Dispatch From The Desert: Xyience Scandal Widens, Prospect of Questions Scrambles Security

Las Vegas and all the grand glory it presents to the world never seem to be enough to impress me. The glitz and glamour, the lights and the noise, all of it is just one giant, monstrous, intricately choreographed sideshow. It's designed at the end of the day to take your hard earned money out of your pocket and hope you waste it on a chance of luck, a chance to spin the wheel and watch it all go bye bye.

There are more than a few people out here on the fringe of the desert who take advantage of that risk taking gene all of us have but so few cultivate and sharpen to a razor point.

I was called a "purported" investigative reporter by a lawyer at my last formal hearing in the case. I decided to show him recently how professional I can really be. I'm digging up more and more dirt as I move along, and it's getting better with each day.

"We love locals" is the motto of the Station Casinos chain just coming through bankruptcy smashingly. The Fertitta family along with the Sartini family own this entity with a company called Colony Capital providing a chunk of huge capital as well.

Colony, owned by Thomas Barrack (at left), and the Ferttittas were the stalking horse bidder in the recent Station Casinos collapse, and for $772 million plus they got their own casinos back with far less debt. The original standpoint had them around $6 billion in debt. The bankrupt it and buy it back strategy worked for Xyience, and bankrupting Station Casinos in the same manner must have felt safe. They had practice.

The fact of the matter is that Xyience is a hole in the desert, and all the old junk of the Fertittas and the UFC is buried down there. I consider this company to have a red-headed step child syndrome, and the culture is to beat that child every time someone isn't looking. The bosses do it, the employees do it, and the owners do it. It happens all the time, so who cares? The shareholders were wiped clean, the creditors are begging for pennies on the dollar, and there's settlement after settlement on the official side of the bankruptcy. The lawyer fees are still likely pretty minimal compared to what they would normally face with more fierce resistance. It's all private as well, so they don't worry about the government butting in.

They TAKE AND THEY TAKE AND THEY TAKE





Now, they're giving away a car a day as part of a Station Casinos promo. I was at a Station casino not long after I arrived in Las Vegas. I was there looking to speak with the President of Xyience, as I heard he was staying there. There was no sign of him, and he wasn't listed under his real name. I did see something interesting while I was there, though. An older gentleman got in a serious argument about charges with the hotel front desk clerk. I was there no longer than 10 minutes when all that happened. I told him to mention the attorney general, and that's when the next front desk lady called me up.

I started to pick apart Xyience and find their flaws from day one, right off the airplane. First there was a cruise around their offices and warehouse facility. Then I arrived in person. Dispatches from within told me what I was doing was working wonders. The staff was meeting about me daily, sometimes having the lawyer down there to discuss it all. The "distraction" I posed was now real, as I was in their backyard suddenly. The judge's stern order in my case that I would have to appear in person for future hearings troubled me. I decided to stay in town and start doing some digging. I wanted to find out what was buried in that Xyience hole in the desert.

When an infected wound starts to get all filled with puss and blood, as disgusting as the act may be you sometimes have to just squeeze the mess out of it. You've got to get the gunk to explode out on the floor, on the wall, all over the damn place. That's what it takes. Fraud is messy, too. You have to squeeze the main players so they will force out the root of the problem. Once you get that nugget of truth and start to run with it, they will start to figure out they are in trouble. Pressing the action and seeking out answers will either result in silence, denial, or lies to cover the tracks. I got silence out of one of the main players I went after.

IS HE IN "THE CLEAR" OR NOT?


Though it seems it is legal to sell some forms of steroids and fighters don't get arrested for testing positive, the legal steroid business still seems pretty shady.

Steroids is a serious issue in fighting. MMA is seemingly sinking to the depths of the WWE with certain leagues allowing steroids to become a major contributing factor to some fighters putting on a good show in the cage. Chael Sonnen's slap on the wrist suspension for testing more than 4 times over the legal limit for testosterone is just the latest in a long line of questionable treatment for athletes who fail their drug tests.

Baseball had Barry Bonds, and he was villified, but MMA athletes don't face the same standard in the eyes of many fans. Sonnen, and others like him, are just expected to serve out their suspensions and come back. Boo birds aside, their returns are nearly certain. Why such a different view for juicers in other sports who are left with albatrosses around their necks for life?

