US casino magnate Steve Wynn has been accused of sexual harassment and assault by dozens of former and current women employees at his resorts.
Wynn, 76, is one of the most prominent donors in politics. He currently serves as the Republican National Committee's finance chair and has donated millions to candidates and groups over the past four decades. President Donald Trump has described Wynn as a friend, the New York Times reported.
After the news broke, Democrats began insisting that Republicans and the Republican National Committee return Wynn's cash.
Dozens of staff who have worked for Wynn's company shared with the Wall Street Journal their accounts of his abusive conduct, describing the mogul "as a man who pressures and forces them to obey his disgraceful requests".
A detailed report in the Journal portrayed Wynn as a man who frequently demanded naked massages from female employees, sometimes pressuring them for sex. The newspaper said that the activity had gone on for decades and that some female employees had complained to supervisors about Wynn's behaviour.
Some of the women told the daily that they had tried to avoid having to give Wynn massages by hiding in bathrooms or entering fake appointments in record logs to make it look as if some of their colleagues were busy.
The newspaper relied on court records and interviews with dozens of people who worked at his casinos.
Wynn denied the allegations in a statement, saying, "The idea that I ever assaulted any woman is preposterous."
"We find ourselves in a world where people can make allegations, regardless of the truth," he said, adding, "and a person is left with the choice of weathering insulting publicity or engaging in multi-year lawsuits."
One of the women, a married manicurist who worked at the flagship Wynn Las Vegas resort and casino, received a settlement of $7.5 million from Wynn after she submitted a report of his misconduct in 2005 to the resort's human resources department, the report said.
On Friday, Wynn Resorts' board of directors formed a special committee to investigate the allegations.
The report of Wynn's misconduct comes after a wave of powerful men in politics and the media and film industries have been accused of sexual abuse.
Wynn has created some of Las Vegas' most notable casinos and resorts. Forbes magazine estimates that he has a net worth of $3.5 billion.
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