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Knappster: Horseshoe closure could play role in Binion II trial

By George Knapp

The sad closure of Binion's Horseshoe this past weekend wasn't much of a surprise, but it still hurts a bit for anyone who ever spent an afternoon slamming drinks at the Horsehoe bar, or enjoyed late-night specials in the coffee shop, or ever gawked at poker celebrities during the World Series tournaments, or ever got a cheesy snapshot in front of a million bucks. The truth is, the old Binion's has been gone for a long time now.

State gaming agents and federal marshals effectively put the final nails in the Binion coffin when they swooped into the venerable property and shut the place down. Even if it reopens, it won't be a Binion family operation ever again.

For the past two years, owner Becky Behnen has vigorously and repeatedly denied the property had financial problems, even though everyone in town knew she wasn't being truthful. We all wanted to believe her because, face it, for decades the Horseshoe was not only a downtown institution, but a profit machine, a virtual license to print money. As it turns out, Becky and her husband, Nick, needed only a short time to run the place into the ground. There are some folks just dying to say "I told you so."

Accused murderer Sandy Murphy is one of them. Murphy, co-defendant Rick Tabish and their assorted lawyers have long contended that their own legal troubles were largely created because of the greed of the Behnens. It all started, Murphy told me, when the Behnens started leaking information about Ted Binion's drug use. The info was turned over to media people who were only too happy to slime Ted Binion while he was alive. Gaming authorities pounced on it and forced Binion out of the gambling business, which paved the way for Becky to take over the Horseshoe despite warnings that she didn't know diddly about running a gambling hall.

One year before Ted Binion's death, Knappster received a phone call from Ted and his then-girlfriend, Sandy. The pair told me back then that someone "in the family" was trying to kill them and had shot up their house. Neither would go on the record at the time, so I never reported their suspicions. Later, it was widely reported that Ted believed his sister had taken out a contract on his life. (He may have done likewise to her.) When he turned up dead from an apparent overdose, pressure from the Behnens eventually led to murder charges against Murphy and Tabish. Becky then metamorphosed into the great defender of her brother's memory. She turned up the heat on the suspects by relying on familiar friends in the media. Reporters who earlier decried Ted's drug habits were suddenly beating the drum to demand justice for his alleged killers.

Attorney Herb Sachs, currently part of the Murphy defense team, says he doesn't see how the closure of the Horseshoe might directly affect the retrial of Murphy and Tabish. At a minimum, he thinks it tends to verify at least part of the scenario being espoused by the defendants, that the charges against them were somehow orchestrated. During the first trial, the defense never raised the issue that Ted's own family members might have wanted him dead. It was mentioned outside the courtroom, but never in front of the jury. Now that the Behnens will no longer have the power and influence that go hand in hand with a casino license, lawyers for Murphy and Tabish just might be emboldened enough to take the gloves off.

To do this, they would have to admit that Ted Binion was murdered, a risky strategic move and something they've strenuously denied in the past. But if they could come up with, say, a witness or a semi-smoking gun, then maybe the untimely demise of the Horseshoe will become part of a larger defense scenario during the upcoming retrial.

I feel bad for other members of the Binion family over the loss of the Binion legacy, but I rejoice for the loyal employees of the Horseshoe now that it appears someone who knows the business (Harrah's) will be running the place.

Blue Diamond update

Our column last week about a revival of plans to build a power plant atop Blue Diamond hill drew many responses. The law firm of Lionel Sawyer and Collins informed us that the Mitsubishi Corp. was no longer involved in such plans. In fact, Mitsubishi is currently spending money to repair any damage its initial studies caused to the environment near Red Rock Canyon. The corporate giant no longer supports the idea in any way, the lawyers told us.

We also heard from Rep. Shelley Berkley, who said she planned to have a long talk with the Maryland congressman who has offered to help the power plant proposal move forward. And local activist Lisa Mayo Deriso, who recently helped lead the charge against a proposed hotel tower at Red Rock Station, says she will lend the grassroots muscle of her community organization to the anti-power plant effort. Mayo Deriso has scheduled a planning session with Jeff van Ee, the environmental activist who helped expose the power plant plan.

Names, faces, places

Metro Police Sgt. Tom Keller is calling it quits. A retirement party for the 23-year veteran was held this week. Keller was a decorated officer who helped create Metro's vaunted cyber crimes unit, but his reputation was slammed last year when the news broke that he had accepted a loan from Rick Rizzolo, owner of the Crazy Horse Too. Keller insisted he had done nothing illegal but admitted it probably didn't look good. He was disciplined and transferred but now leaves the force with his head held high. ... The bitter dispute between Cox Communications and ESPN may be nearing an end. There are rumblings that the two sides are close to a deal that will keep ESPN on the local cable distributor. ... Veteran casino dealer Larry Gentry, who has dealt cards and worked as a supervisor at some of the best properties in town over the past several years, agrees with my esteemed colleague Jane Ann Morrison that there is "no such thing" as a cooler. The new movie The Cooler suggests that casinos have dealers who are just so damned lucky that they are brought in to shut down card players who are on a roll. But, Larry says, casinos do believe that some dealers are just luckier than others. Dealers who tend to give away too much of the house's money are never put into the high-stakes games. No one keeps exact tabs on what an individual dealer wins or loses but pit bosses have a general sense about which dealers are lucky and which ones aren't. ... Anyone interested in owning a piece of mob history should check out this item on eBay. A seller who claims a kinship to former mobster Mickey Cohen is offering a pair of cufflinks once owned by none other than Bugsy Siegel. The opening bid is $500. ... Nevada prison inmate Korinda Martin had a baby boy this week. Readers will recall our report on Ms. Martin from a few weeks ago. She claims she was raped by a corrections officer and she is now suing the state, the guard, the prison and the company that runs the prison. Knappster would like to extend thanks to those readers who offered to serve as foster parents to Korinda's baby until she gets out of the slammer in about a year. Kenneth and Jacqueline Reimer were among those who offered to help. For some reason, though, Martin's attorney, Scott Oliphant, never bothered to return messages regarding the Reimers' offer, or a similar offer from another reader. It makes us wonder what will happen to the baby and whether Mr. Oliphant is paying attention. ... Conservative political activist George Harris apparently got a chuckle out of Knappster's response last week to a barb sent our way. Harris is the editor of Liberty Watch, a conservative political newsletter that recently chided yours truly over a column about public employees serving in the Legislature. Harris not only got a few laughs out of our response, but he and columnist Doug French invited Knappster to dinner, presumably so they can talk some sense into this mushy liberal mind. ... If we needed any further proof of just what a bonehead Rush Limbaugh is, look no further than this weekend's NFL playoff results. The Philadelphia Eagles didn't beat the Packers because the white media were rooting for black quarterback Donovan McNabb to do well. The Eagles won because McNabb is a gifted athlete. ... On the subject of the NFL playoffs, local sports bettor Lem Banker is on one hell of a roll. Two weeks ago, Banker had four winners. This past weekend, he urged this troubled gambler to take the Packers and Titans. Both teams lost, but both covered. Thanks, Lem. ... Feld Entertainment no longer has Siegfried and Roy as its meal ticket, but will soon launch something called "Disney Live," an interactive show that features Winnie the Pooh. The show will debut in New Zealand before it makes its way to these parts. ... Former Gov. Mike O'Callaghan doesn't want anyone to know what he is doing behind the scenes to help certain people whose names I can't mention. Rather than have people gushing over him for his acts of kindness, he'd rather spend his time getting things done. Since I'm sworn to secrecy, I can't explain further, except to say that Gov. O'Callaghan is one heck of a guy.