Date: January 27, 2012
URL: http://www.rgj.com/article/20120127/NEWS/301270024/Suit-claims-Wingfield-developer-Whittemore-embezzled-millions
Suit claims Wingfield developer Whittemore embezzled millions
-------------------------------------------------------------
The former business partners of Harvey Whittemore - a well-known
Nevada lobbyist, land developer, businessman and lawyer - filed a
civil lawsuit Friday claiming he embezzled millions of dollars from
the Wingfield company they ran together and misappropriated corporate
funds and assets.
The suit, filed in Clark County District Court by lawyers for the
Wingfield Nevada Group Holding Co., claims that Whittemore's Wingfield
partners, Thomas Seeno and Albert Seeno Jr., confronted Whittemore in
2010 about numerous discrepancies they found in the Wingfield
financial books and Whittemore 'prepared himself a written confession'
admitting the alleged crimes. The suit also names Annette Whittemore,
his wife, and the Lakeshore House Limited Parternship.
'Acting as a manager of Wingfield, Whittemore has admitted and
confessed to engaging to over 20 different financial transactions
designed to deplete Wingfield of its assets for the sole purposes of
enhancing and promoting Whittemore's financial condition and to
further his standing in the political community of Nevada,' the suit
said.
'These allegations are false,' the Whittemores said in an email. 'We
will take any and all steps necessary to preserve the reputation for
integrity that we have built in this state for over 40 years.'
The company is the developer of Wingfield Springs and Red Hawk Golf
Course in Spanish Springs. It also is sole or majority owner of a list
of entities, including Coyote Springs Investment, Red Hawk Land Co.,
Western Electronics, known as Wild West Sound Co., and Wingfield
Springs Realty. Tom and Albert Seeno Jr., of California, are
part-owners of Peppermill Casino Inc.
Kent Robison, one of the Wingfield lawyers, said in an email that the
allegations have been reported to the Reno Police Department.
According to the lawsuit, Whittemore and Thomas Seeno executed an
operating agreement for Wingfield in 2005, and Whittemore was made
manager. 'From February of 2007 through 2009, Whittemore exercised
complete control over the financial books and records of Wingfield
which control he misused and abused,' the suit said.
They amended the agreement in 2009, adding Albert Seeno Jr. as a
manager, and adding a stipulation that all expenditures over $5,000
must have unanimous consent of all three managers, the suit said.
Whittemore allegedly wrote a confession on Sept. 16, 2010, admitting a
list of inappropriate transactions, the suit said. The alleged
confession said he embezzled money for personal meals, entertainment
and endeavors and used the Wingfield aircraft for 'unauthorized
personal, family and political use.'
The Winfield Lawsuit
The lawsuit claims that Harvey Whittemore was guilty of a list of
illegal acts, including:
* Used the Wingfield aircraft for more than $2.1 million worth of flights
* Used Wingfield for personal favors topping $3.9 million to his
company, Whittemore Peterson Institute
* Took an unauthorized salary from Wingfield topping $900,000
* Used the Wingfield-owned Red Hawk golf course to cater events,
fundraisers and his daughter's $200,000 wedding
* Charged Wingfield for unauthorized banquets topping $157,000
* Made improper land transactions
* Used Wingfield funds to pay for Whittemore homes in Reno, Las Vegas
and at Lake Tahoe
* Spent Wingfield funds to put on political fundraisers for
Whittemore's personal benefit.
--------
(c) 2012 Reno Gazette-Journal
---------------------------------------------
Send posts to CO-CURE@listserv.nodak.edu
Unsubscribe at http://www.co-cure.org/unsub.htm
Co-Cure Archives: http://listserv.nodak.edu/archives/co-cure.html
---------------------------------------------
Co-Cure's purpose is to provide information from across the spectrum of
opinion concerning medical, research and political aspects of ME/CFS and/or
FMS. We take no position on the validity of any specific scientific or
political opinion expressed in Co-Cure posts, and we urge readers to
research the various opinions available before assuming any one
interpretation is definitive. The Co-Cure website <www.co-cure.org> has a
link to our complete archive of posts as well as articles of central
importance to the issues of our community.
---------------------------------------------
