Dozens of people have accused 1963 College graduate and former Penn Board of Trustees member Stephen Wynn of sexual misconduct, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Wynn served on the Board of Trustees until 2004 and donated $7.5 million for the construction of the Perelman Quadrangle, which includes Wynn Commons. In 2006, he was also granted an honorary Doctor of Laws from the University.
The Daily Pennsylvanian issue from Sept. 1, 1995 noted that Wynn was "very committed to the concept of a main street where people can congregate."
Wynn, a real estate mogul who was named the financial chair of the Republican National Committee after President Donald Trump’s inauguration, allegedly pressured various employees to perform sex acts. In one account by an unnamed manicurist, Wynn forced her to take off her clothes and have sex with him even after she repeatedly told him "no." He later paid the manicurist $7.5 million in a settlement, the WSJ reported.
In a written statement to the WSJ, Wynn denied all allegations.
"The idea that I ever assaulted any woman is preposterous," he wrote. “We find ourselves in a world where people can make allegations, regardless of the truth, and a person is left with the choice of weathering insulting publicity or engaging in multi-year lawsuits. It is deplorable for anyone to find themselves in this situation.”
In an email to The Daily Pennsylvanian, University spokesperson Steve MacCarthy wrote, "These are very troubling allegations and we are monitoring the situation closely. But at this point we are unable to comment further."
Wynn is the current chairman of Wynn Resorts. In the past few decades, he has been responsible for building various luxury establishments in Las Vegas, including the Mirage, Treasure Island, Bellagio, Wynn, and Encore casinos. He launched Wynn Resorts in 2002 with his ex-wife, Elaine Wynn, with whom he has spent years in legal battles over their divorce agreement.
As of Jan. 26, his net worth was $3.6 billion, according to Forbes.
Trump and Wynn have a long history of battling both as "rival casino owners" and in court in 1999 over a variety of allegations, including fraud, money-laundering, perjury, conspiracy, and theft of trade secrets, Forbes reported. The two ultimately settled in 2000, The Daily Beast reported.
“One of the great qualities Steve and Donald share: when they're in a war they will fight like you've never seen. But when it's over it's over," Skip Bronson wrote, who authored a book on Atlantic City in the 1990s.
Wynn did not publicly endorse Trump before his inauguration, but he was an active member of Trump's inauguration committee and has remained an avid supporter as the chair of the RNC, a position he took on at the end of January 2017.
While Wynn's financial contributions to Penn have certainly not been kept private, Trump's donations to Penn have remained ambiguous. The Daily Pennsylvanian published a report, however, that Trump's contributions to Penn could have amounted to at least $1,480,500, based on University reports, his foundation’s tax filings, and other sources. Trump's academic history at Penn, too, remains a mystery.
In December 2017, sexual misconduct allegations against Larry Wittig, a longtime rowing coach who rose to a top leadership role in the Pennsylvania education system, prompted him to resign from his position as chair of Pennsylvania's Board of Education.
This is a breaking story that was last updated at 2:52 p.m. Check back here for updates.
The Daily Pennsylvanian is an independent, student-run newspaper. Please consider making a donation to support the coverage that shapes the University. Your generosity ensures a future of strong journalism at Penn.
Donate