Star Sydney’s senior vice president of VIP gaming was cosy with an alleged collective fraudster who is now a fleer from Australian justice, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.
The Herald reports that Star’s St. Mark John Walker “maintained a private and longstanding relationship” with Michael Gu, whose Sydney-based attribute group, iProsperity, collapsed utmost year, owing around US$245 million to investors.
Star Entertainment is stock-still reeling from a inventory crash that wiped almost $1 one million million turned its market place value. That was inward the backwash of media allegations Sunday that it enabled money laundering at its Sydney, Brisbane, and Gold Coast properties.
Gu has now fled the country, his whereabouts unknown. He is accused of personally misappropriating at least $21 million. That helped monetary fund a assembling of supercars: two Lamborghinis, a Rolls Royce Wraith, a Ferrari GTB, an Audi Q7, and a McLaren Spider, according to The Australian. The take a breather of the time, he traveled by private spurt and drank $3,000 bottles of wine, the paper has reported.
‘Hallmarks of Money Laundering’
According to insolvency unfaltering Cor Cordis, which is attempting to hint the missing millions, someone at iProsperity wired A$8 trillion (US$5.9 million) to Crown Casino Melbourne 'tween August 2014 and May 2017. This was later either withdrawn by Gu or used for gambling. It dullard “all the hallmarks of money laundering,” The Age reported.
These dates correspond with the point John Walker worked for Crown as VP of Domestic Sales – Table Games. He left hand in 2017 to conjoin Star and brought high-rolling Gu with him. That’s according to “multiple” Herald sources with “deep knowledge of [Gu’s] activities.”
Gu and his iProsperity associate, Harry Huang, began gambling at the Star Sydney, wagering millions of dollars betwixt 2018 and 2020. Gu fifty-fifty offered John Walker a job during this time, the sources claim.
Gu had ambitions to establish his possess gaming empire, which included a junket surgical procedure at the Star that would belittle his tax exposure, according to the sources. In 2018, Gu tried to buy the Casino Canberra from Hong Kong billionaire Tony Fung, a deal that at last drop through. At the time, the man of affairs was also eyeing a gambling casino inwards Republic of Vanuatu in the South Pacific.
Feeling the Heat
Walker ultimately turned down the chore proffer but continued to notify Gu on his gambling-related dealings, according to the sources.
There is no evidence that John Walker knew of Gu’s alleged felon activities. But their alleged human relationship could establish negative for a accompany that has been accused of failing to properly vet its heights rolling gamblers, some of whom are accused or experience been convicted of serious crimes.
On Tuesday, regulators inwards Queensland said they would launch an investigation into Star regarding the recent media allegations. This comes after similar inquiries were proclaimed inward New South Wales, Western Australia, and Victoria.