Gamal Aziz

Gamal Aziz, also known as Gamal Abdelaziz, (Arabic: جمال عزيز) (born 1957 or 1958) is an Egyptian-American businessman. Aziz is the former president of Wynn Macau Limited and chief operating officer of Wynn Resorts Development. He was also the former CEO of MGM Resorts International.[2][1][3] In March 2019, Aziz and others were named in a criminal complaint filed by the U.S. Justice Department, and charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud, as part of the 2019 college admissions bribery scandal.[4]

Gamal Aziz
Gamal Abdelaziz
Born1957 or 1958 (age 63–64)
Egypt
NationalityEgyptian-American
Alma materUniversity of Cairo (bachelor's degree in business)
Occupation
Children3[1]

Career

Aziz was born in Egypt, grew up in Cairo, Egypt, and resides in Las Vegas, Nevada.[5][1][4] He earned a bachelor's degree in business at the University of Cairo.[5]

He held senior executive positions at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, the Plaza Hotel in New York City, the Westin Hotel in Washington, D.C., and the St. Francis in San Francisco.[2][6]

Aziz helped Steve Wynn open the Bellagio, the most expensive US hotel ever built, as that hotel's senior vice president, a post he held from 1998 to 2000.[6] He oversaw the food and beverage division.[5][7]

Aziz was next president and chief operating officer of the 5,000-room, 10,000-employee resort MGM Grand, the largest hotel by rooms in the US, joining it in 2001.[8][2][6][5][9][10][11] He was then president and chief operating officer of MGM Resorts International, and then MGM Hospitality in September 2010.[2][6][12] In that position he helped finalize 27 hotel projects in leisure markets around the world.[2][13]

In January 2013 Aziz was appointed president and chief operating officer of Wynn Resorts Development LLC, overseeing expansion opportunities.[13][2][14] He next became president of Wynn Macau, Ltd., reporting directly to Wynn.[6] In December 2015 Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne (EHL), a hotel and hospitality school, appointed him to its international advisory board.[15] He resigned in September 2016 as president and as a board member of Wynn Macau.[16]

As of March 2019, Aziz was chairman and CEO of Legacy Hospitality Group since January 2017, according to his LinkedIn page.[13][7][17]

Aziz was involved in the 2019 college admissions bribery scandal.[13][4][18] He was accused of federal charges which included donating $300,000 to a college consulting nonprofit in order to facilitate the falsification of his daughter's athletic honors as well as a false athletic profile. These actions may have contributed to his daughter's acceptance into the University of Southern California (USC) as a basketball recruit.[5][7][8][13][19] He was arrested on March 12, 2019, on charges of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud, but was soon granted a personal recognizance release bond which required him to appear in court.[20][21]

On March 29, 2019, Aziz appeared in court. His attorney Brian Kelley said they intend to fight the allegations and stated to the press "we maintain it is a weak case", and that the government's case hinges on a "deeply compromised" witness.[22][23][24]

On September 8, 2021, Aziz's criminal trial officially began, with jury selection commencing in a Boston federal court.[25]

On October 8, 2021, he was found guilty.[26]

References
  1. "MGM rumor turns out to be Grand tale," Gaming Today, 18 June 2002.
  2. Katsilometes, John (7 January 2013). "Gamal Aziz jumps from MGM Hospitality to new post with Wynn". Las Vegas Sun.
  3. "Gamal Aziz". Enigma Magazine. 1 March 2011.
  4. "Affidavit in Support of Criminal Complaint," U.S. Justice Department, 11 March 2019.
  5. Kaihla, Paul (6 July 2006). "Going from good to the MGM Grand; By ripping out its best-performing venues, Gamal Aziz has reinvented the MGM Grand - and pioneered a radical new growth strategy". CNN.
  6. "Biography: Gamal Aziz". The American Chamber of Commerce in Macau.
  7. Prince, Todd (12 March 2019). "Suspect in college bribery case opened Las Vegas, Macau casinos". Las Vegas Review-Journal.
  8. Solis, Steph (13 March 2019). "Gamal Aziz, charged in college admissions scandal, worked for Wynn Resorts, helping to secure license for Encore Boston Harbor". masslive.com.
  9. Byrnes, Nanette (16 January 2009). "The Issue: Maintaining Employee Engagement; For CEO Gamal Aziz, the challenge is maintaining the MGM Grand's remarkable employee engagement during tough times for the hotel and for Las Vegas". Bloomberg.
  10. Gebauer, Julie; Lowman, Don (2008). Closing the Engagement Gap: How Great Companies Unlock Employee Potential for Superior Results. Penguin. ISBN 9781440659171 – via Google Books.
  11. Snell, Scott; Bohlander, George W. (2012). Managing Human Resources. Cengage Learning. ISBN 978-1133707394 – via Google Books.
  12. MGM Resorts International Promotes Gamal Aziz to President and CEO of MGM Hospitality, 16 September 2010.
  13. Stutz, Howard (12 March 2019). "Nevada gaming executive indicted in college admissions and bribery scandal". The Nevada Independent.
  14. Arsenault, Mark (14 June 2013). "Wynn renders casino in 3D". The Boston Globe.
  15. "Gamal Aziz, President and Executive Director of Wynn Macau, appointed to Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne International Advisory Board". ehotelierms. 11 November 2015.
  16. Daniels, Jeff (30 September 2016). "Wynn stock trips after key Macau exec behind Palace departs". CNBC.
  17. "Gamal Aziz; Chairman and CEO at Legacy Hospitality Group", LinkedIn.
  18. Zapotosky, Matt; Barrett, Devlin (12 March 2019). "FBI accuses wealthy parents, including celebrities, in college-entrance bribery scheme". The Washington Post.
  19. "Aziz helped plan Encore Boston Harbor; Now he's charged in college admissions scam". masslive. 2019-03-13. Retrieved 2021-03-31.
  20. Prince, Todd (March 12, 2019). "Suspect in college bribery case opened Las Vegas, Macau casinos". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
  21. Stutz, Howard (March 12, 2021). "Nevada gaming executive indicted in college admissions and bribery scandal". Nevada Independent. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
  22. "The Latest: Parent charged in college case to fight charges". The Washington Post. March 29, 2019.
  23. Marcelo, Philip (March 29, 2019). "Wealthy parents appear in court in college admissions scam". Associated Press.
  24. Crosby, Rachel (14 March 2019). "Las Vegas suspects in college bribery case set for hearing in Boston". Las Vegas Review-Journal.
  25. "The 1st Trial Is Kicking Off Over The 'Varsity Blues' College Admissions Scandal". NPR. Associated Press. 8 September 2021. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
  26. Hartocollis, Anemona (8 October 2021). "2 Parents Are Convicted in the Varsity Blues Admissions Trial". The New York Times.
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