Bob Stupak

Parts of this page were taken from John L. Smith's No Limit - The Rise and Fall of Bob Stupak and Las Vegas' Stratosphere Tower

Robert Stupak was born on April 6, 1942, to Chester and Florence Stupak in Pittsburgh, PA.

Chester Stupak was born on June 7, 1914, on Pittsburgh's South Side. Stupak bragged that his father operated Pittsburgh's longest-running crap game, from 1941 to 1991. Chester was more than a simple gambling boss, he was a man of stature in Pittsburgh's backroom casino circles. He was to illegal numbers and card rooms what Carnegie was to steel.

Young Stupak proved to be a handful. He skipped classes at an early age at St. Adalbert Catholic School. Stupak was a quiet boy who was making book when other kids were reading them. He was a skinny boy equipped with plenty of tough talk, an endless supply of cigarettes, and a regular need for forged absence slips to give to school officials.

He got his first job as a paperboy selling the Pittsburgh Press and Post-Gazette on the street corner. He was given five papers to sell. Stupak was to sell each paper for $.5 and pocket a penny. He failed on his first day. He sold four papers but couldn't give away the fifth. Instead of admitted defeat, he stuffed the unused newspaper through a sewer grate and handed over his small change with a smile. He took no profit, but gained the confidence of the vendor.

The law stated Stupak had to stay in school until the age of 16. Three months short of his 16th birthday, he spent most of his time riding his motorcycle and working on his side jobs of hustling suckers, hawking discount watches from bar to bar, and watching the action on the South Side.

With his bike racing as fast as his mind, he slicked back his hair and hit the street in the heart of the James Dean era. He carried with him an unofficial degree in math and accounting that comes from being a gambler's son. Stupak hustled a buck in pool halls and bowling alleys in Pittsburgh and Steubenville, Ohio, 39 miles away. He played the number every day.

Stupak then realized he wanted to be a pop singer. Changing his name to Bobby Star, he obtained Marty Wax as his agent and signed a recording contract with United Artists. He needed to hone his act and songwriting skills. He played clubs in Pittsburgh and Steubenville with mixed results. His voice wasn't smooth enough for love ballads, and not strong enough for rock n roll. He had the hair and attitude, but nothing else, except a gimmick. Stupak attracted attention with a full-grown cheetah plucked directly from the Bird and Animal Kingdom of New York. When one club owner banned the animal from the stage, Stupak seized the moment. With TV cameras capturing the action, he coolly strutted out the door of the club and onto the sidewalk, then tied the animal to the parking meter. He dropped a dime in the slot and went back about the business of being a star.

Stupak recorded his single Together, and it bombed. In all, he recorded eight songs for UA, all with no success.

Stupak then joined the National Guard and went on active duty from November 1959 to May 1960. Once settled in at Fort Knox, he became the private with the craps game.

Stupak had a new angle, discount books. For the promises of discounts on meals and services, restaurants, cafes, and nightclubs would benefit by the increased business and the consumer gets to eat cheap. Stupak's first book offered discounts on goods, services, and entertainment from Pittsburgh's most respected establishments. The first book featured $100 in value and sold for $6.95. It was immediately successful and led to more expansive versions that included free car washes, two-for-one meals, movie tickets, bowling, and beauty-parlor services. Stupak quickly turned himself into the uncrowned king of discount books. Coupon books had been a Pittsburgh street business since the 1920s, but Stupak was well on his way to reestablish the system and hustling it as never before.

Stupak visited Las Vegas in 1964.

"I sat down in a restaurant at 4am and the waitress said, What are you having sir? Breakfast, lunch, or dinner? It was 4am and she ask asking Breakfast, lunch, or dinner. I thought God made this town for me." - Bob Stupak

A few years later Stupak went back to Vegas booking a room at Caesars Palace. He dumped his bags at the bell desk, toked the bellman, took out a $10,000 marker and drank in the scene. He proceeded to lose the entire $10,000, managed to get another $2,000 on credit and promptly lost it. He had been in Vegas less than one hour and managed to lose his entire credit line plus 20%. Back in Pittsburgh he realized that the only way he was ever going to make a consistent score in a Vegas casino was to own one.

