The United States (U.S) government has sued the former chief executive officer (CEO), Steve Wynn, of Wynn Resorts for having bilateral business with China.
U.S said that Wynn had acted as an agent of the Chinese government and had refused to register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).
The civil suit department alleged that Wynn was advised in 2018, 2021 and April 2022 to register as an agent of China under FARA but he declined to do so, before he stepped down as the CEO of Wynn Resorts in early 2018.
It also said that Wynn had acted on Beijing’s request out of a desire to protect his business interests in Macau, where Wynn Resorts operates a luxury hotel and casino.
The department added that Wynn conveyed Beijing’s request to Trump at a dinner and through a phone conversation, which he had multiple discussions with senior White House and National Security Council officials about organizing a meeting with a former vice minister in China’s Ministry of Public Security, Sun Lijun, and other Chinese officials.
According to the assistant attorney general for the department’s national security division, Matthew G. Olsen, FARA gives Americans right to know if a foreign government uses its citizen as a medium to influence policies in the state.
“Where a foreign government uses an American as its agent to influence policy decisions in the United States, FARA gives the American people a right to know.”
Reacting to the accusation, Wynn’s lawyers, Reid Weingarten and Brian Heberlig, said they disagreed with the department’s legal interpretation of FARA and looked forward to proving their case in court.
Wynn’s lawyers also denied the allegations, saying he had never acted as an agent of the Chinese government and he had no obligation to register under FARA.
