t.

19 Iwouldprefernotto  Sun, Mar 3, 2013 1:06:22pm

How much money is it going to cost me to have Adelson and Romeny shipped (One way) to China???????????? Can I use Pay Pal?

20 Lidane  Sun, Mar 3, 2013 1:07:18pm

re: #15 Bob Dillon

It seems to be a trend on both sides.

I’m sure you can provide examples.

21 Bob Dillon  Sun, Mar 3, 2013 1:07:29pm

re: #17 kirkspencer

Try Google if your life experiences of watching politics dosen’t provide you with examples.

22 BongCrodny  Sun, Mar 3, 2013 1:07:51pm

IIRC, At one point during the dog days of the recession, shares of stock in LVS were trading at less than $3 per share.

Sooooo close to not having to deal with Adelson’s nonsense any more.

23 kirkspencer  Sun, Mar 3, 2013 1:08:04pm

re: #21 Bob Dillon

Try Google if your life experiences of watching politics dosen’t provide you with examples.

No, you don’t get to play that. You played the MBF card, you back it.

Examples, please?

24 AlexRogan  Sun, Mar 3, 2013 1:08:39pm

re: #4 wrenchwench

It’s so circular. Maybe he wanted a Republican president so badly to enhance his chance of changing the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.

Maybe, but I posit it was more likely that Adelson was trying to head off and possibly neuter Fed enforcement of the FCPA and its penalties against him and the Sands for past and current violations. I have no reservations about saying that Adelson most likely supported Romney as a quid pro quo to shield him from the Feds.

25 Vicious Babushka  Sun, Mar 3, 2013 1:10:12pm

Sheldon Adelson couldn’t buy himself a President, so now he wants to buy China.

Too bad, Sheldon, Walmart already owns it.

26 Lidane  Sun, Mar 3, 2013 1:10:20pm

re: #21 Bob Dillon

Try Google if your life experiences of watching politics dosen’t provide you with examples.

Nope. If you’re going to make a definitive statement, it’s on you to back it up.

I can wait.

27 Glenn Beck's Grand Unifying Theory of Obdicut  Sun, Mar 3, 2013 1:11:05pm

re: #21 Bob Dillon

This isn’t just a little baksheesh on the side, though. These are large payments going to gangsters.

28 Lidane  Sun, Mar 3, 2013 1:13:30pm

re: #27 Glenn Beck’s Grand Unifying Theory of Obdicut

This isn’t just a little baksheesh on the side, though. These are large payments going to gangsters.

But everyone does it!

///

29 Mich-again  Sun, Mar 3, 2013 1:13:51pm

re: #21 Bob Dillon

Try Google if your life experiences of watching politics dosen’t provide you with examples.

Making a claim and then telling others to Google it if they doubt you. Bad form. just saying.

30 AlexRogan  Sun, Mar 3, 2013 1:16:31pm

re: #27 Glenn Beck’s Grand Unifying Theory of Obdicut

This isn’t just a little baksheesh on the side, though. These are large payments going to gangsters.

Speaking of gangsters, the Mob doesn’t seem to have given Vegas up completely.

They just seem to have gotten better lawyers and PR.

///

31 Bob Dillon  Sun, Mar 3, 2013 1:16:36pm

re: #27 Glenn Beck’s Grand Unifying Theory of Obdicut

Agreed. And he should roast for it if found guilty. Still, not shocking to me.

32 Glenn Beck's Grand Unifying Theory of Obdicut  Sun, Mar 3, 2013 1:17:21pm

re: #31 Bob Dillon

Agreed. And he should roast for it if found guilty. Still, not shocking to me.

I’m sorry, why are you talking about whether or not it’s shocking? Nobody else said that it was.

33 Lidane  Sun, Mar 3, 2013 1:21:03pm

re: #32 Glenn Beck’s Grand Unifying Theory of Obdicut

I’m sorry, why are you talking about whether or not it’s shocking? Nobody else said that it was.

Because it’s an attempt to minimize Adelson’s actions.

34 Glenn Beck's Grand Unifying Theory of Obdicut  Sun, Mar 3, 2013 1:21:25pm

re: #30 TedStriker

I asked my mom if it was true if my great-great-uncle was really in organized crime, and she said “He was an accountant and lawyer in Vegas in the 1940s with a comp room at the Flamingo.”

35 aagcobb  Sun, Mar 3, 2013 1:23:07pm

re: #23 kirkspencer

No, you don’t get to play that. You played the MBF card, you back it.

Examples, please?

Here is the most shocking example of bankers turning their business into an international crime syndicate and getting a wrist slap for it.