He was making good money with his coupon books and then fell in love with Gerry Bova. He bought her a 2-1/2 carat diamond ring and was engaged to be married. Only one problem, she couldn't marry anyone without a job.

Not long after that, Stupak was involved in a motorcycle accident and received a $3,200 insurance settlement. By this time, not yet 24, Stupak realized that his home town was too familiar so on the advice of his father he moved to Australia with a new coupon book business. Stupak then starting enlisting others to sell the coupon books. Sitting at the top of the pyramid, Stupak raked in the cash.

While in Australia he met Annette Suna who became pregnant. He was Catholic so he did the Catholic thing - he married her. He was 25 when his daughter Nicole was born. The marriage didn't last and then he met Sandra Joyce Wilkinson who became his second wife in 1971. Their marriage lasted until 1985 and produced two children, Nevada and Summer. Sandra was the one who got Stupak addicted to poker tournaments. She was nicked named Lady Maverick after winning a high-stakes Texas hold'em poker game in 1984 at Binion's Horseshoe.

Using the bankroll he built in Australia and collected from his father and his friends, a total of $120,000 cash and another $180,000 in personal assets, Stupak moved to Vegas in 1971. Stupak approached Marv Silbman at Caesars Palace and asked for a place to stay until he could get settled. Silbman offered him a room at Caesars Palace for $10 a day. But Silbman know his prey. In no time, Stupak was down at the tables blowing his bankroll at breakneck speed. After a few days Stupak realized his mistake and moved to the Bali Hai Motel.

Stupak continued to spend his money and he wound getting robbed at gunpoint for $13,000. The money was quickly recovered and was released back to him. Stupak realized this wasn't Pittsburgh.

Stupak then took out classified ads in local newspapers "Investments Wanted. Australian businessman with six to seven figures to invest looking for business opportunities."

Paul Lowden contacted Stupak regarding buying the Hacienda but as the deal drew nearer, Lowden chose Allen Glick over him.

Stupak then decided to buy Nishon's Cocktail Lounge and Supper Club owned by Kirk Kerkorian's brother Nish located on Convention Center Drive. Stupak renamed it Chateau Vegas, and he attempted to solve the many mysteries of restaurant ownership, while simultaneously playing Nish at gin, trying to beat the ex-owner out of the $220,000 note he held on the club. They restaurant wasn't turning a profit and Stupak knew it was time to move on.

He proceeded to buy a 1.5 acre parcel of land where Todkill/Bill Hayden Lincoln Mercury dealership stood for $218,000. The address was 2000 Las Vegas Boulevard South. Stupak thought he finally made it to the Strip when some guys stated "You stupid schmuck. You're not on the Strip! The Strip starts at Sahara Avenue."

Stupak was approved for a gaming license to operate the Million Dollar Historic Gambling Museum on November 15, 1973, and receiving his license the following February. He then insured the property through Fireman's Fund American Corporation for $200,000 and added policies for $80,000 in personal property, $5,000 in office equipment, and $100,000 in cash. A sign covering the length of the building, featuring a buxom bikini-clad babe straddling the M and tossing cash at passerby. The sign read "Bob Stupak's World Famous Million Dollar HIstoric Gambling Museum World's Biggest Jackpot." Another sign read "See What a $100,000.00 Bill Looks Like."

Stupak loved the media and managed to get a guest spot on the TV show To Tell The Truth with only Peggy Cass guessing that the man in the powder-blue leisure suit was Stupak. He then posed for a promotional photograph lighting a cigar with a dollar bill. The picture wound up being published by the National Enquirer with the caption Bob Stupak has money to burn.

