A federal investigation cleared Crane of any wrongdoing.Ĭrane, in an interview Friday, said he would bring to an Oxnard casino a rare mix of experience-as a prosecutor who convicted criminals involved in Nevada gaming, as an owner and operator of highly successful casinos and as a $300-an-hour attorney who specializes in the complicated business of corporate law.īut perhaps more important, Crane said: “I think that I would pass any integrity test the city wants to impose. His reputation as a federal prosecutor was temporarily sullied in the early 1980s when a felon’s claim that Crane had delayed or quashed prosecutions at the behest of criminals received nationwide media coverage.
Though Nevada gaming authorities and lawyers familiar with Crane’s work in federal court in Los Angeles vouch for his ability and integrity, aspects of his past may prompt inquiry by state gaming officials and Oxnard city officials when they do their background checks.Ĭrane, once nominated by the Justice Department as the outstanding federal government attorney in the nation, created a stir among prosecutors after resigning his strike force post in 1975 by representing gambling interests and a client associated with organized crime figures, and by gaining a 5% interest in a Las Vegas casino in 1979.
