Monday, March 19, 2007

Rep. Young (R-AK) flying around in Detroit Casino Developers' private jet

* * UPDATED with TWO ADDITIONAL PLANE FLIGHTS 3/19/2007 * *

Alaska Representative Don Young, then Chair of the House Transportation Committee, was apparently flying around on someone's private jet or a jet they had chartered for private travel. Based on FEC records available through PoliticalMoneyLine for Congressional Quarterly, apparently Barwest LLC orginally picked up the air travel tab. And then subsequently it appears the same parties may have fronted costs for two additional flights using other names.

Barwest LLC is primarily a casino development and management syndication. Barwest LLC was fined in October 2006 by the California Fair Political Practices Commission on two counts of failing to report a contribution of $26,600 to Rep. Richard Pombo's County GOP Committee.

It is unclear for the various flights what the itninerary or purpose was or who else was on the plane; but for the Barwest LLC fronted travel there are several other Las Vegas-related travel and lodging expenses logged by the Congressman on the same day. For the Malik fronted air travel there was a corresponding charge to The Homestead resort in Hot Springs, VA. Corporate Flight charter service is based at the Oakland County Airport frequently used by Malik.

DON YOUNG (R-AK)
Expenditures

2005-2006 Cycle

Recipient

Amount

Date

Description

Barwest LLC, Detroit, MI

$5,817

1/25/2005

AIR TRAVEL

Corporate Flight, Waterford, MI

$3,422

2/17/2005

AIR TRAVEL

Malik, Michael, Detroit, MI

$3,978

10/07/2005

AIR TRAVEL

FEC statement filed 4/12/2005, Page 191, Item C; and Page 197, Item A.

FEC Statement filed 1/25/2006, Page 84, Item A.

Barwest LLC principals are Mrs. Marian Ilitch and Michael J. Malik, Sr. (Michael Malik). Barwest LLC is Detroit-based but its primary business is in California. Barwest LLC seeks to build twin Indian casinos in Barstow, California; that would anchor a larger commercial mega resort area. Barwest LLC has the exclusive rights to develop and manage the proposed casinos and resort projects which still need various state and federal approvals.

Ilitch and Malik are also bankrolling other off-reservation casino proposals in Michigan (Port Huron) and New York (Southampton/Shinnecock Hills).

Congress.org ranks Rep. Young as the most powerful Republican on the House Natural Resources Committee which oversees Indian gaming matters. He is former chairman of the committee having served prior to Rep. Richard Pombo who took the reins in 2003.

Rep. Young was then powerful chair of the House Transportation Committee. The various casinos backed by Ilitch and Malik require various transportation and highway improvements. But more significantly the backers of the Bay Mills Indian Tribe's proposed Port Huron casino had secretly slipped approvals for the project into a transportation spending bill but opponents in Congress caught the move and extracted it from the bill.

The Ilitch Family and Malik have previously contributed at least $16,000 to Rep. Young's campaign committee and thousands more to various national GOP committees with which Young is likely affiliated or a beneficiary. Further, they contributed $21,000 to Rep. Mark Kennedy's (R-MN) failed campaign for the U.S. Senate. Kennedy was a member of the transportation Committee and one of Rep. Young's allies.

Ilitch Holdings, including Malik, ranked as one of Young's top 5 donors for the two-year 2006 campaign cycle. Mike and Marian Ilitch are the co-founders of Little Caesars Pizza and own the Detroit Red Wings. The family also owns the Detroit Tigers and purchased Detroit's MotorCity Casino from Mandalay Resort Group/MGM Mirage in 2005.

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certainly must reads!

Ilitch has backed loosing sports teams and pizza, but casinos in Detroit? Forbes.com 10.09.06 ● Marian Ilitch #1 on "25 Most Powerful People" to Watch 2006” global gaming business o1.oo.o5 ● My Kingdom for a Casino Forbes 05.08.06 ● Big Lagoon’s casino dream awakens north coast journal 07.28.05 ● Shinnecocks launch legal claim to Hamptons land newsday.com 06.16.05 ● Ilitch Plans to Expand Casino Empire RGTonline.com 07.05.05 ● Ilitch outbids partners MichiganDaily.com 04.14.05 ● Ilitch enmeshed in NY casino dispute detnews.com 03.20.05 ● Marian Ilitch, high roller freep.com 03.20.05 ● MGM Mirage to Decide on Offer for Casino in Detroit rgtonline.com 04.16.05 ● Secret deal for MotorCity alleged freep.com 02.15.05 ● Los Coyotes get new developer desertdispatch.com 02.08.05 Detroit casino figure to finance Barstow project LasVegasSun.com 07.07.03 ● Indian Band trying to put casino in Barstow signonSanDiego.com 06.04.03 Pizza matriarch takes on casino roles detnews.com 10.23.02 ● Vanderbilt gets short straw in negotiations for a casino Lansing Journal 10.06.02 ● Indians aim to drive family from tribe in vicious dispute san diego union tribune 04.09.00 ●Malik owns 2000 Michigan Quarter Horse of the Year Michigan.gov 01.01.00 ● Detroit Team to run Michigan’s newest Indian casino detnews.com 05.23.99 Tiger ties tangle Marian Ilitch detnews.com 04.29.99 ● Three investors must sell their Detroit casino interests gamblingmagazine.com 04.25.99 ● Partners’ cash revived election; They say money was crucial to Prop-E detnews.com 04.25.99 Investors have troubled histories las vegas review journal 04.27.99 ● Investor served probation for domestic assault on 12 year old boy detnews.com 04.25.99 Can a pair win a jackpot?: local men hope to... crainsdetroit.com 03.17.97

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