Criminal Defense Lawyers

Nevada Federal Criminal Defense Lawyers

Nevada Federal Criminal Defense Lawyers

Welcome to Spodek Law Group. Our mission is to provide the information you need to understand what federal criminal prosecution actually looks like in Nevada. Not the Hollywood version with mobsters and car chases. The real version, where casino executives go to federal court and pay millions in fines for transactions they thought were normal business.

Heres the Prometheus insight that changes everything: everyone assumes federal prosecution in Nevada targets organized crime and drug cartels. But in 2024-2025 alone, Nevada casinos paid over $162 million in money laundering fines and forfeitures. Wynn Resorts paid $130 million and admitted criminal wrongdoing. Because casinos are federally-regulated financial institutions under the Bank Secrecy Act, moving chips for a gambler becomes “money laundering,” accepting unreported cash becomes a federal crime, and casino executives, pit bosses, cage managers, and anyone in the gaming ecosystem can face 20-year money laundering charges for transactions they thought were just conducting business. The trap isnt what you’d expect in Vegas. Its that you dont realize the chips your handling are legally identical to cash at a bank.

Nevada legalized gambling to avoid federal prosecution of gaming operations. The Bank Secrecy Act turned casinos into the most heavily federally-prosecuted industry in the state. Thats the paradox nobody tells you about.

The District You’re Actually In

The United States District Court for the District of Nevada operates out of two locations – the Lloyd D. George Courthouse in Las Vegas and the Bruce R. Thompson Courthouse in Reno. Chief Judge Andrew P. Gordon oversees 13 district judges and 7 magistrate judges. Your probably thinking this is were drug kingpins and RICO defendants end up. Your partially right, but that assumption will get you in trouble.

Yes, the Criminal Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecutes drug trafficking through there partnership with the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). They handle gang violence, narcotics distribution, violent crime. But heres what most people miss: the White Collar Crime Section is were casino-adjacent defendants end up, and those prosecutions follow completely different rules.

The White Collar Crime Section investigates and prosecutes:

• Bank fraud
• Wire fraud and mail fraud
• Securities fraud and tax fraud
• Healthcare fraud and mortgage fraud
• Ponzi schemes
• Identity theft and cybercrime

Notice what connects all of these. There financial crimes. And in Nevada, casinos ARE financial institutions under federal law – specifically under 31 USC 5312 of the Bank Secrecy Act.

This means that if your involved in ANY capacity with moving money through a Nevada casino, your subject to the same federal anti-money laundering requirements as a bank teller. The same Currency Transaction Report requirements. The same Suspicious Activity Report requirements. The same “know your customer” rules. And the same federal criminal penalties when you dont comply.

Most defense content will tell you about Nevada’s gaming regulations. The Nevada Gaming Control Board. State law. That stuff matters, but its not what destroys you. Federal prosecution destroys you. And the District of Nevada has made casino-related financial crimes a primary enforcement priority.

The $162 Million Casino Reckoning

Let me give you some numbers that should make you extremely uncomfortable if you work in or around Nevada casinos. These are from 2024-2025 – not ancient history, not isolated incidents. This year.

Wynn Resorts paid $130 million to federal authorities and admitted that it allowed unlicensed money transfers from around the world to reach gamblers at its flagship Las Vegas Strip property. U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath said this was believed to be the largest forfeiture by a casino “based on admissions of criminal wrongdoing.” Read that again. Wynn Resorts – one of the most sophisticated casino operators in the world, with compliance departments and legal teams – ADMITTED criminal wrongdoing.

Resorts World Las Vegas paid a $10.5 million fine in March 2025 after the Nevada Gaming Control Board identified “widespread problems” in the resort’s anti-money laundering procedures. Widespread. Not a one-time mistake. Systematic failures.

MGM Resorts was fined $8.5 million for knowingly dealing with an illegal bookmaker. The MGM Grand took $4 million in cash from the bookie. The Cosmopolitan took more than $900,000 in wagers.

Caesars Entertainment was fined $7.8 million for similar violations.

Add it up:

• Wynn: $130 million
• Resorts World: $10.5 million
• MGM: $8.5 million
• Caesars: $7.8 million
• Total: Over $162 million in one year

Now heres what this means for you. These casinos have resources you dont have. They have compliance officers whose entire job is preventing these violations. They have attorneys on retainer. They have training programs. They still got prosecuted and paid millions to avoid criminal charges.

