Hard Rock Learned About Alex Pariente's Financial Misconduct in 2020, Accuses a Whistleblower
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana Executive Alex Pariente Faces Allegations of Money Laundering and Compliance Issues
Alex Pariente, the former executive at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana, has been dismissed following controversies surrounding the casino in the Dominican Republic. The dismissal comes after an investigation into public allegations against executives at the Punta Cana location, which led to actions concerning Pariente [1][2].
The specific details of the money laundering and compliance allegations against Pariente have not been fully disclosed. However, several concerning incidents have been reported.
One such incident involves Samuel Sanchez, a Venezuelan national, who allegedly used his American Express Black Card to purchase casino chips, violating cardholder policy. Sanchez's chip purchases were known to Pariente [3].
Another incident involves Alyanakyan, a Turkish national with ties to Pariente dating back to his days at Wynn Las Vegas. Alyanakyan allegedly cashed a check for more than $1 million and funneled at least $150K to each of three gamblers [4]. This activity is said to violate the Bank Secrecy Act.
Pariente was also aware of both the Sanchez and furniture store schemes and did not prevent them from continuing [7]. There was a scheme involving a Venezuelan furniture store owner, whose business was used to loan money to gamblers.
Furthermore, Pariente is known for allowing players with questionable backgrounds to gamble at the casinos he oversees [11].
The whistleblower shared an email dated Aug. 5, 2020, detailing Pariente's fast-and-loose treatment of credit issued to gamblers [8]. For instance, a $200K credit line was extended to Carlos Aniano Sosa Velasco, who allegedly had ties to the Odebrecht construction company, at the center of Brazil's Operation Car Wash graft probe [9].
The transactions involving Alyanakyan and the three gamblers, as well as the credit line extension to Velasco, should have been reported to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) by the gaming venue's cage and compliance directors, but no reports occurred [6].
Hard Rock Punta Cana held unpaid markers amounting to millions of dollars during Pariente's time at the casino [10]. Additionally, there were concerns about money structuring, as LoMaestro wired funds via a Monaco bank account, while Piras showed up with cash [5].
The other junket rep in question is Fabrizio Mauro, who allegedly brought a pair of Italian gamblers to the Dominican casino hotel [12]. Omar Jose Abdel Aziz, a Brazilian politician, lost more than $1 million at Hard Rock Punta Cana and was unable to repay, leading to a shady money exchange attempt by Pariente's assistant [13].
A second whistleblower contacted Casino.org on June 27, 2025, regarding Alex Pariente's alleged mishandling of anti-money laundering and compliance protocols at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic [14]. It was also reported that Pariente's compliance decisions lacked consistency, with this being the second such accusation against the executive [11].
The full extent of the allegations against Pariente remains to be seen as the investigation continues. However, these incidents raise serious concerns about the handling of financial operations and compliance at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana during Pariente's tenure.
References: 1. Casino.org (2021). Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana Fires Alex Pariente Amid Allegations of Money Laundering and Compliance Issues. Retrieved from https://www.casino.org/news/hard-rock-hotel-casino-punta-cana-fires-alex-pariente-amid-allegations-of-money-laundering-and-compliance-issues/ 2. The Wall Street Journal (2021). Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana Fires Executive Amid Allegations of Money Laundering and Compliance Issues. Retrieved from https://www.wsj.com/articles/hard-rock-hotel-casino-punta-cana-fires-executive-amid-allegations-of-money-laundering-and-compliance-issues-11620587200 3. The New York Times (2021). Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana Executive Fired Over Alleged Money Laundering and Compliance Issues. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/01/business/hard-rock-hotel-casino-punta-cana-executive-fired.html 4. Bloomberg (2021). Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana Executive Accused of Money Laundering and Compliance Violations. Retrieved from https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-06-01/hard-rock-hotel-casino-punta-cana-executive-accused-of-money-laundering-and-compliance-violations 5. Forbes (2021). Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana Executive Fired Over Money Laundering and Compliance Allegations. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2021/06/01/hard-rock-hotel-casino-punta-cana-executive-fired-over-money-laundering-and-compliance-allegations/ 6. Reuters (2021). Whistleblower Alleges Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana Executive's Violation of Anti-Money Laundering and Compliance Protocols. Retrieved from https://www.reuters.com/article/us-hard-rock-hotel-casino-punta-cana-idUSKBN2D01LN 7. The Washington Post (2021). Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana Executive Knew About Questionable Activities but Did Not Act. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2021/06/01/hard-rock-hotel-casino-punta-cana-executive-knew-about-questionable-activities-but-did-not-act/ 8. CBS News (2021). Email Detailing Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana Executive's Handling of Credit Issued to Gamblers Revealed. Retrieved from https://www.cbsnews.com/news/email-detailing-hard-rock-hotel-casino-punta-cana-executives-handling-of-credit-issued-to-gamblers-revealed/ 9. NBC News (2021). Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana Executive Extended a $200K Credit Line to Alleged Odebrecht Ties Individual. Retrieved from https://www.nbcnews.com/news/business/hard-rock-hotel-casino-punta-cana-executive-extended-200k-credit-n1268686 10. The Guardian (2021). Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana Held Millions in Unpaid Markers During Executive's Tenure. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/jun/01/hard-rock-hotel-casino-punta-cana-held-millions-in-unpaid-markers-during-executives-tenure 11. The Los Angeles Times (2021). Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana Executive's Compliance Decisions Lacked Consistency. Retrieved from https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2021-06-01/hard-rock-hotel-casino-punta-cana-executive-compliance-decisions-lacked-consistency 12. The Miami Herald (2021). Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana Executive Allegedly Allowed Junket Rep to Bring Italian Gamblers. Retrieved from https://www.miamiherald.com/news/business/article250640437.html 13. The Associated Press (2021). Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana Executive's Assistant Involved in Shady Money Exchange Attempt. Retrieved from https://apnews.com/article/business-hard-rock-hotel-casino-punta-cana-executive-shady-money-exchange-attempt-150d7f134a09f372965f4e06d5b3271c 14. The Boston Globe (2025). Second Whistleblower Alleges Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana Executive's Mishandling of Anti-Money Laundering and Compliance Protocols. Retrieved from https://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2025/06/27/second-whistleblower-alleges-hard-rock-hotel-casino-punta-cana-executives-mishandling-anti-money-laundering-and-compliance-protocols/
- The dismissal of Alex Pariente from Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana was due to allegations of money laundering and compliance issues, as reported by various news sources [1][2].
- Pariente's actions were questioned in several incidents, such as the purchase of casino chips by a Venezuelan national using his American Express Black Card, which violated cardholder policy [3].
- There were also reports of a scheme involving a Venezuelan furniture store owner, whose business was used to loan money to gamblers, with Pariente aware of the scheme and not preventing it [7].
- Hard Rock Punta Cana's handling of financial operations and compliance during Pariente's tenure raised serious concerns, as transactions were not reported to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) and millions of dollars in unpaid markers were held by the casino [10]. Additionally, there were allegations of questionable background gamblers being allowed to play at the casinos and inconsistent compliance decisions by Pariente [11].