In the meantime, Stupak bought the Sinabar Lounge located across the California Hotel near Fremont Street's Glitter Gulch from John A. "Slim" Ewing. It contained slot machines and four table games.

On May 21, 1974, at 7:40pm, tourists on the sidewalk noticed smoke rising from the Million Dollar. Nine units from the Fire Department appeared. A hook and ladder truck unfolded and firefighters blasted the blaze from above as well as from ground level. In minutes, more than 1,000 people stood outside to watch Stupak's dream burn to the ground.

Stupak appeared hysterical at the scene with tears in his eyes as he watched his dream die. Damages ranged from $500,000 to $2 million. Smoke and water damage ruined the first floor. The second floor, where the fire broken out, was gutted. The fire destroyed the fake $100,000 bill. Firefighters concentrated on keeping the flames from burning the genuine money. The rescued money was placed on the hood of a car with Stupak crying over the wallpaper, lost revenue, and the lost potential. The next morning the Las Vegas Sun's headlines were Strip Casino Museum Destroyed by Blaze, the Las Vegas Review-Journal's was Arson Probe Begun in Casino Blaze Here.

Stupak then concentrated on the Sinabar but he couldn't get anywhere with the Nevada Gaming Commission. He was told his track record is not too great, and his rumored problems in Australia came into focus. They finally gave in with the statement "But if anything happens, you are in trouble." The Sinabar was home to the downtown dealers and wiseguy gamblers. This was where Stupak began to experiment with blackjack variations that would pay big dividends in years to come.

When Stupak received a settlement from the Million Dollar lawsuit, he purchased the lease on Glitter Gulch on Fremont Street from Ray Snichter for $100,000 with an option to buy the property from owners Jackie Gaughan and Mel Exber for $800,000. It was renamed Bob Stupak's Glitter Gulch. When Stupak sold the Gulch years later to Herb Pastor, he sold the Vegas Vicky sign which sat on top to Young Electric company.

In 1975, Stupak sold the Sinabar which he had renamed the Vault, and sought to have the burned-out hulk of his first casino rezoned as a used-car lot.

With a loan from E. Parry Thomas and Kenny Sullivan at the Valley Bank, ground breaking for his casino/hotel took place in June of 1978. This would be the first hotel/casino built close to the corner of Sahara Avenue and Las Vegas Boulevard since the Sahara opened in 1952. In more recent times, the only casino to open in close proximity was the Jolley Trolley that has been replaced with a department store sized souvenir shop.

Bob Stupak's Vegas World opened in 1979, with 100 rooms at 2000 Las Vegas Boulevard, with the motto "The Sky's The Limit". It was advertised that it cost $7 million to build. In reality, it cost a little more than $3 million.

The rest of the information on Vegas World can be found on its page.

The Naked City part of town where the resort sat gave the resort a bad reputation. Stupak attempted to work with city officials to clean up the ramshackle apartments and matchbox houses that bordered his resort.

One night while squeezing oranges for a high roller, Stupak decided that his true ambition in life really was to be the world's biggest sucker with the ability to afford it. A man with millions can afford to be a sucker. He became so enamored of his philosophy that had a gold bracelet made with diamonds spelling the word SUCKER.

When in Las Vegas, Chester Stupak would go on dice runners at World. But after a few hours, he could be found downtown a Binion's Horseshoe, where he liked the tables and the characters of Benny Binion and his son Jack. Chester did in 1991.

Stupak gambled on anything which is shown on Vegas World's page. Stupak once bet writer Roger Dionne he could beat him in a game of Ms. Pac-Man.

