Gaming a beneficial. Stripping bad.
Travelling Interstate 5 from Southern area Bay and you can notice the fancy billboards beckoning you to definitely 7 Mile Gambling enterprise. Situated on Bay Boulevard inside Chula Opinions, the latest casino are an outrageous piece of content replete with haute food, an elegant club, an excellent glassed-within the deck, a great waterfall, and valet parking.
7 Mile Gambling enterprise kept the grand beginning with the July 23. Chula Vista’s whole town council – Tap Aguilar, Pamela Bensoussan, John McCann, and you may Steve Miesen – joined gambling establishment owner Harvey Souza towards the stage-set right up inside the side of one’s gambling enterprise. Gran Mary Casillas Salas stood beside Souza waving an oversized happy 7 away from expensive diamonds credit during the sitting audience.
Chula Views fetes Seven Mile Local casino since the FBI talks about they
Nothing of your personal rates seemed to have any qualms in the what appeared as if cheerleading to own gaming, in addition they the seemed to keeps amnesia regarding the proven fact that Souza’s earlier place, the fresh Village Bar Cards Area towards the Broadway, had been raided from the Federal Bureau regarding Investigations during the 2014 – and might be around analysis.
This specialized service for 1 adult-amusement establishment contrasts which have Chula Vista’s effective energy to close off down the newest EyeCandy remove mutual below a kilometer out. Shortly after a two-season judge competition, a courtroom bought EyeCandy to close off off for the .
Subsequently, Eight Kilometer Local casino and you will Souza’s position in the neighborhood have ascended. Inside Sep, new Foreign-language-language people magazine La Prensa, freshly acquired of the political representative Ways Castanares, carried a full-webpage post getting Eight Kilometer Gambling establishment and you can a lifestyle story regarding Souza, entitled, “Harvey Souza: A lifestyle serious about Chula Opinions.” The fresh section relates to Souza since the an energetic philanthropist and states the guy has given millions so you can nonprofits eg Southern Bay Community Properties. New Los angeles Prensa blog post comes with a keen egalitarian quote out-of Souza: “We all have been equivalent as soon as we is located at the latest gambling dining tables. Right here, the socioeconomic updates or job don’t count.”
Souza are important from the regional political figures, in which he is definitely best that you them. For the a young race for lots more tables, Souza hired previous gran Cheryl Cox to-be their consultant. In 1998, it actually was Cox whom pled their case before the urban area council.
Considering good Relationship-Tribune blog post regarding the period, Cox debated, “Mr. Souza is in which to possess his team and also to perpetuate 53 numerous years of strong control away from a corporate that was a good to own Chula Horizon, and has not levied the kind of tension upon their governmental rates we might anxiety, is we be looking on associations having 180–200 tables.”
Not everyone inside the Chula Vista are away from Cox’s marketing. Paul Pfingst, who was simply section attorney during the time, turned up till the town council to help you competition the fresh new expansion. A Partnership -Tribune blog post quoted Pfingst arguing, “[B]ecause you will find a big amount of bucks running all the way through the fresh new exact same individual, chances for the money laundering or other type of things are a lot more present.” The guy including indicated so you’re able to “undue has an effect on one to major betting can have towards decided authorities.”
Actually for the 2003, if you are she try offering due to the fact an effective Chula Horizon Basic trustee and you will seated towards the city’s constitution-remark committee, Cox reported that she is actually being employed as a representative to the Town Club Card Space. Of course Cox went getting , she received $13,100000 from the card place for her campaign.
Souza has been nice having political leaders. At this time, the utmost promotion contribution people can make so you’re able to a good council applicant is actually $320 for each election stage. Before bullet away from elections, Souza and his girlfriend Bette as one offered Bodog casino bonus codes Salas $600, McCann $600, Aguilar $620, and you may Bensoussan $620; councilmember Miesen is designated, thus the guy amassed no strategy contributions.