Hard Rock DR Casino Owner’s Son Allegedly Involved in Auto Accident Death Cover-Up

The son of a Mexican businessman with a hotel empire in the Caribbean and Latin America, Rodrigo Chapur is accused of participating in a cover-up to prevent a close friend from facing charges for his involvement in a car accident in the Dominican Republic that killed a young Venezuelan national and injured her brother-in-law.

According to a source who spoke on condition of anonymity, Chapur's companion "Chris" killed an unnamed Venezuelan woman on December 31, 2019, as he was driving to Hard Rock Punta Cana, a casino hotel that has recently been embroiled in controversy.  Chris was driving on the road where the woman and her brother-in-law were riding a motorcycle.  According to the source, the Toyota was "totaled."

Chris allegedly phoned Chapur after the collision, and Chapur eventually showed up at the scene.  Chris was brought to a local police station, the informant said, but he was not charged.  Chris was released on his own recognizance with a promise to return later that morning, according to the source, a former Hard Rock Punta Cana employee, who also claimed to have been able to "fix everything up" on behalf of Chapur's associate.

In addition, the informant told Casino.org that Chris, a frequent visitor to the Hard Rock casino who is known to travel between Miami and the Dominican Republic, probably spent between $7,000 and $8,000 on the incident, including bribery of local police, medical expenses, a new motorcycle for the young man hurt in the collision, and expenses for shipping the deceased woman's body to her family in Venezuela.

DR Goings On: Hard Rock Taking a Hard Line

According to a statement given to Casino.org, Hard Rock is not dismissing the claims of possible vehicular manslaughter and concealment.

"The nature of these allegations are very serious and we strongly encourage anyone with evidence of criminal activity to report it to the appropriate authorities,” according to the company statement. “While Hard Rock will not comment further on this matter at this time, we remain committed to honesty and integrity as part of our brand standard and should the situation arise, we would cooperate fully with law enforcement in any investigation.”

The company's response to recent claims of chicanery at the Dominican casino, which resulted in the suspension of several employees, including senior executive Alex Pariente, is consistent with this.

The company that owns and runs Hard Rock Punta Cana is called Palace Resorts, and Rodrigo Chapur, Rodrigo's father, is president of the organization.  For the privilege of using that recognizable brand at the Dominican venue, Palace pays Hard Rock a licensing fee.

Regarding whether it is reevaluating its partnership with the Dominican casino resort, Hard Rock International remained silent. According to a secondary source, the resort brought in a pitiful $7 million in earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) last year.

Regarding the Chapurs, Pariente, and Hard Rock Punta Cana, it's worth noting that several sources have informed Casino.org that Roberto Chapur has long been against Pariente's association with the establishment. Instead, it is claimed that Pariente's time there was prolonged by a cordial connection with Rodrigo, which may have opened the door for misconduct.

Rodrigo Chapur: A Vibrant Individual

According to reports, Rodrigo Chapur has a colorful history in addition to his alleged involvement in a Hollywood-style plot that kept his pal out of a Dominican criminal crisis.  Being recognized as a regular gambler at Hard Rock Punta Cana is part of that. That wouldn't be acceptable in several US states because certain operators forbid employees from gambling on the job, even while they're not working.

Pariente is accused of violating money transfer and marker collection procedures, which is connected to Chapur's claimed gambling tendencies.

According to a source who spoke to Casino.org at the beginning of the Pariente scandal, Chapur was dispatched to Tennessee to retrieve $2 million in cash from a customer of Hard Rock Punta Cana who had failed to pay his marker while in the Dominican Republic.  Chapur allegedly gathered that money with Pariente's knowledge, but instead of taking it back to the Caribbean, he took a business aircraft to Las Vegas, where he reportedly lost the majority of the money at the Venetian.