Former Resorts World president Scott Sibella pleads guilty to federal charge

Former Resorts World president Scott Sibella pleads guilty to federal charge

The former president of Resorts World Las Vegas pleaded guilty to a federal charge tied to allowing a known criminal to gamble at the MGM Grand when he was overseeing the resort.

Scott Sibella, 61, reached a deal on Wednesday on a count of failure to file reports of suspicious transactions required to be made by casinos, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.

According to the plea agreement, while Sibella was president of MGM Grand, known illegal bookmaker Wayne Nix was gambling in the resort’s casino from 2017 to 2019.

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Sibella was aware that Nix was gambling but did not notify the casino’s compliance department, federal prosecutors alleged. He also authorized complimentary benefits for Nix, including meals, rooms and golf trips.

Nix ultimately pleaded guilty in 2022 to conspiracy to operate an illegal gambling business and subscribing to a false tax return because of his illegal bookmaking business.

Unsealed court records revealed that Sibella admitted that year he knew Nix was involved in illegal bookmaking but “didn’t want to know because of my position. If we know, we can’t allow them to gamble. I didn’t ask, I didn’t want to know I guess because he wasn’t doing anything to cheat the casino.”

Sentencing for Sibella is scheduled for May 8. He faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for the charge.

MGM Grand and The Cosmopolitan, both now owned by MGM Resorts, also agreed to a nearly $7.5 million settlement to resolve a federal money laundering probe tied to the case.

Sibella was named president of Resorts World Las Vegas back in 2019 and led the casino-resort through its mid-pandemic construction and opening in 2021. A Resorts World spokesperson said last September that he was out as president “after the company was recently made aware that Mr. Sibella violated company policies and the terms of his employment.”

The Nevada Gaming Control Board also investigated Sibella over allegations that a restaurant at Resorts World was partially owned by another convicted bookmaker. The board concluded those claims were unsubstantiated, according to multiple reports.