The Black Book and the Mob: The Untold Story of the Control of Nevada's Casinos

7. Tamer "The Atypical"

7 Tamer "The Atypical" After 17 years of investigation by five separate Nevada gaming control boards, 76-year-old James Tamer became the 28th nominee to the Black Book. While others were denied licensing as early as 1970 because of their business associations with him, Tamer was not entered into the Black Book until 1988. He had been denied licensing as a key employee of the Aladdin in 1978; was convicted of conspiracy to have hidden ownership in the hotel and casino in 1979 and was subsequently excluded from its premises; was nominated to the Black Book first in 1986, only to have that nomination dismissed in five months; was nominated a second time in 1987; and was finally entered on the List of Excluded Persons in 1988. Tamer was in several ways very different from most of those who have been entered into the book. He was a respected businessman -an owner of a major steel and electronics manufacturing firm, the owner of a country club, and the director of a Las Vegas show. Born of Lebanese parents in Pottsville, Pennsylvania , Tamer was awarded a Statue of Liberty Ellis Island Foundation ethnic achievement medal in honor of his contributions to Lebanese Christians only two weeks before his first nomination to the Black Book. Even experts on organized crime did not agree about his association with certain crime families. He had no felony conviction record when the regulators first sought to deny him licensing as a key employee in the industry. And, when a conviction finally had been obtained against him in 1979, it was only for conspiracy. Adding to the state's problem was his per120 Copyrighted Material Tamer "The Atypical" sonal decorum and the very competent legal representation that he had throughout his dealings with the regulators. Because Tamer did not fit the traditional conception of organized crime, there were problems in establishing his threat to the industry. Struggling with the issue, the regulators sought to redefine the factors that constituted such threat. These included issues of ethnicity, what constitutes an official record of criminality , and the very nature of organized crime itself. By expanding the conception of organized crime to encompass Tamer's national origin and business activities, and by viewing as a history of criminality unfounded allegations, indictments that were dismissed , and convictions that were subsequently reversed, the board was able to establish the grounds necessary for its action. FIRST ATTENTION TO TAMER Tamer was a subject of board concern as early as 1970. At that time, a friend and business associate, George George, was denied a license for ownership of the Aladdin Hotel because of his association with Tamer. Then in 1976, while executive show director of the Aladdin, he was again under the scrutiny of state regulators while they considered the application of George's wife, Mae Ellen George, to hold an interest in the casino through purchase of its stock. The owners of the Aladdin had given Mr. George an option on the stock and, following his death, said they would honor the agreement with his wife.! Her application for ownership was also denied because of her relationship with Tamer, who was viewed even then as a "person of notorious or unsavory reputation."2 There was never any question of the basis for the denial. Responding to the commission's inquiries regarding her relationship to Tamer, Mrs. George directly inquired of Chairman Phillip Hannifin whether he, too, considered her "tainted" because of the association, a word that the board's investigators had used earlier to refer to her (p. 108). Of concern to the regulators at the time of Mrs. George's application was not whether Tamer had any association with organized crime, but what the nature of that association was. There was a presumption of guilt. James Ritchie, an attorney with the U.s. Justice Department, Organized Crime and Racketeering Section , was called as an expert witness in the case (pp. 41-66). 121 Copyrighted Material INTERNAL CRISES IN THE INDUSTRY Ritchie testified regarding Tamer's activities and reputation in the Detroit area on the basis of knowledge from his assignment to the Detroit strike force from 1968 to 1971. The following excerpts from Ritchie's sworn statement cast doubt on Tamer's alleged involvement with organized crime: Mr. Tamer was reared in the same location as many of the individuals identified as members of organized crime ... he knows them...