Just don't get caught seems to be the mentality that works in MMA. Even if you do get caught, it's a formality in this day and age. The fight happening in Nevada is also reportedly an incentive to juice since the stringent testing standards in other states have been increasing while Nevada has recently been behind on initiating more involved testing. Still, the Fertittas have not yet been linked to any formal investigation regarding providing or selling steroids. The story unfolding now does link the Fertittas to looking the other way when it comes to such behavior, though.

Balco and Bonds were able to sneak under the radar with so-called "designer" steroids. It's tough to tell if that's what is at play in my own investigation. The subject of the inquiry is a Xyience employee we shall call JV, and it fits because he may not be a varsity player at this point. There's no information he's working with the knowledge of the Fertitta family or with the sanctioning of the Xyience top brass, but there is a ton of information pointing to him being involved in steroid sales.

Still, I know the Fertittas and Xyience brass know at this point that they have a person suspected of steroid sales in their employ. This individual has been reportedly banned from going to Wanderlei Silva's gym here in Vegas. While training there, JV was reportedly speaking to a strength and conditioning coach who was "fired" a couple months ago. I am seeking to speak with that individual before publishing his name, but I know who he is and where he trains now. The investigation will continue so I can figure out whether or not this is any bigger than a couple small town Vegas guys peddling roids at a low level. I'll work in the days ahead to establish what type of steroids are involved, who ese might be involved in the purchase of these steroids, and how resistant they may be to testing.

BONUS AUDIO:

http://bit.ly/gmBUwE

http://bit.ly/gZUMTZ



THE LAWYER AND THE GENERAL MANAGER

The Walrus and The Carpenter Are in Panic Mode.

It's funny how one guy can generate so much buzz. While in Las Vegas I thought it to be pretty important to go after the attorney on the case and the general manager for the Fertitta entity that ran Xyience into the ground to promote the bankruptcy. Gregory Eugene Garman seemed on the very verge of shitting his pants when I emailed the lawyer his home address in a gated community out here. He alerted his local law enforcement and his security in the community thinking I was going to show up at his doorstep. I did the same thing to General Manager of Fertitta Enterprises and Zyen, LLC "Dollar" Bill Bullard. The actual emails confirming this are as follows:


Bill Bullard
to me



show details Feb 15 (5 days ago)

Mr Bergeron,

Be advised as a result of your continued threatening and harassing phone calls to my family I have given your picture and name to security at my residence as well as local authorities. Any attempt to approach my residence or make contact with my family will be met with your arrest.

Sent from my iPhone


===========================





Greg Garman (above) to me:

show details Feb 15 (5 days ago)

Mr. Bergeron, security at my residence and the police department have already been alerted to the threat you pose. Be advised you will be arrested should you attempt to obtain access to my neighborhood.

Sent from my iPhone

On Feb 15, 2011, at 3:54 PM, "Rich Bergeron" wrote:

> OK, so you're saying now I have to find out where you live to talk to you? Can't be that hard. I found out where Bill Bullard lives.
>
> I'm not intimidated.
>
> Why is it that all you guys are afraid to answer questions? I think it's classic that ONE GUY can cause this kind of panic when I've made no threats. I'm just talking about questions. Obviously you all have something to hide.
>
> Rich


=========================

Questions put real fear in people trying to hide the truth. As much as people will hide the truth, they hate being asked about it constantly. They're always afraid one mistake will topple the whole operation. One way or another, they think they can make sure all the oysters will be eaten by cabbages and kings:

Looking FOR LEVERAGE: Fertittas' Station Casinos Empire Running Out of Time

By: Rich Bergeron

The Fertitta Family is in crisis mode to save Station Casinos from the throes of bankruptcy, and without a solution materializing by Thursday there could be some major trouble brewing for the multi-billion dollar gaming empire.

While the Fertittas are not the only ones who find themselves stuck in the stagnant economy and obliterated by Las Vegas' worst-in-the-nation housing crisis, they are one of the most heavily leveraged casino operators and land-owners in an industry that depends on both locals and tourists alike being able to pay to play.

The Las Vegas Sun got the jump on the situation yesterday by printing a piece about commonly situated Harrah's and Station's different approaches to getting out from under their massive private debt. Sun Reporter Liz Benston described the troubling outlook in no uncertain terms:

"Analysts say Station will likely default on the company’s bank loans by year’s end because it has too much debt relative to cash flow. That could allow the bank to demand repayment, triggering a filing for bankruptcy protection."

The company's new deadline for a debt exchange Hail Mary has been set. They have until 5PM on December 11 to consider all the options on the table. Assets could potentially be sold, and reports have surfaced indicating the Fertitta Family is willing to put their own money to the cause, but they certainly won't be getting any sweetheart deals out of this scenario.