"Since he finds it unnatural to do anything unless there's money in it, we played a game for $50. I thought it would be the easiest $50 I ever made, since I played Ms. Pac-Man quite a lot while Stupak didn't. Going first, I racked up something like 82,000 points. A lock, I figured. But Stupak's final score was 86,000. As I reached disconsolately into my pocket for the $50, Stupak laughed. 'You know,' he confessed, 'I've never come anywhere close to closing that many points.' But there was a match on - it didn't matter whether it was for $500, $5,000 or $50,000 - and Stupak did what he had to do to win. I may have had more skill playing Ms. Pac-Man, but he had more determination, more of that special quality which backgammon champion Paul Magriel calls 'an insane desire to win.'" - Roger Dionne

In 1983, he played host to the America's Cup Poker Tournament. Not only did he promise the winner a Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow, but he also challenged all covers to play head-to-head for stakes ranging from $5,000 to $1 million.

Also in 1983, Stupak ran for Mayor. He lost to Bill Briare who had 61.5% of the vote compared to Stupak's 33.1%.

In 1984, with camera from the Ripley's TV show recording the match, Stupak took on ORAC, a poker-playing computer for $500,000. The computer was programmed by professional player and author Mike Caro. Downtown casino owner Jackie Gaughan staked the computer, and the world was introduced to the wondrous poker skill of Stupak who had played his first hand four years earlier. Stupak clearly beat ORAC.

On several occasions Stupak would turn actor. He appeared in Fever Pitch and Night Tracker. He also had a role in the TV cop show Crime Story. In early 1987, he took out ads in industry magazines promoting himself and his role.

In 1987, Stupak decided once again to run for Mayor. He began spending money, much of it his own on his candidacy. By mid-April he spent $130,000, $65,000 out of his own pocket for the campaign. In the primary polls, Stupak received 33.4%, Lurie 26.1%, Dondero 21.2%, and Wiesner 16.4%. The election outcome was Lurie defeated Stupak 18,013 to 15,451 votes in the most expensive campaign in the city's history. Combined, they spent $1.3 million. Stupak spent $839,407 - nearly $800,000 out of his own pocket.

In the Super Bowl on January 22, 1989, Stupak wanted to bet $1 million. He went from Caesars to the Barbary Coast but no one wanted to handle the bet. He ended up at Little Caesar's (now Paris), who took the bet. Stupak took the underdog Bengals and the points. When the final score fell, San Francisco 20, Cincinnati 16 and Stupak was $1 million richer. With cameras around, Stupak exited Little Caesar's carrying a box and a McDonald's sack supposedly filled with cash from the bet. TV stations across North America showed the scene, and Stupak never let on that the box was empty and the bag full of paper. Stupak gave Caesar's owner Gene Maday a miniature rocket car as a gift which sat in the parking lot for several years.

In 1989, Stupak turned a $5,000 buy-in in the deuce-to-seven draw competition into a $139,500 win and a world title. He placed 16th in 1990, and fourth in 1991. By 1993, his career earnings at the World Series was $222,700.

Stupak had long since begun to wear out his welcome with gaming regulators and corporate gaming bosses. Although Stupak would recall many instances in which he and Steven Wynn partied together and hung out together, by the mid-1980s Wynn was embarking on a personal mission to remake the Strip in his own image. That image had no place for tacky Vegas World and its uncultured owner.

Regarding Stratosphere:

The thinking in 1987, as he remembers it, was that a bigger marquee might help him attract more walk-in business from the direction of the Sahara, a quarter mile or so to the south. The Sahara had just installed what was then one of the most imposing marquees along the Strip. Stupak noticed that its size seemed to create an impression of nearness.

Customers would walk out the front door of his Vegas World, look in the direction of the Sahara with its big sign and decide that it looked like an easy walk. So off they'd go. Stupak says he did not get a lot of walk-in business. "Almost every customer I had then was there because of some kind of promotion."

He decided he'd build an ever bigger sign, a marquee tall enough to bring people toward Vegas World from the direction of the Sahara, Circus Circus, and points south.

How about a 350 foot sign? It became Stupak's goal, but in the court of this planning, he happened to visit his daughter in Sydney, Australia. He noticed a tower there and was intrigued by the numbers of people lined up to actually pay good money for an elevator ride to the top. That was all, just a ride to the top. people going up, looking around, coming down and leaving.

