The son of a former city executive overdosed on fentanyl while playing blackjack at Mohegan Sun, lost consciousness and fell from his chair, and officials wasted precious time trying to get help that could have saved his life, according to a chilling video obtained by The Washington Post.
Video of the May 18, 2021 incident shows Kamal Bhawani’s son, Ehsan Bhawani, lying motionless on the floor while the casino’s pit boss and dealer continue to play cards at a nearby blackjack table.
Gerard Santiago, who authorities say dealt the fentanyl-laced drugs that ultimately killed Ethan, stood behind him when Ethan sat down to play blackjack shortly before 2 a.m.
The video shows the man, identified in court as Santiago, 44, sneaking off shortly after Ethan collapsed at 2:01 a.m.
About a minute after Ethan fell off his chair, one of the players at the table moved to a nearby table and continued playing blackjack.
Two other people and bystanders tried to check on the 22-year-old man, who was at the casino celebrating his graduation from Baruch College, but were ordered to leave by Mohegan employees.
Four and a half minutes after Ethan collapsed, a casino employee finally checked on him, but from just a few feet away, according to a video that federal authorities used as court evidence in the criminal case against Santiago.
Emergency responders from the Mohegan Reservation didn’t arrive until 2:11 a.m., 11 minutes after Ethan had hit the ground.
They began CPR at about 2:12 a.m. and continued trying for more than 10 minutes to no avail, according to the video.
He was declared brain dead and died nine days later at Hartford Hospital.
Court records show he had fentanyl, cocaine, marijuana and alcohol in his system, and an addiction treatment specialist testified that it was likely fentanyl that caused Ethan’s death.
“If they had reached him within three minutes, he would have been perfectly alive,” Kamal Bhawani told the Post.
“My son was in law school and was celebrating his graduation while stuck at home during a pandemic. He made a mistake… but it shouldn’t have cost him his life,” continued Bhawani, who served as chief information officer for the New York City Department of Health and Human Services under former Mayor Michael Bloomberg and as an executive under former Mayor Rudy Giuliani.
Mohegan is one of about a dozen bidders currently vying for three casino licenses in New York City.
Belwani is urging Governor Hochul to reject Mohegan Corp. and its partner, the Solovyov Group,’s plan for a $10 billion “Freedom Plaza” casino, which would also include a hotel and entertainment complex near the United Nations in Manhattan.
“what [Mohegan] “What they’ve proven is that they put money over safety,” said Bhawani, who donated $30,000 to Hokru’s 2022 gubernatorial campaign.
“The culture is pervasive there. You can see the values of Mohegan Sun just by watching the videos.”
Santiago He pleaded guilty to federal drug distribution charges in January. He was arrested in 2023 while selling fentanyl-laced heroin to undercover officers and faces up to 20 years in prison.
But Kamal Belwani wants more justice.
He said he believes the Mohegan tribe, which has its own judicial system, tried to cover up his son’s death by taking advantage of the fact that the casino is on the reservation and therefore not subject to U.S. law.
He filed a negligence lawsuit against Mohegan in May 2022.
A tribal court dismissed that case on technical grounds, but Belwani plans to file a new lawsuit.
Michael Balboni, a security adviser to Solovyov Mohegan’s bid, denied his father’s assertion that Mohegan could not ensure the safety of its guests.
He said that of the more than 6 million people who have visited Connecticut casinos since 2023, no one has died from an opioid overdose.
Belwani has made it his life’s mission to raise public awareness about the fentanyl overdose epidemic. Non-profit organization Precrivity Foundation They are also trying to convince local governments to make naloxone, a nasal spray that reverses opioid overdoses, available in public buildings.
It’s unclear whether Mohegan had naloxone on-site when Ethan died, but Balboni said it does now.
“This is a very tragic incident but is not representative of the way this gambling establishment is operated,” he added.
Hoekl spokesman Sam Spocony said the state is “taking aggressive and ongoing steps to address the opioid and overdose epidemic, including distributing approximately 700,000 naloxone kits statewide over the past 18 months.”