One thing's for sure, Uncle Sam will not be bailing out any casinos.

The Fertittas live in the lap of luxury, and it's not out of the realm of possibility to maintain that lifestyle even despite a potentially ugly bankruptcy of Station Casinos. Right now Frank Fertitta, Jr ranks at #20 on the list of the top 100 property tax payers in the Spring Valley CDP district of Vegas.

Frank's next-door neighbor is none other than former Aladdin Casino owner Jack Sommer, so he has someone one door down who could give him all the casino-related bankruptcy advice he needs should Station Casinos decide to go that route.

Frank Junior's sons live in mansions, too. Lorenzo's got a multi-million dollar house on Greensboro Lane, and brother Frank Fertitta III has the kind of obnoxiously huge spread that is best classified as a complex. Here's a great shot of the manse:









Vegas has been very, very good to the Fertitta family so far, but this economic crunch time comes at the worst possible moment. They are stuck at the apex of their aggressive development and massive expansion of the Station Casinos suburban hot-spot model. The company's strategy of developing huge resort-style casino communities in the suburban areas of Vegas backfired amidst the massive wave of foreclosures in those very same areas.

A town that has seen its fair share of casino implosions is undergoing a major makeover of the strip, evidenced by the recent completion of what is sure to become the next big Vegas spectacle: A GIANT VOLCANO AT THE MIRAGE THAT COST $25 MILLION JUST TO CONSTRUCT. Cranes and crowds of construction workers populate the strip now, fast at work creating a new lavish landscape for tourists to be amazed by.

And for those who didn't want to be spectacles themselves there would always be the off-strip offerings of Station Casinos like the new Red Rock facility and the still unique and secluded Green Valley Ranch--each promising pampering, privacy, and perfect ambiance. Yet, no longer are so many bigwig executives throughout the busted economy able to blow so much money without batting an eye. The out of the way premium stops are being skipped over for the conglomerated and concentrated on-strip locations. Facilities like Red Rock may be obsolete before they even get off and running, but there's no doubt a whole new level of luxury available there:

Green Valley Ranch looks like the kind of fantasy land that makes you forget you're there for the casino in the first place:

By the time the Fertittas cornered the suburban market, the market had suddenly disappeared. Yet, Station Casinos has faced difficulty before, and they'll hang on tight here and do what it takes to weather the rough patch. Industry suggestions that the company will be bankrupt by the end of the year may be premature, but not impossible at this point. If the Fertittas have mastered one thing in the business it is how to make their customers feel welcome. They represent the image of cut and polished business masterminds, yet they maxed out the company's available debt limit with massive senior secured credit facilities based on a gamble that didn't account for any downturns or deep recessions. You almost have to ask at this point if this is another Kansas City Shuffle going on behind closed doors. The way you get maximum leverage is to always be building.

As the folks who jacked up Boston's "Big-Dig" highway project know all too well, you can come up with some legendary billing proportions for construction on that kind of scale. I think the Dig's not even done yet. What is finished barely even solved the problem and went waaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyy over budget. Not to mention it literally had fatal flaws.

It's easy to lose track of small expenditures when you're dealing in hundreds of millions and every now and then even billions of dollars in contracts, land grabs, and expansion plans. If you cut corners you can free up more dough to play around with.

In organized crime terminology when it comes to casino operations, the off the top tariff called "the skim" has evolved drastically. There is a whole new atmosphere in town. There are corporate land barons and casino magnates running things now rather than Mafia capos. Yet, are we to imagine by any stretch that all the strawmen are truly gone from Vegas? Something tells me the Mob always finds a way to infiltrate from afar and will always have some kind of iron grip on Vegas. Being pushed further underground has only made the organization more tight knit and unwilling to give up any new secrets. They have to come up with more sophisticated schemes and more subtle ways to exert influence. But if they're still entrenched in town, they're hurting, too.

The Fertitta family aren't the only ones in Vegas feeling the pinch.



They're not even the only ones in the world suffering. Australia's gaming interests are reeling, too.



Tourists pinching pennies seem to be going for a look but don't touch approach, and it can't be good for the future of gaming. Boxing and Mixed Martial arts events promoted in Vegas may also suffer in the long run. Only time will tell.

The Fertittas financial issues are by no means limited to Vegas, either. California has been troublesome, too.



