The Massachusetts Ethics Commission has dismissed the complaint against Stephen Crosby, Chairman of the state Gaming Commission, and has voted to terminate the preliminary inquiry regarding the official supposedly being involved in the choice of Wynn Resorts as the licensee for a Region A casino.
In a letter to Michael D. Ricciuti, Mr. Crosby’s lawyer, the Ethics Commission said that it had completed the necessary investigation and the “matter is now closed.”
The investigation was opened on October 16, 2014, after the commission received a sworn complaint by a single undisclosed complainant. According to the sworn statement, Mr. Crosby participated in the Massachusetts Gaming Commission’s work on the selection of a gambling operator for the only Eastern Massachusetts casino license, although he officially recused himself from the process earlier in 2014.
The complaint also suggested that Mr. Crosby’s involvement in the selection process continued up until September, when the state gaming regulator chose Wynn Resorts over the other two bidders for a Region A license.
According to the complainant, under a certain provision of the conflict of interest law, Mr. Crosby’s allegedly influencing the Commission’s choice could be sufficient grounds for Wynn Resorts being deprived of its casino license.
MassGaming’s Chairman pointed out that he did not take any part of the selection process, after he recused himself. His fellow commissioners confirmed that they had not been offered “any suggestion, opinion or hint” on which one of the three bidders they should choose.
Mr. Crosby faced criticism for supposedly failing to withdraw from the selection of a licensee for a casino in Region A in 2012, when he learned that Paul Lohnes, a former business partner of his, owned part of the land where Wynn Resort is planning to locate its gaming property.
Mr. Crosby disclosed his ties with the businessman in October 2013, after the latter was questioned over allegedly being tied with partners with criminal records.
The complaint to the Ethics Commission also contained certain allegations that were included in Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh’s lawsuit against the state Gaming Commission. According to city officials, the regulator violated the state’s casino law on numerous occasions only to ensure that Wynn Resorts was awarded the Region A license.
However, the city did not provide any comments on the latest complaint dismissal. Bonnie McGilpin, press secretary for Mayor Walsh, said that the ruling was not related to their complaint in any way and officials are focused on their lawsuit.
