Gamal Aziz

Gamal Aziz
Gamal Abdelaziz
Born1957 or 1958 (age 66–67)
Egypt
NationalityEgyptian-American
Alma materUniversity of Cairo (bachelor's degree in business)
Occupations
Children3[1]

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 president and COO of MGM Resorts International.[2][1][3]

Aziz was one of the individuals accused in the 2019 college admissions Varsity Blues case.[4][5][6][7] In May 2023, the First Circuit Court of Appeals issued a ruling clearing Aziz of all charges.[8]

Career

Aziz was born in Egypt, grew up in Cairo, Egypt, and resides in Las Vegas, Nevada.[9][1][10] He earned a bachelor's degree in business at the University of Cairo.[9]

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][11]

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.[11] He oversaw the food and beverage division.[9][12]

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.[13][2][11][9][14][15][16] He was then president and chief operating officer of MGM Resorts International, and then MGM Hospitality in September 2010.[2][11][17] In that position he helped finalize 27 hotel projects in leisure markets around the world.[2][5]

In January 2013 Aziz was appointed president and chief operating officer of Wynn Resorts Development LLC, overseeing expansion opportunities.[5][2][18] He next became president of Wynn Macau, Ltd., reporting directly to Wynn.[11] In December 2015 Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne (EHL), a hotel and hospitality school, appointed him to its international advisory board.[19] He resigned in September 2016 as president and as a board member of Wynn Macau.[20]

Aziz has been CEO of Legacy Hospitality Group since January 2017, according to his LinkedIn page.[5][12][21]

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,[9][12][13][22] as part of the 2019 college admissions Varsity Blues case.[4][5][6][7]

In May 2023, the First Circuit Court of Appeals issued a ruling clearing Aziz of all charges.[23] A three-panel judge issued the reversal after finding that a lower court had made missteps during Aziz’s trial.[24][25][26] The Los Angeles Times reported that the 3-0 decision was a result of the charges against Aziz being “based on misapplications of the law, unsupported by the evidence presented at trial, or tainted by the introduction of evidence about other Singer clients whom Abdelaziz… had nothing to do with.”[23] Circuit Judge Sandra Lynch commented that the way the evidence was presented created “an unacceptable risk that the jury convicted Abdelaziz and Wilson based on others’ conduct rather than their own.”[27] As a result of the ruling, Aziz would also become the only accused parent in the college admissions scandal to avoid punishment.[28]

References

  1. ^ a b c "MGM rumor turns out to be Grand tale," Gaming Today, 18 June 2002.
  2. ^ a b c d e f 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. ^ a b "Affidavit in Support of Criminal Complaint," U.S. Justice Department, 11 March 2019.
  5. ^ a b c d e Stutz, Howard (12 March 2019). "Nevada gaming executive indicted in college admissions and bribery scandal". The Nevada Independent.
  6. ^ a b "Wynn Resorts unveils 3D casino model - The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved 2023-06-19.
  7. ^ a b Barrett, Devlin; Zapotosky, Matt (2019-03-13). "FBI accuses wealthy parents, including celebrities, in college-entrance bribery scheme". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2023-06-19.
  8. ^ Korn, Melissa (2023-05-10). "Appeals Court Tosses Convictions of Two Parents in Varsity Blues Case". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2023-06-19.
  9. ^ a b c d e 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.
  10. ^ "Affidavit in Support of Criminal Complaint," U.S. Justice Department, 11 March 2019.
  11. ^ a b c d e "Biography: Gamal Aziz". The American Chamber of Commerce in Macau.
  12. ^ a b c Prince, Todd (12 March 2019). "Suspect in college bribery case opened Las Vegas, Macau casinos". Las Vegas Review-Journal.
  13. ^ a b 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.
  14. ^ 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.
  15. ^ Gebauer, Julie; Lowman, Don (2008). Closing the Engagement Gap: How Great Companies Unlock Employee Potential for Superior Results. Penguin. ISBN 9781440659171 – via Google Books.
  16. ^ Snell, Scott; Bohlander, George W. (2012). Managing Human Resources. Cengage Learning. ISBN 978-1133707394 – via Google Books.
  17. ^ MGM Resorts International Promotes Gamal Aziz to President and CEO of MGM Hospitality, 16 September 2010.
  18. ^ Arsenault, Mark (14 June 2013). "Wynn renders casino in 3D". The Boston Globe.
  19. ^ "Gamal Aziz, President and Executive Director of Wynn Macau, appointed to Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne International Advisory Board". ehotelierms. 11 November 2015.
  20. ^ Daniels, Jeff (30 September 2016). "Wynn stock trips after key Macau exec behind Palace departs". CNBC.
  21. ^ "Gamal Aziz; Chairman and CEO at Legacy Hospitality Group", LinkedIn.
  22. ^ "Aziz helped plan Encore Boston Harbor; Now he's charged in college admissions scam". masslive. 2019-03-13. Retrieved 2021-03-31.
  23. ^ a b "Court overturns convictions of first two parents tried in college admissions scandal". Los Angeles Times. 2023-05-11. Retrieved 2023-06-19.
  24. ^ "'Varsity Blues' Dads Say Recent Ruling Bolsters Their Appeal - Law360". www.law360.com. Retrieved 2023-05-11.
  25. ^ Hartocollis, Anemona (2023-05-11). "Appeals Court Overturns Fraud and Conspiracy Convictions in Varsity Blues Scandal". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-05-11.
  26. ^ "UNITED STATES, Appellee, v. GAMAL ABDELAZIZ, Defendant, Appellant" (PDF).
  27. ^ "Appeals court overturns convictions of two parents in Varsity Blues College Scandal". Washington Post. 2023-05-10.
  28. ^ Velotta, Richard N. (August 14, 2023). "Longtime gaming executive Aziz feels vindicated after scandal". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved November 22, 2023.