If Wynn Resorts cant navigate federal Bank Secrecy Act requirements, how are you supposed to?

Thats not a rhetorical question. Its the question that should keep you awake at night if your anywhere near casino money flows.

When Casino Presidents Go to Federal Court

Scott Sibella was the President of MGM Grand Las Vegas. Not a low-level employee. Not some cage worker. The PRESIDENT of one of the most iconic casinos in the world. He had access to MGM’s entire legal department, compliance teams, and resources.

In 2024, Sibella went to federal court after allowing an illegal sports bookie to gamble $120,000 in unreported cash at the MGM Grand in 2017. He violated federal anti-money laundering rules. The casino itself paid $4 million. Sibella faced criminal charges.

Let that sink in. The casino paid. Sibella still got charged. Your employer wont protect you. Theyll pay the fine and youll face the prosecution.

The prosecution said MGM Grand and The Cosmopolitan agreed to pay a combined $7.45 million “because of his actions and their failure to comply with anti-money laundering compliance programs.” Notice the language. “His actions” and “their failure.” Both got punished. The individual AND the institution.

Now imagine your not a casino president. Your a pit boss. A cage manager. A casino host. You process a transaction for a high-stakes gambler. They give you $15,000 in cash. You think nothing of it – high-stakes gamblers deal in cash all the time. But the casino didnt file a Currency Transaction Report because it wasnt documented properly. Six months later, federal agents show up.

Your facing the same charges Sibella faced. Except you dont have MGM’s legal team. You dont have millions for a defense. Your on your own.

This is the reality of federal prosecution in Nevada. It doesnt target who you think it targets.

Why Your Casino Cage Job Is a Federal Crime Exposure

Most people think money laundering is a crime for drug dealers and mobsters. Cartels smuggling cash across borders. That kind of thing. And yes, thats money laundering.

But heres what federal prosecutors know that you probably dont: under 18 USC 1956, money laundering is defined as conducting a financial transaction with proceeds of unlawful activity with intent to promote that activity OR to conceal the source of the funds.

Notice it doesnt say “drug money” or “mafia money.” It says “proceeds of unlawful activity.” That could be anything. Tax evasion. Illegal gambling. Fraud. Wire fraud. Identity theft.

Now heres were casino employees get trapped. Your job is to process transactions. A gambler comes to your cage window with $20,000 in cash. You exchange it for chips. Normal transaction, right?

Except what if that cash came from illegal gambling operation in another state? What if it came from a tax evasion scheme? What if the gambler is using the casino to “clean” money that has an illegal source?

If the casino fails to file the required Suspicious Activity Report, and if federal prosecutors can show you “should have known” something was suspicious, your now part of a money laundering conspiracy. Even if you had no idea. Even if you were just doing your job.

The legal standard is “willful blindness.” Did you deliberately avoid learning the truth? Did you ignore red flags? Prosecutors dont have to prove you KNEW the money was illegal. They just have to prove you SHOULD HAVE known, and you processed it anyway.

A cage worker at a Nevada casino has more federal money laundering exposure than a bank teller, because high-stakes gambling naturally involves large cash transactions that look exactly like money laundering.

The 20-Year Money Laundering Trap You Didn’t See

Let me walk you through the consequence cascade. This is what actually happens when you accept unreported cash from a gambler.

The 10-Step Cascade to Federal Prison

Step 1: You accept $15,000 in cash from a gambler at your cage. You process the transaction. It seems routine.

Step 2: The casino’s compliance department is supposed to file a Currency Transaction Report for cash transactions over $10,000. They dont, because the transaction wasnt properly documented in the system.

Step 3: Six months later, the gambler gets arrested in another state for running an illegal gambling operation. Federal agents seize his financial records.

Step 4: Those records show he made multiple trips to your casino. Large cash deposits. Large cash withdrawals. The pattern looks like money laundering.

Step 5: The casino files a Suspicious Activity Report – but only AFTER the gambler was arrested. Too late. The failure to file timely SARs becomes evidence of institutional failure.

Step 6: Federal agents interview you. “Did you process transactions for this individual?” You say yes. “Did you find anything suspicious about the amounts?” You say no, it seemed normal for a high-stakes gambler. “Did you verify the source of the funds?” You say that wasnt your job, you just process transactions.

