The federal prosecutor in the 1993 kidnapping of Steve Wynn’s daughter, Kevyn Wynn, is speaking January 21, 2021 at 7pm PST at the Mob Museum Las Vegas. The museum will live-stream the presentation for free as well.
Vegas Abduction
Steve Wynn is a high-profile casino mogul in Las Vegas, and kidnappers targeted his daughter as a result. Kevyn Wynn was kidnapped on July 26, 1993, and her kidnappers demanded a $2.5 million ransom.
Retired U.S. attorney Tom O’Connell was the lead prosecutor in the kidnapping case. He is now headlining the Mob Museum presentation, “Vegas Abduction: The Inside Story of the Kevyn Wynn Kidnapping.”
In1989, Steve Wynn attended the grand opening of the first megaresort on the Las Vegas Strip, the Mirage. Kevyn Wynn worked in retail operations for Mirage resorts when she was 26.
Vegas Crime
After finishing her job at the Mirage, Kevyn Wynn dined with her family before going home for the night. When she got home, she was confronted at gunpoint by masked men.
She was then bound and held by the kidnappers, who taped her eyes and took photos of her in her underwear. They then threatened to release the photos to the press if her father called the police.
According to a quote from the victim by local media, Kevyn Wynn thought she would be raped and killed.
“I said, ‘Please don’t hurt me. Please don’t hurt me,’” she said. “I was shaking. I was petrified.”
Steve Wynn received a call from the kidnappers demanding $2.5 million for his daughter’s release. Wynn told the kidnappers that he had $1.45 million in the casino vault, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Wynn proceeded to the cash drop point, Sonny’s Saloon, with a heavy load of cash in his arms. “It was heavy,” Wynn said. “I held it like a baby with my arms around it.”
Wynn found his daughter tied up in her black Audi in the Las Vegas Airport parking lot. She had been held for two hours but was physically unharmed.
Vegas Punishment
A few days after the abduction, three men were taken into custody for the crime, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The mastermind, Ray Marion Cuddy, was arrested trying to pay a $70,000 cash installment on a $183,000 Ferrari in Newport Beach, CA.
The two other suspects, Anthony Watkins and Jacob Sherwood, were arrested a short time after Cuddy.
Cuddy was sentenced to 24 years in prison, Sherwood received 19 years, and Watkins was sentenced to six and a half years in prison. He received a lesser term for his cooperation with authorities.
The Mob Museum regularly presents exhibitions and special discussions by important people connected to the Las Vegas casino scene. Last November, screenwriter Nicholas Pileggi and former Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman gave a presentation on the 25th anniversary of the Vegas mafia movie, Casino.
Both events quickly sold out, but you can view the live stream of the Vegas Abduction for free at 7pm, January 21.
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