36 Sol Berdinowitz  Sun, Mar 3, 2013 1:24:16pm

re: #35 aagcobb

Here is the most shocking example of bankers turning their business into an international criminal syndicate and getting a wrist slap for it.

That is an open admission that we have lost the war on drugs.

37 Vicious Babushka  Sun, Mar 3, 2013 1:24:20pm

re: #35 aagcobb

Here is the most shocking example of bankers turning their business into an international criminal syndicate and getting a wrist slap for it.

In Capitalist USA, bank robs you!

38 Glenn Beck's Grand Unifying Theory of Obdicut  Sun, Mar 3, 2013 1:25:07pm

re: #35 aagcobb

Closely related, but not really the same. Still very terrible and I wish more people knew about it. It’s a great argument for splitting up the banks.

39 dragonath  Sun, Mar 3, 2013 1:25:12pm

A big benefactor of Adelson’s gambling largesse is the radical Zionist Organization of America, which has links to Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer.

So yeah- I don’t really expect this guy to be totally above board, considering gambling is illegal in Israel.

40 stabby  Sun, Mar 3, 2013 1:27:46pm

I once met someone who described to me what it was like to go to a combination restaurant/casino/brothel in Macau.

Girls paraded around his table while he ate for him to pick to go upstairs with after.

I wonder if it was one of Sheldon’s casinos.

41 efuseakay  Sun, Mar 3, 2013 1:29:11pm

Yet somehow, it’s the Dems that are Commies!

42 JeffFX  Sun, Mar 3, 2013 1:29:25pm

re: #37 Vicious Babushka

Hi V_B,

what do you think of this:
[Link: www.haaretz.com…]

I don’t see how this could be true, but that may be my bias, because we haven’t tolerated this kind of thing in America for over 50 years.

43 stabby  Sun, Mar 3, 2013 1:30:15pm

Actually maybe it wasn’t a casino…. but it should be easy to find out if Sheldon allows prostitution in his casinos. That sort of thing can’t be profitable if it’s a secret.

44 stabby  Sun, Mar 3, 2013 1:31:32pm
45 stabby  Sun, Mar 3, 2013 1:32:32pm
LAS VEGAS (AP) — The fired former chief executive of Las Vegas Sands Corp.’s Macau casinos alleges in court documents revealed Thursday that billionaire Sheldon Adelson personally approved of prostitution and knew of other improper activity at his company’s properties in the Chinese enclave.

Bingo

46 stabby  Sun, Mar 3, 2013 1:35:00pm

I’m not personally against prostitution, but I’m against hypocrisy.

And the fact that it is normal in this world for right wingers to make prostitution illegal while secretly supporting it creates a system where girls are extremely exploited precisely because they have no legal recourse.

47 aagcobb  Sun, Mar 3, 2013 1:35:06pm

re: #45 stabby

Bingo

Prostitution at a Casino? I’m shocked!!

48 Glenn Beck's Grand Unifying Theory of Obdicut  Sun, Mar 3, 2013 1:36:41pm

I came really close to starting a business in Vegas. I think it would have been successful, but the town has such a weird vibe. Nothing against anyone who lives there, but it’s definitely an odd place.

49 stabby  Sun, Mar 3, 2013 1:36:47pm

re: #47 aagcobb

Prostitution paying hundreds of millions of dollars to buy American elections for the sake of the anti-sex/pro-exploitation party?

Yes, it IS shocking, in a moral sense.

50 aagcobb  Sun, Mar 3, 2013 1:40:11pm

re: #49 stabby

Prostitution paying hundreds of millions of dollars to buy American elections for the sake of the anti-sex/pro-exploitation party?

Yes, it IS shocking, in a moral sense.

That’s American politics. Of course, I’m tickled that the vast sums the billionaires paid to try to buy a GOP White House was totally wasted money.

51 Iwouldprefernotto  Sun, Mar 3, 2013 1:40:53pm

re: #49 stabby

Prostitution paying hundreds of millions of dollars to buy American elections for the sake of the anti-sex/pro-exploitation party?

Yes, it IS shocking, in a moral sense.

They are not buying elections, they are merely renting them. Sort of like another business activity.

52 Amory Blaine  Sun, Mar 3, 2013 1:42:35pm

Milwaukee Journal headline:

Huge crowd turns out for MPS teaching jobs

5 sentences in:

School district officials estimate more than 1,000 job candidates turned out hoping to land one of the roughly 700 teaching job openings for the next school year in a district that recently bumped its starting teacher pay up from $37,721 to $41,000.

