1MDB case: Jho Low had requests at casino 'that were parallel to none'

NEW YORK • Fugitive Malaysian financier Jho Low was a big man in Vegas. He sported gold lame suits, travelled with an entourage and lost tens of millions of dollars, a New York jury was told.

In a 90-minute stint playing baccarat, he lost US$1.75 million (S$2.4 million), Mr Kirk Godby, a marketing executive at the Venetian in Las Vegas, testified. All told, Low wagered almost US$87 million at the Venetian and lost about US$26 million, he said.

"He was extremely extravagant," Mr Godby said. "He had requests that were parallel to none. He made requests like he wanted disco balls, dance floors and DJs."

Mr Godby was testifying in the bribery trial of former Goldman Sachs banker Roger Ng over the multi-billion-dollar 1MDB scam.

Ng is accused of conspiring with Low and Ng's former boss Tim Leissner to help the financier steal billions of dollars from three bond deals Goldman underwrote for the 1Malaysia Development Berhad wealth fund. Low is now a fugitive.

Prosecutors may have called Mr Godby to refute Ng's October 2009 claims to Goldman superiors that he had met Low only once before, when he recommended the financier as a private wealth client to the bank.

Low was known as a "premium" guest at the Venetian who spent more than US$50,000 there, Mr Godby said.

Mr Godby, who said he had been a marketing executive at the Venetian for more than 20 years, explained to jurors that it is his job to "get people in the casino, get them in the door". Casinos track visitors' wagers through their loyalty cards, and provide complimentary services in part on how much people wager and spend.

Ng gambled with Low during the former banker's sole visit to the Venetian in late November 2010, Mr Godby told the jury. Ng lost US$22,500 playing baccarat during his visit, which took place before the first 1MDB bond deal closed in May 2012. Low played at the same table as Ng on the morning of Nov 29 and placed US$4 million in bets, Mr Godby testified.

The Venetian was not the only Las Vegas casino Low frequented. To celebrate his 28th birthday, Low had a bash at Caesars Palace, with actor Leonardo DiCaprio being flown in on a private jet and receiving US$150,000 to attend the party and a dinner, the jury was told earlier in the trial.

The trial resumes on Monday with prosecutors saying they expect to conclude their case as early as Wednesday next week. US District Judge Margo Brodie told jurors they could get the case as early as March 29.

BLOOMBERG