LVCVA abuse of airline gift cards broadens

Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority's abuse of airline gift cards broadens

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) — the official destination marketing organization for Southern Nevada — is currently facing a scandal after a report released on Friday, June 8, revealed that auditors could not account for more than $50,000 in Southwest Airlines gift cards purchased by the government agency.

Brig Lawson, the former senior director of business partnerships at LVCVA, bought worth $90,000 of gift cards between 2012 and 2017 and was sole responsible for distributing them within the publicly funded government agency, the report said.

The longtime LVCVA CEO Rossi Ralenkotter, who last week divulged his plans to retire, used $16,207 worth of gift cards for himself and his wife on a combined 56 trips to a number of cities, including Burbank, California, Chicago, Phoenix, San Diego and San Francisco, the report read.

Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority's abuse of airline gift cards broadens