California’s Attorney General is under fire after it came to light that he accepted a $16,200 donation from a casino that his office was investigating. [Image: Shutterstock.com]

A major probe

California Attorney General Rob Bonta is in hot water after it was revealed that he accepted $16,200 in donations for his 2021 campaign from a casino that was under investigation by his office. Bicycle Casino, a prominent gambling facility in Bell Gardens, made the largest possible contribution to a political campaign in the state.

a Chinese high roller conducted more than $100m in cash transactions at the facility in 2016

The California Bureau of Gaming Control is part of the AG’s office and was heading up a money laundering investigation into Bicycle Casino. It was thought that a Chinese high roller conducted more than $100m in cash transactions at the facility in 2016.

Dropping the matter

Federal officials entered a non-prosecution agreement with the owners in November 2021, culminating in a $500,000 settlement after the operator admitted to not properly reporting the Chinese national’s significant spending.

owners sold off the Bicycle Casino for more than $100m in April 2022

Bonta then came out the same day to announce a separate probe into the matter, although the case remained inactive for almost three years before its shelving in October. In the meantime, the owners sold Bicycle Casino for more than $100m in April 2022. It is now known as the Parkwest Bicycle Casino.

The fallout

A spokesperson for Bonta’s campaign explained that the team didn’t know about the probe when it accepted the donation and that they’ve taken measures since then to more stringently analyze the sources of contributions. An AG’s office spokesperson also said that the change in the Bicycle Casino’s ownership led to the shelving of the case.

California Governor Gavin Newsom appointed Bonta as AG in April 2021 after the resignation of Xavier Becerra. He easily won a full four-year term in an election for the position in 2022.

The big issue is that it took several years for the suspicious donation to come to light after this clear conflict of interest. Bonta reportedly has ambitions for higher office, with many touting him as a candidate in the next gubernatorial race in 2026. The suspicious donation will certainly fuel his opponents if this materializes.

It isn’t an isolated incident, either. In recent months, Bonta refunded $230,000 of donations to people who got in trouble with his office.