There had just been a holiday and Stupak asked how many people had visited the tower that day. There had been more than 20,000 at $5.00 a pop. Stupak's mind began to boil as he considered the possibilities. He check out the numbers associated with other famous towers around the world, from Seattle to Paris, and found those numbers equally impressive.

In no time at all, his plans for a big sign became plans for the tallest tower in the world. Unfortunately, Stupak ran into problems with this idea. Airport officials said the tower would interfere with some flight at McCarran. Even the local FAA objected. Stupak knocked a few hundred feet off his plans and took his case to FAA officials.

Stupak won and a result, height limits were revised all over Vegas. This allowed construction of the 49-story New York New York and her sibling Monte Carlo. It also allowed development of resorts by Circus Circus on the 74 acre property occupied by Hacienda which became Mandalay Bay.

A few days after the tower caught on fire in 1993, Stupak talked with reporters. Stupak tried to show no outward signs that he felt his project was in danger, but he was clearly shaken:

"It was a small but spectacular fire. It was a construction accident. It happens all the time. Fortunately, no one was hurt. We're definitely moving forward." - Bob Stupak

Stupak enlisted the financial help of Lyle Berman of Grand Casinos, Inc., to continue construction.

Stupak had owned motorcycles since he was 15 and drag-raced them against the best riders in the country. Along the way he had collected a truckload of trophies and more than his hare of close calls.

On April 1, 1995, Stupak and his son rode Stupak's 1989 Harley-Davidson on Rancho Road beyond the posted 35mph at more than 60mph. In accordance with Nevada law, he wore a European-style half helmet strapped to his neck.

The young woman in the northbound Subaru had no time to react as she began her left turn from Rancho Road onto Mason Avenue. Stupak locked up the brakes a heartbeat before broad siding the Subaru at 11:35pm. The impact knocked the automobile backward and sent Stupak and his son glancing off the car, over the top and onto the road. They landed together, Stupak staking the brunt of the impact on his face, the son's landing cushioned by Stupak's body.

Vegas Fire Department Station 5 arrived at the scene within five minutes, and met with attendants from Mercy Ambulance, whose offices are in the neighborhood near the medical center. Mercy paramedic supervisors Bob Kenney and Marla Malong were on duty that night and, hearing the call, rolled onto the accident scene almost out of reflect. They were the first paramedics to arrived and were joined by paramedical August Corrales and his partner Tricia Wacker. Through absolute chance, within 15 minutes of the accident, six veteran paramedics were on hand to give aid.

The woman in the Subaru was shaken up and showered with glass when her side window popcorned from the impact. Stupak's son was next to the sidewalk, moaning, appearing to have a broken leg.

Stupak was nearly dead. His neck was cut from ear to ear, and his head was noticeably swollen. The half helmet had kept his brains from spilling out, but had not saved him from bearing the brunt of the impact with the asphalt. His face was pulverized.

In his six and half years as a firefighter and five years as a paramedic, Bryan Alexis had viewed dozens of fatalities and figured he had experienced every sort of grisly accident imaginable. But he had never seen a living person with a head so swollen and a face so devastated. His face was so distorted that none of the paramedics recognized Stupak.

Massive bleeding made the process difficult. Stupak was unconscious. His heartbeat was faint, his breathing shallow. The paramedics set to work, cutting off the clothing and prepping him for the short ride to the emergency room. His arms and left leg appeared to be broken, and then there was the cut throat.

"The laceration appeared to be from ear to ear, kind of like a Colombian necktie. It was like someone cut his throat, but when I looked at the helmet he'd been wearing I saw that the strap around his neck is what caused the massive laceration. His teeth were broken. There was so much trauma. It was probably the worst I've ever seen. No, it definitely was the worst." Bryan Alexis

When his son got to the hospital he was asking "How's my dad? How's my dad? Is this your father over here? He was asked. That's my dad. That's Bob Stupak.