Step 7: Federal prosecutors charge you with money laundering under 18 USC 1956. Maximum penalty: 20 years. They also charge you with conspiracy to commit money laundering. Another 20 years. They charge the casino with Bank Secrecy Act violations.

Step 8: The casino pays a multi-million dollar settlement. You dont have millions. Your options are: plead guilty and hope for a reduced sentence, or go to trial against federal prosecutors with a 90%+ conviction rate.

Step 9: Your assets get frozen under federal asset forfeiture laws. The government claims the money you earned processing these transactions was proceeds of money laundering. Your bank accounts. Your car. Your house if you own one.

Step 10: You take a plea deal. Five years in federal prison. 85% of that time with no parole. You’ll serve at least 4.25 years. Your career in gaming is over. Youll never work in a casino again.

That’s the cascade. And it starts with a transaction you thought was normal.

The Sentencing Reality

The federal money laundering statute has a base offense level of 8 under the sentencing guidelines, with increases based on the amount of money involved. For amounts between $150,000 and $250,000, you add 12 levels. For more than $250,000, you add 14 levels. If your involved in multiple transactions over a year, the amounts aggregate.

A defendant with no criminal history, offense level 22, faces 41-51 months. Thats with a plea deal and cooperation. If you go to trial and lose, the guidelines go higher. 20 years isnt theoretical. Its the statutory maximum that prosecutors use as leverage.

What Federal Defense Actually Looks Like in Nevada

After everything Ive described – the $162 million in casino settlements, the Sibella prosecution, the money laundering traps – you might be wondering what actually works. What can a federal defense attorney do in this environment?

Prevention is Everything

First, understand that prevention is worth infinitely more then defense. If your working in or around Nevada casinos and you havent had compliance training on Bank Secrecy Act requirements, your already at risk. A federal defense attorney can provide that training BEFORE anything happens. Before the investigation. Before the charges.

If you receive a target letter from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Nevada, that means prosecutors are considering charging you. This is the window were experienced federal defense can make the difference between indictment and declination. Your attorney can communicate with prosecutors, present mitigating information, and potentially prevent charges from being filed. Once your indicted, the leverage shifts dramatically against you.

Understanding the Specific Statute Matters

Second, if your already charged, understanding the specific statute matters enormously. Bank Secrecy Act violations under 31 USC are different from money laundering charges under 18 USC 1956. The elements are different. The defenses are different. The sentencing exposure is different.

For BSA violations, the government has to prove you “willfully” violated reporting requirements. Willfulness means you knew about the requirement and intentionally disregarded it. If you can show you didnt know about the reporting requirement – maybe the casino never trained you, maybe you were following what your supervisor told you to do – that undermines willfulness.

For money laundering, the government has to prove you knew or should have known the funds were proceeds of unlawful activity. “Should have known” is where willful blindness comes in. But willful blindness requires proof that you deliberately avoided learning the truth. If you had no reason to suspect anything, if the transaction appeared legitimate, if you followed casino procedures, that can be a defense.

Cooperation Strategy

Third, cooperation strategy in Nevada casino cases is complex. If you cooperate against the casino itself, your burning your employer. If you cooperate against the gambler, you might have useful information. If you cooperate against other employees, your creating enemies and potentially destroying relationships. Todd Spodek and the Spodek Law Group team have handled federal cooperation cases across the country. We understand the strategic calculation: when cooperation helps, when it hurts, and how to position you for the best possible outcome.

Sentencing Mitigation

Fourth, sentencing mitigation is critical. The federal sentencing guidelines are complicated, but they’re not mandatory. Judges can vary downward for mitigating factors. If you can show you were a low-level participant, if you can show minimal culpability, if you can show acceptance of responsibility, these factors can reduce your sentence by years.

The District of Nevada federal court isnt the mob cases from old Vegas. Its white-collar prosecution of casino industry professionals who didnt understand the federal rules they were operating under. If your facing federal charges in Nevada – or if federal agents have contacted you and charges seem likely – call 212-300-5196 for a consultation. We’ll give you an honest assessment of were you stand and what your options actually are.

The casino industry cant protect itself from federal prosecution. Your not going to do better without experienced counsel.