Ex-employees say casino managers enabled Steve Wynn's alleged sexual misconduct for years
Several former employees of properties owned by Steve Wynn told The Wall Street Journal that executives and supervisors protected the casino magnate and enabled his alleged sexual misconduct for decades.
In January, the Journal reported allegations of sexual harassment against Wynn, and he ultimately resigned as chief executive of Wynn Resorts and finance chairman of the Republican National Committee. Dozens of additional former employees have since gone on the record, telling the Journal about either alleged first-hand incidents involving Wynn or complaints that they forwarded along to supervisors and executives, which were ignored.
Jorgen Nielsen, who in the mid-2000s was artistic director of the salon at the Wynn in Las Vegas, said it was made clear that any complaints about Wynn should be taken directly to Doreen Whennen, the vice president of hotel operations at the time, or Marc Schorr, then-chief operating officer. Nielsen said he told Whennen of several accusations that salon employees had made against Wynn, and at times she told him to look in their files to see if there was any information that could be used to get the women fired. "It was always the person's fault," Nielsen said. "Nobody really looked into it." Whennen's attorney did not comment to the Journal.
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A former manicurist at the salon told the Journal that Wynn would rub his leg against hers, and a former masseuse alleged that he indicated during sessions that she should massage his genitals, with both saying nothing was done when they complained. For more on the accusations, including one from a former employee of The Mirage who said she was threatened after being sexually assaulted by Wynn in the 1990s, and the response from management, visit The Wall Street Journal.
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Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
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