Man listed in Nevada ‘Black Book’ arrested by Metro on Strip

Las Vegas resident Tasia McDonald Musa, 40, was apprehended without incident just before midnight by the Metropolitan Police Department in front of the Fountains of Bellagio, after he fled across Las Vegas Boulevard from Paris when the resort’s security officers couldn’t detain him.

Musa was booked for unlawful entry by a person who has been placed on the List of Excluded Persons, a gross misdemeanor, according to the Control Board.

“The board recognizes the security staff of the Paris Hotel & Casino and thanks the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department for their diligence in this matter, and for its continued partnership with the board to ensure the safety of Nevada’s residents and its guests,” James Taylor, chief of the board’s Enforcement Division, said in a news release. “The board will continue to work with all of its security and law enforcement partners throughout the state to ensure the integrity and strict regulation of licensed gaming.”

According to the board, Musa was spotted trying to enter the resort by a Paris security guard, reportedly without the use of facial-recognition technology. When confronted, Musa ran but was seen by Metro officers who were patrolling the Strip. After a brief pursuit on foot, Musa was arrested.

Control Board spokesman Michael Lawton said Tuesday that arrests have been made in the past for similar instances of unlawful entry by an individual who had been placed on the List of Excluded Persons.

Musa was placed on the List of Excluded Persons — Nevada’s so-called “Black Book” — on Jan. 29, 2015, for his seven felony convictions involving larceny in casinos, according to a Control Board filing reviewed by the Nevada Gaming Commission. He also was arrested at least 19 times on similar charges related to his activities in licensed gaming establishments.

The List of Excluded Persons currently includes 36 people with its most recent addition made last week.

The Gaming Commission unanimously added Kendrick Laronte Weatherspoon to the list because of his history of assaults on women and forcing women into prostitution at Strip resorts.

Weatherspoon’s inclusion on the list was historic because it was the first time a person was placed on it who didn’t cheat casino games or was associated with organized crime.

The Nevada Legislature authorized the creation of the List of Excluded Persons in 1967, and declared it the policy of the state that exclusion of certain persons from licensed gaming establishments is necessary to effectively maintain the strict regulation of licensed gaming in Nevada.

Contact Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Follow @RickVelotta on Twitter.