(NewsNation) — A former compliance director says Resorts World Las Vegas fired him just 27 days after he warned the casino about a suspected international money-laundering operation — and then allegedly altered his report before showing it to Nevada gambling regulators.

Preston Banks, a 16-year FinCEN veteran who joined Resorts World as compliance director in 2022, filed the federal lawsuit September 14 in Nevada, alleging retaliation for raising concerns about what his complaint calls the “Argentina Scheme.”

According to the complaint, the operation grew from a handful of Argentine gamblers in 2022 into a network of 60 to 150 people from Argentina, Mexico, Paraguay, Uruguay, Italy and Spain. Banks says Resorts World’s own records documented red flags including credit fraud, unverified sources of funds, third-party marker payments, coached wagering, chip passing and bankrolling.

By September 2024, the casino had allegedly filed more than 50 Suspicious Activity Reports with federal authorities connected to the group.

The bets were big — the money trail was bigger

Banks alleges one patron made roughly $668,000 in third-party marker payments, another about $284,000 and a third more than $1.1 million in just 14 payments during July 2024. When Banks pushed Resorts World’s anti-money-laundering committee to take stronger action, he alleges an executive dismissed the activity as “cultural.”

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