The Fertitta family's foray into being publicly traded doesn't seem to have turned out as the Fertittas had planned, and the private buyback last year seems to have over-burdened the brand with hard to shed debt instruments. The Fertittas are reciting a new rendition of the old Robert Frost poem this winter in Vegas:

These times are ugly, dark and deep,
But we have promises to keep,
And billions to pay before we sleep,
And billions to pay before we sleep.

Like the lawyers who promote needless delay in the bankruptcy case, the Fertittas seem to be putting off the inevitable, scrambling to figure out a deal. Lately they've been pushing back deadlines as the local Vegas tourism numbers begin to look weaker and weaker:

Station Casinos extends bond offer deadline again




LAS VEGAS TOURISM: Visitor tally continues to slide




UNLV economist says unemployment eventually may hit 10 percent locally



It should be no surprise that nobody in Vegas saw this coming or bothered to try and stop the corruption at the heart of this whole series of reports, spanning more than two years of my life now. After all, we're talking about a town spending $50 Million on a Mafia Museum project bolstered by its main backer: ex-mob-lawyer-turned-Mayor Oscar Goodman. Regardless of who is looked upon as the lesser of two evils, be it the Corporate Conglomerate or the Criminal Enterprise both now sharing Space in the new age Vegas, the common people always lose in the long run when greed takes over.

OTHER LINKS OF INTEREST:

STATION CASINOS FIGHTING OFF BANKRUPTCY



History of Las Vegas



JACK SOMMER'S GOOD FORTUNE



Aladdin Property History

Fertitta Family's Organized Crime History Offers Clues to Current Station Casinos Crisis

Chapter One: The Maceos and Fertittas establish rackets and roots in Texas:

By: Rich Bergeron

CLICK ON THE THUMBNAILS BELOW TO SEE THE IMAGES AT FULL SIZE





Sam and Rosario (Rose) Maceo blossomed from humble Italian-born barbers to booming businessmen overseeing a vast array of organized crime operations from prohibition bootlegging to the gambling boom. It is well documented that back in his day Sam Maceo reported to Carlos Marcello of New Orleans, and for years New Orleans was the highest grossing entity of all the Italian based crime families––more than NY or Chicago.

There is a great writeup about the Maceos and Fertittas early Texas days in this Texas Ranger Dispatch.

Ironically, many folks seem to remember mob rule under Maceo-Fertitta control in Galveston as very safe and secure. The same sort of “Mafia nostalgia” exists in Vegas these days since corporate control has taken the “family” out of many local businesses in more ways than one. I’ve heard of safety in numbers and mob rule, but mob safety? Not even other more well-known territorial Mafia Icons like Al Capone could muscle in on Galveston’s rackets with these guys in charge. Apparently, everything was OK in Galveston as long as the Maceos and Fertittas kept their dirty work hidden in the shadows. They peddled influence with politicians and police, and the public didn’t seem to complain much. It was often the patrons themselves at places like the Balinese Room who helped hide the gambling equipment from the Texas Rangers who would eventually bring gambling to a screeching halt in Galveston. While they lasted, though, many remember those old Texas times as a little slice of Heaven while the rest of the country was in shambles:






The Maceo brothers were very well respected and treated their business customers with the utmost courtesy. They were also experts at hiding their income and their illegal activities. When the heat finally came down on the family enterprise only one bean counter, Sam “Books” Serio, would come forward while every other member of the conspiracy remained silent. Serio reported to authorities in 1951 that the enterprising family outfit took in over $3.5 million in fiscal year 1950. Three of the family’s bosses were Fertittas at the time: Frank J. Fertitta Sr., Victor J. Fertitta, and Anthony J. Fertitta. 23 indictments came down against the Maceos, Fertittas and many of their other associates this time. But there were no convictions in the long run. The Fertittas and Maceos maintained an iron grip on their illegal gaming enterprises in Galveston until long after both Sam and Rosario Maceo were in their graves. When Texas Rangers finally broke the back of the Texas mob in Galveston, it was a long abandoned Maceo family property that actually proved to be the scene of one of the biggest breaks in the case. In the summer of 1957, Sam Maceo’s Hollywood Supper Club became a slot machine storage area while Texas Rangers squatted in all the local casinos trying to dissuade customers from sticking around while they snooped around for whatever clues they could find to bring down the operation:

The over-ambitious politicos who wanted to publicize the bust actually did haul a bunch of the slot machines into the Gulf of Mexico and dumped them ceremoniously for a bevy of press to snap some opportunistic photos and write glowing stories about the successful operation. Later on the move proved to be a political disaster as not all of the machines sank. The Army Corps of Engineers fumed about the machines fouling their waters. Still, it was the beginning of the end for gambling in Galveston.

