Sunday, July 06, 2008

Hey Mike Malik, what goes around ... comes around

Detroit casino syndicator Michael J. Malik, Sr. is himself a student of Jack Abaramoff's having employed Abramoff-like tactics in an attempt to build his own Indian casinos in California, Michigan and New York.

During the first six months of 2008, MGM Mirage was locked in a bitter dispute with parties hoping to open two off-reservation Indian casinos in the greater-Detroit area.

Among other things, MGM Mirage financed a so-called "grassroots" letter writing campaign mounted by a group called "Gambling Watch." The group was created in mid-January by public-relations consultant, Lori Wortz of Lansing-based Sterling Corp.

There was no real attempt by MGM Mirage to hide their support for Gambling Watch. In a BusinessWeek article, Alan Feldman, senior vice presdident for public affairs at MGM Mirage said, "We've made no secret of where we are on this."

Detroit-based casino syndicator Michael Malik and his partners -- the people behind a plan to put a Bay Mills Indian Community casino in Port Huron -- belied MGM Mirage and the Gambling Watch effort as deceptive and low. They likened Gambling Watch's tactics to those employed by the jailed former lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

Isn't that ironic?

Despite crying foul and evoking Abramoff's name, Malik and his army of PR/political flacks and attorneys have used the same tactics in other states.
In 2001, they formed and financed Holomua Hawai'i, in an effort to legalize gambling in the Hawaiian islands. In 2002, The Honolulu Advertiser reported:
Holomua Hawai'i, named after the Hawaiian word for progress, is packaged as a grassroots effort, but it is in fact the creation of a Michigan public relations and political consulting firm hired by [Marian] Illitch and [Mike] Malik to promote the casino plan. The firm, Marketing Resource Group [owned by PR Flack Tom Shields], spent nearly $11,000 lobbying lawmakers between January and April last year, records show.
In 2006, Malik & Ilitch formed Barstow Citizens for Real Economic Development so that they could impact local elections in the remote Mojave Desert town. They spent $200,000 running their "grassroots" effort.

Sworn court depositions indicate that they recruited a leader of the Los Coyotes Band of Indians out of San Diego and a local Barstow businessman to serve as figure-heads of their so-alled "grassroots" organization. Campaign reports indicate they paid members of the tribe to come to Barstow as "grassroots volunteers." They also hired the local businessman's family members to work on their behalf.

Barstow campaign disclosures indicate Mike Malik and Marian Ilitch each contributed $25,000 to the campaign which was managed by their PR/political consultant Tom Shields. And Shield's firm, Lansing-based Marketing Resource Group has carried the "grassroots" committee's $150,000 campaign debt for more than two years.

The Malik/Ilitch team used their "grassroots" group trying to interfere and block the local election with a frivilous lawsuit and so a judge ordered them to pay the $110,000 legal bill incurred by another committee that had to defend against the Michigan casino syndicators.

No comments:

TVT has welcomed more than 178,000 unique vistors

TVT, founded in December 2006, has averaged more than 20,000 visitors annually. It is produced with the support of scores of individuals from coast-to-coast, each a volunteer citizen activist/jounalist, who review tips and compile the verifiable details and documents that are the hallmark of our content.

Since our first post, more than 178,000 visitors have accessed the details compiled uniquely at TVT.

The citizen activists behind TVT wish to extened a big "THANK YOU" to all those who have provided "tips" -- contributed pictures, documents, link suggestions, leads, reports, insight and comments. Your trust and confidence in TVT has allowed us to create a comprehensive resource that thousands of others -- including bloggers, journalists, Members of Congress and other local citizen activists around the country -- have come to rely upon.

We invite feedback and constructive comment and want you to know you are welcome to do that here in "comments" or by contacting us directly and confidentially via allverifiable@gmail.com

Google News: Indian Gaming

NEWS: Bay Mills Indian Community & Casino Proposals

NEWS: Shinnecock Indian Nation (Gateway Casino Resorts) Casino Proposals

NY Times: Shinnecock Indian Nation

NEWS: Los Coyotes Indian Tribe

NEWS: Los Coyotes / Barwest Barstow Casino Proposals

NEWS: Michael J. Malik, Sr.

NEWS: Marian Ilitch

Muckety.com: Mapping Social Networks

Play with the interactive tool here or visit Muckety.com

TIP: Search for multiple entries in the Muckety.com database simultaneously by separating their names with the word and

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

The Verifiable Truth