Jesus Campos (left) with his brother Jorge Quintero in Room Vdara 47-037 from Twitter
LAS VEGAS — Luis Castro said his former brother-in-law Mandalay Bay Security Officer Jesus Campos told him that MGM Resorts International (MGMRI) knew that gunman Stephen Paddock had “suspicious amounts of luggage” and guns in his room but security “neglected” it because of his high-roller status.
He said Campos signed a non-disclosure agreement with MGMRI. Campos received an all-expenses-paid trip and “gifted” two condos where he could reside, Castro claims. MGMRI hid Campos under guard at the Vdara Hotel and Spa after the October 1, 2017 Las Vegas Massacre for protection where his room and meals were provided, Castro said.
The Baltimore Post-Examiner contacted MGMRI seeking comment on several questions. MGMRI has not responded to the Baltimore Post-Examiner.
Campos could not be reached for comment.
BPE Exclusive, Display from inside Vdara Room 47-037
The Vdara Hotel and Spa is located within the CityCenter complex across from the Aria Resort and Casino on Las Vegas Boulevard. The hotel is a joint venture between MGMRI and Infinity World Development.
Castro also has made some stunning remarks concerning alleged conversations that he has had with Campos after the Massacre.
The following are transcribed excerpts from Wednesday’s interview with Castro who has used his Twitter account @Untold Stories LV to shed light on the incident:
BPE: Tell me about yourself and your relationship with Jesus.
Castro: I’ve known him for eleven plus years, he lived with me, his family and stuff lived with me, over the years. But just, once, when he got paid out and stuff, he drastically changed.
BPE: You were, what’s your family relationship with Jesus?
Castro: He’s my former brother-in-law.
BPE Exclusive, Jesus Campos taken at the Vdara by Luis Castro.
BPE: So you were married to his sister?
Castro: No. His brother was married to my sister, his brother, Jorge Quintero, but nonetheless, they both lived with us. Jorge was married to my sister. They got a divorce, right after, when Jesus got paid out, he was staying with Jesus, that’s when he filed for divorce when he got the money.
BPE: Is Jesus married?
Castro: No. He’s got a girlfriend right now, but he’s not married.
BPE: Do you know where he lives in Las Vegas, do you know what his address is?
Castro: He’s got a couple of addresses. MGM’s giving him like two condos, so he has those. I believe he lives with his girlfriend most of the time.
BPE: What do you mean they gave him two condos; how do you know that?
Castro: Like I said, he was gifted two condos by MGM, they took care of a lot of things for him, like when he went to Mexico, they gave him the rental to go to Mexico, flew him out to LA on MGM [for The Ellen Show appearance], they compensated him for his, for the non-disclosure, and then gifted him properties to stay at and what not. Throughout this whole time after the shooting, he was staying at the Vdara on MGM’s tap.
BPE: Who else was staying with him, do you know?
Castro: Yeah, that’s how I, basically my grandparents came into town that time and he was kind enough to get some rooms for us. So he got, my grandparents were staying in the room that he got us as well, me, my sister and Jorge and his kids, so, there was two, it was like a full out couch and then the room, and he was staying at the room down the hall, was guarded and stuff, but he’d come and visit.
BPE: And you all were staying at the Vdara?
Castro: We all were, yeah. Jesus was staying there, he got us all rooms at the Vdara.
BPE: Did you have to pay for that or was that free?
Castro: No, it was all on, it was all free. Yeah, the dining was free, the valet was free, everything was.
BPE: Do you remember the dates you were there?
Castro: Yeah, I have, I can’t remember off the top of my head, but yeah, the room key, I posted it on Twitter. I put most of everything on there.
When it first happened, everybody was looking for Jesus, so they all came to my house and they dropped off a bunch of cards and stuff. I posted everything on Twitter.
BPE: Did you see Jesus’ wound in his leg, was he actually shot?
Castro: Yeah, he wasn’t shot in the leg, he was shot in the thigh, it wasn’t like a real, it was more like a ricochet, it was very small. I met up with him a couple of days after the shooting, he was frustrated, he was only going to get workers comp, he was low-level security, didn’t carry a gun or whatnot. Just frustrated, you know, I’ve known him for so long, he was venting to me and whatnot. Shortly after that, he told me that he was going to meet with the MGM executives and all the other people and see if he could make a deal.
BPE: Was Jesus born in Mexico or was he born here in the United States?
Castro: No, he was born here in California.
Castro: We never took him as a serious person throughout, as I’ve known him, he was never a serious person, I’m younger, and I’ve always been the one that was taking care of everybody.
BPE: What did he tell you about the night that he got shot?