Here’s a concise history of Sam and Rosario Maceo’s reign over Texas rackets:

http://www.bookrags.com/wiki/Sam_and_Rosario_Maceo



Eventually Texas gambling was made obsolete by the blossoming desert flower called Las Vegas, and Mob interests began to focus intently on the area with easy access to massive Teamster loans. Yet, that wasn’t the only money going into these shady Vegas Mafia expansion operations. If you want to go deep into the conspiracy theories and enjoy reading a great deal of spastic, disorganized JFK assassination forum posts, go here:

http://educationforum.ipbhost.com/index.php?act=Print&client=printer&f=126&t=5892



http://www.mail-archive.com/ctrl@listserv.aol.com/msg113059.html



http://educationforum.ipbhost.com/lofiversion/index.php/t6339.html



What Sam and Rosario Maceo were able to do with their sway over the Texas illegal rackets and their shrewd business tactics, the Fertittas have since taken to a whole new level. Old habits never die, especially proven ones. More often than not the old ways simply adapt with the changing times.

It is important to look at the full spectrum of this family and their part in the history of illicit and illegal profiteering in America. When you fully examine the foundation the Fertittas' business empire is built on, you have to wonder how it could ever be possible to completely shake the Mafia influence on the family and its business strategies. Even at this late stage in the game while the latest Fertitta brothers Lorenzo and Frank III are viewed by much of the the public as smart, upstanding businessmen with no more Mob ties, they operate with the kind of overzealous impunity that only “connected guys” can muster. They rule the roost in Vegas with bullish bravado, and their role in the Xyience bankruptcy being tied to the Global Cash Access Holdings skimming scandal reveals the potential for a whole new conspiracy that hasn’t yet been fully explored.

And that brings us to the next chapter of the family history: The Vegas pioneering of Frank Fertitta, Jr. and his role in skimming the take at the Fremont Hotel. In the next installment, we’ll look at what saved Frank Junior from going to jail with all his buddies when the FBI’s “Strawman” investigations ravaged mob rule in Vegas. We’ll look at what finally broke Frank Junior and led him to give up control of the family business to his son Frank III (Frankie “Three Sticks”). We’ll explore how the Fertitta empire came to pass, built on a one-dollar transaction between friends. We’ll trace Frank Junior’s steps from his 1960 arrival in Vegas to his present day behind the scenes role as a Fertitta Enterprises and Station Casinos consultant and a major republican party influence peddler. We’ll also touch on how the sins of the father wound up setting the stage for the sons becoming ruthless business tycoons. We’ll get into how Missouri gaming authorities put Frank Junior under such a microscope that he was forced to forget about doing business there on his own. He signed the business over to Frank III and may have even made his old friend Carl Thomas disappear to prevent him from telling Missouri gaming officials what he knew about Frank Junior’s skimming at the Fremont. We’ll rehash how Frank Junior’s skimming operation is portrayed in the movie Casino and touch on how the Global Cash Access connection represents the possibility of a worldwide skimming enterprise masterminded by the Fertittas and the GCA castoffs who bankrupted Xyience for them.

We will also assess where the Fertittas are at today with Station Casinos nearing collapse and their Vegas piggy bank shattered. They may just be down to their last pennies, and bankruptcy appears imminent. The way the news is coming out piecemeal and because the Fertittas seem to be scrambling to screw with their financing arrangement leads me to believe that they are determined to prevent a bankruptcy, but it may not be up to them. If it doesn’t come from their own pockets and selling off other major Fertitta Enterprises assets, the rescue package that saves Station Casinos will have to come from someone with even bigger profit margins and deeper pockets.

Unlike the Texas ranger threat that led to the family’s Texas exodus (only Tillman Fertitta stuck it out and prospered there) and the deaths in the family that helped along the collapse of the illegal infrastructure there, in Vegas the Fertittas are going to be vanquished by their own insatiable greed and want for more. Their Vegas luck seems to have run out, even though they followed the same principles that allowed their ancestors Sam and Rosario Maceo to die free, wealthy men. If history proves anything however, the Fertittas will not go down with the ship. They will find a way to avoid incrimination, escape accountability, and resurface elsewhere. They will bounce back, and in doing so they just might become even more ruthless and cut-throat than they already are. Regardless of whether or not the ghosts of the Maceo family are still haunting the Fertittas, the new regime can very well be considered gangsters. They may not carry Thompson Machine Guns or make people kiss their rings, but they live and breathe with gangster blood running through their veins. Their minds are pre-programmed with the old-school way of doing things, conditioned by their father’s well-worn experience dancing the fine line between legal and illegal business activity. The Mafia’s connection like an umbilical cord to the Fertitta family’s history can in many ways never be cut. The brothers Fertitta will never be able to outrun their family’s reputation.

