Whittemore manager claims Seenos violated environmental permits
By Martha Bellisle, Reno Gazette-Journal
A former manager of the company at the center of a high-profile, high-stakes legal battle involving lobbyist Harvey Whittemore accused the company’s new owners of violating permits on various properties and making numerous threats.
Brad Mamer also said the Seeno family, who took over the Wingfield Nevada Group in 2010, often vented “their complete hatred of Mr. Whittemore.” And after several Seeno family members allegedly made threatening statements, Mamer said he feared for his safety.
“I’m honestly a complete nervous wreck about what the Seenos are capable of and I’m scared for myself and my family, quite honestly,” Mamer said.
Mamer made the allegations against the Seeno family during a taped interview by Whittemore’s lawyers in September, and were attached to a document filed late Friday opposing the Seenos’ motion to dismiss Whittemore’s federal lawsuit against the Seenos.
The documents are the latest legal salvo in a battle that involves millions of dollars and could lead to criminal charges. Both sides say they’ve reported their allegations to officials, and the FBI issues subpoenas last week to about 30 Whittemore associates in a campaign contribution investigations.
The Seenos have denied on numerous occasions ever making any threats against Whittemore. Efforts to reach their lawyers in Reno and Las Vegas late Friday were not successful.
Tom and Albert Seeno Jr., home-builders based in Concord, filed a state lawsuit on behalf of Wingfield against Whittemore in January, saying he embezzled company funds, and claiming he wrote and signed a confession to the alleged misdeeds.
Whittemore responded with a federal lawsuit against the Seenos claiming they used death threats and strong-arm tactics to get him to transfer his assets to Wingfield.
The Seenos responded last week by asking the federal judge to dismiss the case or put it on hold while their state case is resolved. They also amended their state suit by adding Mamer as a defendant, claiming he violated a confidentiality agreement and shared Wingfield trade secrets.