Are Michael Malik and Marian Ilitch merely fronting for Las Vegas interests in Barstow too?

It has been revealed that MGM Mirage paid D.C. lobbyists $160,000 to lobby on a bill that would give approvals to a Michigan tribe fronting a casino scheme backed by Michael Malik and Marian Ilitch in Port Huron, Michigan.

Malik and Ilitch have a history fronting casino schemes for Las Vegas interests. In 1996 they advanced more than $5 million to a Michigan political committee in order to get approvals to build three commercial casinos in Detroit and where then reimbursed by Mandalay Resorts (Circus Circus).

Is is possible that's what's going on in Barstow, CA?

An Ilitch controlled political committee spent more than $200,000 on local political campaigns in Barstow during 2006 in an effort to retain control of the Barstow gaming franchise; that's more money than was spent on Barstow politics cummulatively over the last 25 years -- perhaps more. But now, more than a year later, the committee has yet to reveal where almost $150,000 of the $200,000 is coming from.

In fact, Ilitch and Malik have yet to reveal who their other partners are in the Barstow scheme. Recently their Barstow affiliate brought suit in Federal court against BarronHaus LTD, a venture capital firm that was likely a partner in the Barstow venture, for breach of contract. Documents obtained from the City of Barstow reveal that in 2004, Barronhaus LTD principals had arranged for meetings with Ilitch/Malik representatives and former California Assembly Speaker Willie Brown seeking Brown's assistance in lobbying for their scheme.

The Barstow site is half-way between Los Angeles and Las Vegas along Interstate-15, a pit-stop today for more than 60 million cars annually. Las Vegas interests certainly don't want to see Barstow become another location like the Primm Resort at "state-line" that syphens off gamblers from Las Vegas; or in the even it does, they certainly want a piece of the action.