Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Court upholds conviction for man who tried to extort MGM, Caesars

CARSON CITY – A federal appeals court, in a 2-1 decision, has upheld the conviction of a Las Vegas truck driver who tried to extort $500,000 from two Strip casinos.

The U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the arguments of Jeffrey D. Greer, who was sentenced to 46 months in prison for his attempt to get $250,000 each from Caesars Entertainment and MGM Resorts International.

Judge Jay S. Bybee, writing the majority opinion, rejected claims by lawyers for Greer that conflicting instructions were given to the jury and that the U.S. Attorney’s Office conducted improper questioning in Las Vegas.

Bybee wrote, with agreement from Judge Mary Schroeder, “We hold the district court did not plainly err by failing to give a specific intent instruction, nor did it give conflicting jury instructions that negated a mental state requirement of extortion.”

District Judge Owen Panner dissented, saying Greer’s extortion and racketeering convictions should be reversed. He said there was “plain error” in giving two conflicting instructions involving the intent of Greer.

Federal Judge Roger Hunt presided over the Las Vegas trial.

Greer, a driver for French Trucking, picked up bales of paper from Secured Fibers, a North Las Vegas recycling company, and delivered them to a plant in Alabama.

After the truck was unloaded, about 50 pounds of paper was left on the bed of the truck. These documents included sensitive information about the players of Caesars Entertainment and MGM Resorts, including Social Security numbers and betting habits. The casinos had contracted with Secured Fibers to destroy the documents.

Greer contacted Caesars officials and said he wanted to be hired as a consultant to “plug the hole” in its player information data. Caesars offered him $5,000 in return for learning how he acquired the information.

Greer, according to the court opinion, felt insulted and demanded a $250,000 security consulting contract and a $100,000 bonus to play in the World Series of Poker.

Caesars had no intention of paying Greer anything and the FBI was brought in. FBI agents, posing as Caesars officials, arranged a meeting with Greer and planned to arrest him as soon as he signed the bogus contract and accepted the $250,000 check.

Greer also contacted MGM Resorts and demanded $250,000. When MGM officials told Greer this was extortion, he said he would disclose the information to the media because he said he wanted the public to know MGM failed to protect confidential information.

Greer was arrested at the meeting with FBI agents.

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