by Mindy Aguon

Guam - KUAM News has attempted to find out who is behind the for-profit gambling initiative encapsulated in Proposition 'A', attempting to get comment from John Baldwin and Bridge Capital, which has been behind previous failed gambling initiatives. Bridge Capital referred our inquiries and questions to Guam Japan Friendship Village, which has merely filed articles of incorporation with the Department of Revenue & Taxation.

There is no record of who the shareholders or board members are. The Guam Japan Friendship Village has not responded to KUAM's e-mail questions, despite claims they would do so. Guam Greyhound and Baldwin meanwhile only have a license for property rental at this time.

Baldwin and his partners at Bridge Capital, including Shawn A. Scott and Robert Newell, has made headlines around the world for their unconventional efforts to develop gambling ventures in New York, Louisiana, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Washington, DC, among others.

Just last month in Phuket, Thailand, Baldwin's company, Bridge Rang Noi, was charged with violating the Forest Act by encroaching onto land they don't own. Phuket Gazette reports that authorities there had launched an investigation of a suspected casino being built by Baldwin's company.