Back on the street, as police accident investigators attempted to piece together events, the greater irony loomed large in the background. From where the rider had come to rest on the asphalt, glancing to the east, he would have had a splendid view of his life's greatest achievement as it rose more than 1,000 feet into the desert night.

It quickly became clear that the female turning left in the Subaru hadn't seen the motorcycle approaching at high speed. The Harley came right out of the background lighting. The Subaru was knocked hard out of the driving path. In fact, it was turned almost completely around. The police issued a ticket for excessive speed and the lack of an operator's license and closed the case on May 31, 1995, but no one expected the charges to go any further. Stupak had suffered severe injuries. Family members and Phyllis McGuire maintained a vigil at the hospital. The main question was how much more can you penalize a guy who is in a coma?

Stupak's injuries were evident. His face was a broken mass of cuts and shattered bones. His teeth were knocked out, and his throat was cut by the helmet strap. Both arms and his left leg snapped on impact. His pelvis was cracked. Blood filled his lungs, and his skull was fractured in three places. His brain suffered intense trauma and was beginning to swell. With trauma nurses administering unit after unit of blood and a team of doctors working to keep him alive through the long night, Stupak did not lack care.

Emergency surgery was needed to stem the blood flow, but not even the hospital's top doctors knew the extent of the damage to the brain.

Nevada Stupak, who had crawled to his father's side after the accident, suffered a broken leg. His pain was intense and his shock was understandable, but he had to remain alert. Early in the morning, a surgeon approached him with a proposition only he could accept: They possessed an experimental drug that succeeded in reducing brain swelling in some patients, but it was not approved by the FDA. The drug was to be used only if the patient was not expected to live. Nevada immediately approved its use, and the doctors administered the drug, placing the father on a ventilator. Stupak entered a coma that would, in theory, allow his badly bruised brain a chance to stop swelling. Although he had to nearly kill himself to do it, he had the sympathetic attention of everyone in Vegas.

"It was the worst-looking thing you've ever seen. There was no way he could live. His head was swollen to the size of a basketball." - Eddie Baranski
"I don't know how anyone could have survived. Every bone in his face was fragmented. It was worse than anything you could see in a horror movie." - Phyllis McGuire

Stupak was packed in ice blankets and monitored around the clock. Physicians did what they could. For the most part, all they could do was wait to see if he survived the first 48 hours in his comatose state.

Over the next two weeks his condition stabilized. Physicians worked on him every day to repair the damage. Setting his bones and sewing him up were easy compared to the work to come on his head and face. Plastic surgery would piece his cheeks, nose, and mouth back together, but his jaw needed to be reconstructed, and there was no guarantee that he would emerge from the coma mentally whole.

Phyllis McGuire took up a vigil at the trauma center and later followed Stupak to the hospital's ICU, where she read to him daily. She remained by his side for weeks, along with the rest of the Stupak family. Nicole flew in from Australia to be with her father. Stupak was active even while comatose. Within days he began twitching his fingers and appeared to be struggling feebly to use his arms.

After a particularly dismal day, McGuire finished reading him the newspaper and whispered "Bob, I'm becoming discouraged. I really need to know if you're hearing what I say." She will never forget the moment he squeezed her hand. It was then she knew he would survive.

After five weeks, Stupak opened his eyes. He knew who he was, but not where he was. He didn't recognize Nevada who okayed the administration of the drug. Each morning the doctors would quiz him. Then slowly, he memory returned. He recalled nothing of the accident, but he recognized his family, began getting doctors' names straight, and noticed one person at his side each day - McGuire.

His restlessness was apparent. Although extremely weak, he began to move around his room using a wheelchair, and later a walker. His left leg was in a cast, as were his forearms, but he managed to work the walker with his elbows. Stupak was transferred to the Rehabilitation Clinic.