Wow. 1000 people for 700 jobs. Only a Scott Walker sycophant would call this a “huge crowd”.

53 Blue Point  Sun, Mar 3, 2013 1:44:13pm

Explain to me again how the Mafia is bad and this is not brought down like a rabid dog. Jesus H Christmas.

54 stabby  Sun, Mar 3, 2013 1:45:23pm

re: #51 Iwouldprefernotto

I wish we could reserve the word “whore” for politicians and other corrupt privileged scum and leave it clear that we would never use such an insulting term for actual sex workers, who do actual work, take severe personal risks and can’t possibly destroy so many lives for their clients.

55 Kragar (Antichrist )  Sun, Mar 3, 2013 1:50:57pm

re: #53 Blue Point

Explain to me again how the Mafia is bad and this is not brought down like a rabid dog. Jesus H Christmas.

The Mafia has ethics, Adelson doesn’t.

56 Vicious Babushka  Sun, Mar 3, 2013 1:54:50pm

re: #42 JeffFX

Hi V_B,

what do you think of this:
[Link: www.haaretz.com…]

I don’t see how this could be true, but that may be my bias, because we haven’t tolerated this kind of thing in America for over 50 years.

Page is here, the usual poo flingers are participating.

57 Gus  Sun, Mar 3, 2013 2:05:03pm
58 Glenn Beck's Grand Unifying Theory of Obdicut  Sun, Mar 3, 2013 2:05:20pm

re: #42 JeffFX

The main difference is it’s being done on citizenship, not ethnicity. Still not pretty, but not comparable to the US.

59 Gus  Sun, Mar 3, 2013 2:10:20pm
60 Gus  Sun, Mar 3, 2013 2:16:38pm

Webding font.

61 PhillyPretzel  Sun, Mar 3, 2013 2:19:14pm

re: #59 Gus

Aww. That is so cute.

62 Kragar (Antichrist )  Sun, Mar 3, 2013 2:19:59pm

Lindsey Graham: McCain and I are ‘hell-bent’ on pursuing Benghazi

Great, glad there isn’t anything else important going on.
/

63 CarleeCork  Sun, Mar 3, 2013 2:22:54pm

re: #62 Kragar (Antichrist )

Lindsey Graham: McCain and I are ‘hell-bent’ on pursuing Benghazi

Great, glad there isn’t anything else important going on.
/

Hell-bent is an appropriate term for them both.

64 Kragar (Antichrist )  Sun, Mar 3, 2013 2:27:03pm

Bill Kristol: Romney lost Latinos because they want free health care

Yeah, it had nothing to do with “self-deportation”, the anti-minority GOP platform, and the general message of Romney during the election.

How’s that outreach working out for you guys?

65 Stanley Sea  Sun, Mar 3, 2013 2:27:29pm

Dammit lost my labored, eloquent comment.

Whatever it’s OT.

Starting “How to Survive a Plague”

This was an extremely heavy time. I was young and free in the 80’s, so when AIDS started killing as we saw it, anyone who had sex, we were freaked out. My GF and I went to PP for our test. You had to meet with a counselor before the test, and again, when you got the result - 2 weeks later. It was a very very scary time.

And I was not really in the affected zone at that time, just on the periphery. This movie is showing those who lost so many, so fast. They fought back.

I do not want this part of history to be forgotten. So many lives.

Another movie, actually during the 90’s that I’ve seen & recommend is Silverlake Life. I watched it when it came out. Shocking, so sad, but so full of love.

[Link: www.imdb.com…]

So remember history. Remember when a plague hit the world. And remember the people it affected, at least in the beginning, were not worth the work to cure.

Got a pillow to throw and a box of kleenex. Wish me luck.

66 dragonath  Sun, Mar 3, 2013 2:29:31pm

re: #52 Amory Blaine

There’s also kind of a passive aggressive swipe at unions at the end of that article.

67 Blue Point  Sun, Mar 3, 2013 2:29:50pm

re: #55 Kragar (Antichrist )

The Mafia has ethics, Adelson doesn’t.

My bad. I sometimes wonder what the magic number is in money and by that I mean it becomes a self sufficient machine with so many sources of income and influence and return that 150 million dollars is chump change. Boggling.