Though up to this point the Fertitta “family” secret hasn’t really burned them much at all, the family’s personal financial burn rate is said to be in excess of a hundred million each year even as their company is leveraged with massive debt. Perhaps being so used to having that kind of expendable cash around is what led to the brothers deciding to pocket much of the $350 million senior secured credit facility they acquired for Zuffa, LLC in the summer of 2007.

And who could forget Dana White? While the guy doesn’t have much of a history at all and his upbringing is a tale of two sides of the country (stints in Maine, Boston, and Vegas), Dana White does seem overly fascinated with the gangster set. In some ways he’s like the wanna be gangster errand boy who never got made. Still, he became fast friends with Lorenzo Fertitta in high school at Bishop Gorman in Las Vegas, and he never did forget his South Boston roots, either. White just spent some time in his old stomping grounds with a couple of guys who aren’t afraid to admit their thug life resume.

Jimmy Martorano's brother John Martorano confessed to killing 20 people and was only sentenced to 12 years time for the murders, most of which were carried out at the behest of South Boston Crime Lord-turned FBI Informant James “Whitey” Bulger. Patrick Nee helped Whitey with enforcement as well and played a pivotal role in one potential whistleblower’s disappearance and death. Suffice it to say Nee drove young John McIntyre to his last appointment with Bulger who tortured, strangled, and shot McIntyre with Stephen “The Rifleman” Flemmi’s help. Since McIntyre confessed to helping Bulger with an IRA gun shipment, his tongue was ripped out with a pair of pliers. And these two guys who assisted efforts like that are considered “gentlemen” by Dana White’s standards.

The whole Whitey Bulger saga has been front page news for decades, and still today there are ongoing cases involving the principal players, and of course Bulger remains a fugitive. My father was on the other side of the law fighting against the influence of organized crime in South Boston during Bulger and Flemmi’s rise to power, and he came face to face with Whitey himself on a few occasions. Dad has a whole chapter about his organized crime investigations in “Black Mass” and a particularly tragic connection to McIntyre.

And so, there are many parallels and contrasts in the situation I now find myself in. The Fertittas seem to be carrying on the traditions of their fathers and grandfathers and great uncles. Even though I never pursued a career in criminal justice myself, I wound up falling back on the same instincts that made my father a good cop. Like the Fertitta family tree is populated with Mafioso, my family is made up of a high percentage of police officers and government agents. We have a face-off here between the direct offspring of a criminal mastermind and the direct offspring of an honest cop done in by the government’s unclean hands. It’s just too classic, but at the same time it represents the principle that led me to writing non-fiction rather than flashy novels: Fact is stranger than fiction. I know in the movies the hero usually wins, but reality is much more cruel in situations like this. I just hope in the end my work isn’t made meaningless by some yet unforeseen hand of fate, and I hope the Fertitta family history of getting away unscathed is drastically altered. It would be fitting justice if the current economic crisis is what finally puts the spotlight on the corruption involved here, as I truly believe it is people like the Fertittas who have created this crash and burn climate. All we can hope for now is that they’ll actually end up paying for the damage they’ve done.

UP NEXT: FROM BELLBOY TO BUSINESS TYCON: HOW FRANK JUNIOR BUILT THE FERTITTA EMPIRE IN LAS VEGAS AND WHAT HIS SONS HAVE DONE TO PUT THE WHOLE OPERATION IN JEOPARDY

XYIENCE, ZUFFA, THE UFC, FERTITTA ENTERPRISES, AND ZYEN SITUATION SET TO IMPLODE, STORY AT 11

Judge Jeff Thaler and Fight Opinion Radio's Zach Arnold discuss the Rich Bergeron vs. Xyience lawsuit in depth and kick off the "ENRON OF MMA" discussion.



FIGHT OPINION RADIO TAKES UP THE XYIENCE VS. RICH BERGERON LAWSUIT ON THEIR SHOW


Rich Bergeron coined the phrase "THE ENRON OF MAA" with this article: XYIENCE: "THE ENRON OF MMA" XYIENCE, ZUFFA, THE UFC, FERTITTA ENTERPRISES, AND ZYEN SITUATION SET TO IMPLODE, STORY AT 11