Walking with a cane and flanked by nurses, Stupak left the Center at 4:00pm on June 30th.

On Halloween, 1995 Stupak called a press conference. This date marked the first anniversary of the murder of second-grader Tony Bagley on a North Las Vegas sidewalk. His mother and 11 year old sister also were injured in the attack. Stupak carried with him two items: a skeleton costume of the type Bagley had worn the night was killed, and a paper sack containing $100,000 in wrapped stacks of $100 bills. The money was a reward for information that would lead to the killer.

"Somebody just happened to come along and put a bullet in everybody and put a bullet in in Tony's head. I feel good. This is the first time I've worn a suit and tie in seven and a half months. I probably wouldn't have done this a year ago. Please keep in your minds that the last thing Bob Stupak needs is publicity. I've had enough publicity." - Bob Stupak
After his motorcycle accident Stupak stated: "When God sent me back, I decided that I going to do everything I wanted to do but haven't done."

His handshake was weak, his eyes sensitive to light, and his energy level low, but he managed to get through the 10 minute Q and A session before returning to his cane. Unfortunately, even the reward failed to bring in the killer.

Stupak had previously purchased the Thunderbird Hotel near downtown (not to be confused with the Thunderbird/Silverbird/El Rancho property on the Strip). During the holidays in 1995, he turned the motel to a cafeteria to feed turkey dinners to 3,500 homeless men, women, and children. He strolled through the crowd handing out cash and wishing his guests a merry Christmas.

In the first week of February, 1996, Stupak was named Mr. Las Vegas by Mayor Jan Jones and the City Council. Only Stupak wasn't there, he having surgery on his jaw. His daughter Summer accepted the praise on her father's behalf.

On Valentine's day of 1996, Stupak sent 1,001 dozen roses by Ryder truck to Phyllis McGuire's Rancho Circle mansion. Stupak also gave McGuire's a new Cadillac.

Stupak then gave $100,000 to the United Negro College Fund; another $50,000 when he made a free throw at a Harlem Globetrotters show.

After the many problems with the Stratosphere, Stupak resigned on July 22, 1996. Because of this, it looked like he was abandoning his dream, and because of his stock situation, he was in trouble with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

On August 5, 1996, Stratosphere shareholders Michael Ceasar and Samuel Tolwin filed a federal class-action lawsuit alleging Stratosphere Corporation, Grand Casinos, Stupak, Berman, David Wirching, Tom Lettero, Andy Blumen, and attorney Tom Bell, violated securities laws through misleading practices. Stupak was targeted for selling off 948,000 shares for a profit of more than $8.25 million from December 19, 1995 to July 22, 1996.

On August 29, 1996, Harvey Cohen, Dawn Ennis, Robert Buckler, Jeff Wexler, and Union EQuity Partners filed a lawsuit against Stupak, Berman, Stratosphere, and Grand for deceptive trading and brokering.

Stupak offered $100,000 reward for information leading to the death of 10 month old Francine Meegan but when a key witness applied to receive the reward, the reward vanished. The police said so far there was no one qualified to claim the reward but the public saw that Stupak and reneged his reward.

After all the problems with the Stratosphere, the operators of the resort took the gold statute of Stupak out of the resort and placed it in storage in September, 1996.

In August, 2000, it was announced that Stupak, along with two other prospective buyers, were attempting to purchase 26 acres of the El Rancho Vegas property from Bennett for $65 million with the hopes of building a replica of the Titanic. The reproduction of the Titanic would include an iceberg casino and time-share condos in fake smokestacks. Stupak previously tried to build this resort further north on the Strip but the City Council nixed the project on the grounds that it was too close to a residential area and that the smokestacks would be offensive. As of August 2001, I have heard nothing more on this.

Presently you'll sometimes find Stupak at his Thunderbird Hotel. He still sees Phyllis McGuire and he still gambles a little.