Castro: When I met up with Jesus, he was frustrated, he was only going to get a little pay, so shortly after, you know I was texting him, all these news people were coming to my house, what are we going to do, and he was like, oh yes, some of the news people are going to pay him, some he was going to do for free, but last minute they cut everybody off and then, that’s when he made, so the trip to Mexico was already planned, he had that, his dad lives in Mexico.
BPE: So that was planned before the shooting?
Castro: That was planned before the shooting, he didn’t go into hiding. When he came back that was when they had the whole Ellen Show, his interview arranged and whatnot. When I met up with him at the Vdara he was kind of frustrated, and he was venting to me, you know he said that the higher security staff there, they had notifications of suspicious amounts of luggage, they have reports of him, of Stephen Paddock, whatever his name is, that reports of like guns in the room, prior to the shooting, but that they just neglected it because of his high- roller status. You know they’re called whales but…
These conspiracies arise because the public is not getting information, Ellentube interview with the comments disabled. Ellen said in the interview that he doesn’t want to talk about the incident. It’s not that he doesn’t it’s because he was going to get paid to not talk
— Untold Stories LV (@LvUntold) October 14, 2018
BPE: Right, and he told you that, that’s what he told you?
BPE Exclusive, Comped food at Vdara room taken by Luis Castro
Castro: Yeah, he told me a bunch of stuff. A lot of people at MGM knew him, that the shooter, like persons like you know, on a first name basis and stuff.
BPE: Because he was in there all the time as a high roller?
Castro: Yeah so, when stuff like happens, he said a lot of people they turn a blind eye, especially at security, a lot of security, especially like in the club or something. If a person is making so much, spending money in the club…, you know, that individual is pretty much, he can do whatever in that club, he can stand on the table, he could smoke weed in the club, he can do whatever he wants in that club, because he spent, x amount of money.
That’s how that happened, he just had, you know, special treatment.
#LasVegasShooting #VegasStrong Mandalay Bay Security Guard New Details Jesus Campos Statement Saying Security Staff knew about guns prior to the shooting but neglected the notifications because of the shooters high roller status ! : READ MORE @LvUntold #ElectionDay pic.twitter.com/xEejSDUZwn
— Untold Stories LV (@LvUntold) November 6, 2018
BPE: Did Jesus say anything that he knew Paddock before this incident happened or did he ever meet him before?
Castro: Yeah, yeah, he met him. He said a lot of people knew him on a first name basis. He said a lot of people at the MGM have that relationship, like, not just him.
BPE: Did he tell you why MGM put him up at the Vdara, what was the reason behind that as far as you know, why couldn’t he stay at his house?
Castro: Protection. They said protection. Just to be protected.
BPE: They were afraid of news people talking to him, is that what it was?
Castro: Yeah, that’s why but they said protection, you know, to protect him, but yeah it’s for the media outlet.
Let me explain how
After the Ellen interview he signed his Nondisclosure agreement with mgm for a substantial amount of money as well as mgm gifting him two condominium properties in Henderson. Along with the money facilitated by his four gofundme campaigns— Untold Stories LV (@LvUntold) October 14, 2018
BPE: How long did he stay at the hotel, is he back home now?
Castro: He was at the hotel for a while, but like I said, they gifted to him those condos, like I said, he’s got those condos and he’s staying at the girl’s house.
BPE: When you say he’s got condos, are you talking about the rooms at the Vdara, or did they actually give him…?
Castro: No, no, no. Those aren’t condos. Yeah, he was gifted like condominiums, an actual place.
BPE: You mean they gave it to him or they just let him stay there?
Castro: No, they gave it to him.
BPE: So you’re telling me that MGM Resorts International gave him two condos in Las Vegas?
Castro: Yes.
BPE: And who owns them, does he own them do you know, or does MGM own them?
Castro: Yeah, no it’s in his name.
BPE: Do you know where they are?
Castro: Yeah, I know the address and everything but…
BPE: What are the addresses of the condos?
Castro: I’ll give it probably to an attorney that, but I don’t want to give his address out.
BPE: But you’re saying his name’s on the condos, he owns them?
Castro: Uh-uh, yeah, it might be redacted. Everything on his name has been redacted, so good luck finding them.
BPE: When he went to visit his parents in Mexico, his father, do you know what part of Mexico?
Castro: Yeah, it’s just his dad. The parents are separated.
BPE: What part of Mexico does the father live in?
Castro: He went to TJ.
BPE: Tijuana?
Castro: Yeah.
BPE: He drove there, then drove back into the United States and then flew back to Vegas?
Castro: No he had a rental, they came a rental, so, from here to Mexico and back.
BPE: You said before they flew him to LA when was that?