68 engineer cat  Sun, Mar 3, 2013 2:31:02pm

had a rather sub-optimal experience yesterday

was on a date with a promising young maiden, when we stumbled across the topic of progressive politics and muslims. this apparently was her cue to espouse the point of view of pam geller et al

it suddenly seemed to me that it was way past my bedtime and i needed to get home

it never ceases to amaze me how wingnuts continue to confidently assert that such and such a linked article proves their point when on reading it turns out that it does just the opposite

69 Iwouldprefernotto  Sun, Mar 3, 2013 2:33:17pm

re: #68 engineer cat

had a rather sub-optimal experience yesterday

was on a date with a promising young maiden, when we stumbled across the topic of progressive politics and muslims. this apparently was her cue to espouse the point of view of pam geller et al

it suddenly seemed to me that it was way past my bedtime and i needed to get home

it never ceases to amaze me how wingnuts continue to confidently assert that such and such a linked article proves their point when on reading it turns out that it does just the opposite

Reading the article is cheating.

70 Varek Raith  Sun, Mar 3, 2013 2:33:37pm

re: #15 Bob Dillon

It seems to be a trend on both sides.

re: #21 Bob Dillon

Try Google if your life experiences of watching politics dosen’t provide you with examples.

I notice you were unable to back up your claim.
Maybe sattv4u2 can.
;)

71 wrenchwench  Sun, Mar 3, 2013 2:43:11pm

re: #65 Stanley Sea

72 Stanley Sea  Sun, Mar 3, 2013 2:45:14pm

Their chant at the protests: HEALTHCARE IS A RIGHT

73 Evolving Deep Southerner  Sun, Mar 3, 2013 2:45:23pm

Adelson’s big “investment” in the last election was really pretty rational, if you think about it.

If Romney wins, you win even bigger by having bought the only person in the world who can truly assure you that this shit will go away once he’s President.

If he loses, you fess up, and when they throw the book at you, you can say “I financed his opponent and now they’re coming back for revenge.” (Which is exactly what Sheldon Adelson and virtually everyone he knows would do in that situation, but anyway.)

Like I said, it’s rational as hell. Sociopaths can be the most rational people on earth sometimes.

74 Stanley Sea  Sun, Mar 3, 2013 2:45:55pm

Ed Koch. Good ole Koch.

75 Iwouldprefernotto  Sun, Mar 3, 2013 2:49:21pm

re: #73 Evolving Deep Southerner

Adelson’s big “investment” in the last election was really pretty rational, if you think about it.

If Romney wins, you win even bigger by having bought the only person in the world who can truly assure you that this shit will go away once he’s President.

If he loses, you fess up, and when they throw the book at you, you can say “I financed his opponent and now they’re coming back for revenge.” (Which is exactly what Sheldon Adelson and virtually everyone he knows would do in that situation, but anyway.)

Like I said, it’s rational as hell. Sociopaths can be the most rational people on earth sometimes.

Put him in jail with Madoff and let me rationalize till they die.

76 Gus  Sun, Mar 3, 2013 2:55:41pm
77 b_sharp  Sun, Mar 3, 2013 3:02:40pm

re: #76 Gus

Gus could you do that with the character in the centre of this pic? It’s from Webdings 3

webding3

78 chadu  Sun, Mar 3, 2013 4:34:46pm

re: #34 Glenn Beck’s Grand Unifying Theory of Obdicut

I asked my mom if it was true if my great-great-uncle was really in organized crime, and she said “He was an accountant and lawyer in Vegas in the 1940s with a comp room at the Flamingo.”

I had a great-uncle no one ever talks about; scuttlebutt is that he was one of the hitters for a Family in NYC in the 30s.

79 Romantic Heretic  Sun, Mar 3, 2013 4:49:31pm

Can’t say I’m surprised. Graft is cheaper than taxes.

80 BeenHereAwhile  Sun, Mar 3, 2013 8:41:38pm

re: #2 Mich-again

I can’t think of an easier way to take money from foreigners who want to influence American political campaigns than by laundering it through betting tables in a casino. Sure Adelson is admitting to bribing the Chinese. The other questions surround the huge amount of money he injected into right wing causes and politicians this last campaign. There would be no way to track if that $100+ million he donated started out as wink-wink deals back at his casino in China.

Sure, it’s easy. 
In the past giving 6 figures in casino chips to wise guys under indictment while visiting a casino was a favorite way to provide them with the means to pay for their criminal defense attorneys. 

81 Buck  Mon, Mar 4, 2013 8:23:20am

Compared to what former New Jersey Governor (and Obama supporter/contributor) Jon Corzine did, this is a minor story.

The crime, once discovered by the company, is being reported by the company.

You might want to believe that Sheldon Adelson is admitting to personally committing a crime, but the facts say otherwise.

82 Charles Johnson  Mon, Mar 4, 2013 5:09:14pm

lol


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