The casino company owned by American billionaire Sheldon Adelson, a close ally of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has been under federal investigation for the last year for alleged bribery of foreign officials, ABC News is reporting.

Adelson, the main donor to U.S. presidential candidate Newt Gingrich and the owner of the Israeli daily Israel Hayom, holds 49% of the Sands casino company, and according to reports, is directly involved in the company’s operations. The casino that the company set up in the Chinese island of Macau turned it into the largest gambling company in the world.

Last year, the Department of Justice and the Securities Exchange Commission launched an investigation into Adelson’s alleged bribery of Chinese officials.According to ABC, Sands casinos was allegedly cooperating with Chinese organized crime groups, known as triads, who allegedly organized high stakes gambling and sex junkets.

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Chinese press reported at the time that more than 100 prostitutes were found in the casino, during a raid by local authorities. A former manager at the casino, Steven C. Jacobs, sued Sands, claiming that Adelson told him to remain silent regarding investigation taking place against the company.

For more, go to haaretz.com

Read the Forward’s groundbreaking story about the Adelson–Gingrich alliance.

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