Castro: That’s when he came back. They flew him to LA for The Ellen Show. Ellen DeGeneres.
BPE: They flew him to The Ellen Show, okay. So he drove from Las Vegas to Tijuana, Mexico?
Castro: Uh, uh.
BPE: And then he met his father and came back, and that was after he was shot?
Castro: That was after he was shot.
BPE: How many days after he was shot did he go, leave?
Castro: I’ll have to look at the exact dates but, probably around the time he was going to do those interviews, probably five, not even a week after.
BPE: This business card that’s on your LV page, LV Untold, from this Teresa Rodriquez, it says Mr. Campos, who’s holding that card, is that your hand or somebody else?
Castro: No, that’s mine.
BPE: How did you get that card?
Castro: Like I said, there was a lot of cards left from my house.
BPE: Not at his house, your house?
Castro: Well he lived with me, he lived with me.
BPE: He was living with you at the time?
Castro: Yeah.
BPE: On the room key photograph on Twitter, it says 47-037, now is that the room he was in or was that the room you were in?
Castro: That was our, that was my room.
BPE: You were in 47-037, do you know what room number he was in?
Castro: I can probably get the number but off the top, no.
BPE: He was in one room and then he got you and other family members other rooms on the same floor, free of charge?
Castro: Yeah.
BPE: Do you remember how many days you guys were in that room?
Castro: Probably about a week. They said that everything was comped, that it was comped.
BPE: How come his brother’s name is different than Jesus’ last name. Why is he Quintero and Campos, Campos?
Castro: Different fathers. Same mother.
BPE: The photograph you have on Twitter of him sitting on the chair with his brother, on the couch next to somebody else, who’s the person sitting next to the brother, you can’t see the face, is that a male or a female?
Castro: It’s just my niece.
BPE: And that was inside Jesus’ room or your room?
Castro: No, that was my room. Every time he came to visit, he came to my room.
BPE: Did you ever go to his hotel room?
Castro: Yeah, I have once, but every time we talked he came over to my room.
BPE: Did he actually tell you that Mandalay Bay knew about the guns in the room prior to the shooting or is that just something you think he said?
Castro: No, no, no. That’s like I said, that’s verbatim. Exactly what he told me.
BPE: And he told you that he knew who Stephen Paddock was before the shooting right?
Castro: Uh hum, yeah. He said a lot of people knew, MGM staff knew. He was a predominate gambler there.
BPE: As far as these condos…, did he just say that, could he be BS’ing about that?
Castro: No, no, no. They paid him out for the [injury] and then like I said, gave him properties to stay at. They gifted him… He was paid out long before the victims. He was gifted property.
BPE: The story that he was put up at the Vdara will pique interest.
Castro: I have the valet ticket, everything was comped. Valet was comped, the food was comped. Like I said I had, there were three rooms in total, including my grandparents staying there. Everything was comped.
BPE: That’s three rooms including his room right?
Castro: Exactly.
Castro said that MGMRI had paid for armed private security to escort Campos wherever he went after the Massacre.
Room key Vdara from Twitter
In the photograph of his Vdara room keys that he posted on Twitter, there is a Vdara business card belonging to Keryn Abel, Director of Hotel Operations for the Vdara. I asked Castro why he had her business card. He said it was provided to him by Vdara staff in case they had any problem while they were staying at the Vdara, they were to contact Abel.
According to Castro, Campos told him that his appearance on the Ellen DeGeneres Show was staged and taped prior to airing. Castro said Campos told him they were reading from a teleprompter.
When he was explaining his recollection to me at the Vdara he did not mention the lady in the hallway he told to get back or that he was accompanied by the engineer that appeared on Ellen with him. )
— Untold Stories LV (@LvUntold) October 14, 2018
Castro told me that Campos is still employed by MGMRI, but he no longer works at the Mandalay Bay Hotel. He said Campos works in security on another MGMRI property, but he does not work on the casino floor.
Castro did provide me with personal information on his and Campos’ family members, that I did confirm during my vetting process.
Castro also provided other photographs that he had taken of Campos and the inside of the Vdara to the Baltimore Post-Examiner that he did not post to his Twitter account.
Other information that was gleaned from my interview with Castro was not covered in this article. My investigation is pending, and those results could be the subject of future stories.
At the time of this story, I have not located any real property in Campos’ name.
The location of the condominiums that Castro said was “gifted” to Campos is still the subject of investigation.
Castro said that Campos was shot in the thigh. I believe he was shot in the calf.
Stay tuned. More to come.
The post EXCLUSIVE: MGM Resorts International buys Mandalay Bay Security Officer Jesus Campos’ silence with all expenses paid trips, condos in exchange for NDA appeared first on Baltimore Post-Examiner.