Hard Rock DR Casino Owner’s Son Allegedly Involved in Auto Accident Death Cover-Up
Posted on: July 28, 2025, 04:00h.
Last updated on: July 28, 2025, 09:40h.
- Close friend of Rodrigo Chapur allegedly involved in automobile accident that killed a woman, injured a man
- Source says Chapur helped friend direct payments to Dominican authorities
- His friend wasn’t criminally prosecuted in the Dominican Republic
Rodrigo Chapur, the son of a Mexican businessman whose interests include a hotel empire spanning the Caribbean and Latin America, was allegedly involved in a cover-up that ensured a close friend wasn’t prosecuted for his role in an automobile accident in the Dominican Republic that claimed the life of a young Venezuelan national while injuring her brother-in-law.
Speaking on the condition of anonymity, a source told Casino.org that on Dec. 31, 2019, Chapur’s friend “Chris” was traveling by car to Hard Rock Punta Cana — a casino hotel recently ensconced in controversy — when he struck and killed an unidentified Venezuelan woman. The woman and her brother-in-law were traveling by motorcycle on the road on which Chris was driving. The source said the car, a Toyota, was “totaled.”
Following the accident, Chris supposedly called Chapur, who later arrived at the scene of the accident. The informer added that Chris was taken to a nearby police station, but wasn’t booked on charges. The source, a former employee of Hard Rock Punta Cana, also said he was able to “fix everything up” on behalf of Chapur’s associate, meaning Chris was released on his own recognizance with a pledge to return later that morning.
The informant also told Casino.org that Chris, who is known to travel between Miami and the Dominican Republic, frequenting the Hard Rock casino, likely spent between $7,000 and $8,000 on the incident, including graft to local police, medical bills, a new motorcycle for the young man injured in the accident, and costs associated with sending the deceased woman’s body to her family in Venezuela.
Hard Rock Taking Hard Line on DR Goings On
In a statement provided to Casino.org, Hard Rock says it’s not taking lightly the allegations of concealment and potential vehicular manslaughter.
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.”
That’s in line with the company’s approach to recent allegations of chicanery at the Dominican casino, which led to the suspensions of multiple staffers, including high-ranking executive Alex Pariente.
Hard Rock Punta Cana is owned and operated by a corporation known as Palace Resorts — an entity at which Roberto Chapur — Rodrigo’s father — serves as president. Palace pays a licensing fee to Hard Rock for the rights to use that iconic brand on the Dominican venue.
Hard Rock International didn’t comment on whether it’s reassessing its relationship with the Dominican casino resort — a venue a separate source told Casino.org generated a paltry $7 million in earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) last year.
An interesting footnote regarding the Chapurs, Pariente, and Hard Rock Punta Cana is that multiple sources have told Casino.org that Roberto Chapur has long opposed Pariente’s involvement with the venue. Rather, a cozy relationship with Rodrigo is said to have extended Pariente’s time there, potentially paving the way for malfeasance.
Rodrigo Chapur: A Colorful Character
In addition to his purported role in a Hollywood-style scheme that ensured his friend wasn’t ensnared in a Dominican criminal scandal, Rodrigo Chapur is said to have a vivid reputation. That includes being known as a frequent gambler at Hard Rock Punta Cana. That’s something that wouldn’t fly in some parts of the US where some operators prohibit staffers from wagering at their places of employment, even when they’re off the clock.
Chapur’s reputed gambling proclivities intersect with Pariente’s alleged flouting of money transfer and marker collection protocols.
At the outset of the Pariente imbroglio, a source told Casino.org that Chapur was sent to Tennessee to collect $2 million in cash from a Hard Rock Punta Cana client who didn’t pay his marker while in the Dominican Republic. Supposedly, with Pariente’s knowledge, Chapur collected that cash, but rather than return it to the Caribbean, he used a corporate jet to saunter off to Las Vegas, where he allegedly lost most of the proceeds at the Venetian.
“Rodrigo is a known high roller, and there are rumors that he’s lost in excess of $2 million to $2.5 million multiple times at Las Vegas Strip casinos,” another source told Casino.org.
No comments yet