Posted on: February 10, 2026, 11:04h.
Last updated on: February 10, 2026, 11:12h.
- Las Vegas resident Michael Loizias was arrested Monday for a $1 million extortion plot against Steve Wynn
- The plot included more than 79 threatening emails and letters sent to the billionaire casino mogul’s Florida residence since 2023
- It wasn’t difficult for police to track the threats to Loizias because he left his real phone number as a contact
A Las Vegas man has been arrested for running a years‑long extortion campaign against casino mogul Steve Wynn, bombarding the casino pioneer with threatening emails and mailed demands for $1 million.
According to a probable‑cause affidavit obtained by WPEC-TV/West Palm Beach, Michael Loizias, 43, began harassing Wynn in October 2023 — sending him hostile emails and letters allegedly demanding payment in order to not expose “unpaid taxes” tied to the sale of Wynn stock.
The missives, including 79 emails in 2023 alone, included explicit threats.
On January 30, Palm Beach, Fla. police said, Wynn’s executive assistant met with officers after his boss reported the extortion.
Earlier that day, Wynn received two packages — one via FedEx, one via USPS Priority Mail — both traced back to Loizias. Each contained letters filled with menacing language, including statements such as: “I am not a nice man. I am not your friend. This situation is going to get very bad for you quickly. I know where you live.”
The attached letters demanded that Wynn wire $1 million to Loizias and included bank details and a warning that Loizias would “visit” Wynn if he didn’t comply by March 2.
The investigation revealed that Loizias allegedly used a local FedEx Office location in Las Vegas to send one of the packages, providing police with high-definition surveillance footage that matched his Nevada driver’s license.
It Wasn’t That Difficult
It turns out, the police didn’t even need that much evidence, since Loizias listed his actual phone number as a contact in one of the threatening letters. And when they called the number, detectives said, the outgoing message used Loizias’ name.
Several calls went to voicemail, but on February 5, Loizias briefly answered before hanging up as soon as a detective identified himself.
Loizias was arrested Monday and charged with one criminal count of extortion. He is being held on a $50,000 bond at the Main Detention Center in West Palm Beach. A judge has already ordered him to have no contact with Wynn or any of his employees.
While Wynn has lived in high-security seclusion in Florida since being forced to step down from Wynn Resorts in 2018, this case marks the most public security breach he has faced since his relocation. Legal analysts suggest the paper trail — consisting of nearly 80 digital and physical touchpoints — makes this one of the most documented extortion attempts in Palm Beach history.
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