A lawsuit accuses the leaders of a powerful Contra Costa County family of threatening to kill a prominent Nevada lobbyist and friend of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid after a business deal went bad.
After the multimillion dollar Nevada real estate venture fell apart last year, Harvey Whittemore claims Albert Seeno Jr. and his son Albert III began threatening him and his family, even sending thugs to their homes to force open a safe and breaking into a house to steal computer equipment while Albert III waited in a getaway car.
The political power broker and his wife are seeking $1.8 billion in damages, claiming the Seeno father and son were involved in racketeering, extortion, grand larceny and threats. No criminal charges have been filed, and a Seeno attorney on Friday dismissed the allegations.
The federal court civil suit filed Wednesday alleged fraud among other things. It also names Thomas Seeno, Albert Jr.”s brother.
Whittemore, the Las Vegas gaming, alcohol and tobacco lobbyist, alleges that Seeno Jr. threatened to “take down” the state”s “political machine” by telling the FBI about alleged financial misappropriations.
The lawsuit also includes tales of rifts and family secrets among the tight-lipped Seenos, including one brother who allegedly threatened to “murder” another.
The Seeno family has sued and been sued numerous times. A year ago, the FBI raided the company”s Concord headquarters, and the company and its leaders have been fined for environmental and gaming violations over the years.
For years, the Seenos” Discovery Builders tried to develop a business park on 527 undeveloped acres in northeast Benicia. But the developer dropped the project in July 2010 after putting it on hold, citing the slumping economy.
At the time, Seeno Jr. said the “climate” for processing anything at Benicia City Hall was “intolerable.” He also accused Mayor Elizabeth Patterson of making “slanderous comments about me and my family on the public record.” Patterson, however, accused the developer of trying to discredit her for pointing out his past federal Endangered Species Act violations.
This lawsuit comes a week after the Seenos sued Whittemore in Las Vegas, claiming he embezzled and misappropriated tens of millions of dollars from their joint company to finance a lavish lifestyle and curry political favor.
Seeno attorney Kent Robison of Reno said Whittemore”s suit was retaliation.
“It is beyond fiction the accusations he”s making, and essentially they are garbage. The act of a desperate man doing desperate things,” Robison said.
The allegations of physical violence are “brand new nonsense,” Robison said. “He never expressed a word of fear before.”
As the housing market exploded in Nevada in 2004, Thomas Seeno, of Alamo, bought half interest in Wingfield Nevada Group, a conglomeration of business enterprises developed by Whittemore valued then at more than $500 million, according to the suit.
Thomas Seeno asked Whittemore whether his brother, Albert Seeno Jr., a Clayton resident, could buy an interest, the suit alleges, saying Albert Jr. would bring tremendous resources to the deal. “Albert and Tom had been ”fighting” for years, and they saw the WNG investment as a way to bring the brothers back together,” according to the suit.
Albert Jr. bought a one-third interest in February 2007, leaving all three men with equal ownership. By then, the company was worth $500 million to $1 billion.
As part of the agreement, the Whittemores over the years borrowed about $20 million from Tom Seeno, the suit alleges.
The Seenos would come after that money.
As the housing market dried up, the relationship between Whittemore and the Seeno brothers soured.
In February 2009, Whittemore claims Albert Jr. and Tom asked for his help because the family owed the IRS more than $500 million.
Whittemore, an attorney, claims he used a tax strategy allowing the Seenos to defer their taxes, negotiate new credit lines and increase their cash flow.
In August 2010, with the development market crumbling, Albert Jr. became disgruntled and accused Whittemore of embezzlement, fraud and other criminal activity. They met at the family”s Peppermill Hotel and Casino.
“At the conclusion of these threats, (Seeno Jr.) reminded Mr. Whittemore of the threats he had made about murdering his own brother, Thomas Seeno, with his own bare hands and then threatened Mr. Whittemore”s life and the lives of his entire family if he did not do as he was expressly instructed by Albert Seeno Jr.,” according to the suit.
The Seenos” attorney says Whittemore told the Seenos he could not make his payments toward the company”s growing debt. The Seenos audited the books and found that Whittemore had embezzled funds, according to the attorney.
MNG staff writer Lisa Vorderbrueggen contributed to this story.
