black. The Tickels remained as co-owners of the Landmark until 1980, following Zula Wolfram's approval to purchase their interest in the resort. In 1982, architect Martin Stern Jr. was hired to design a large expansion of the Landmark. Revenue for the Landmark exceeded $26 million that year, although the resort lost $500,000 during the month of November 1982. Up to that time, the Landmark had lost an average of $3 million every year since its opening. Federal investigators shut down Wolfram's firm on February 7, 1983, after they discovered $36 million of money missing in six accounts that were managed by him and his wife, ultimately leading to the discovery of his embezzlement. Lawyer Patrick McGraw, trustee for Bell & Beckwith, was approved later that month to operate the Landmark until it could be liquidated. The expansion designed by Stern was cancelled, and Ed Wolfram was convicted of embezzling later that year, after admitting to using money from his firm to pay for various businesses ventures, with the Landmark being the most expensive. Zula Wolfram, who had owed $5 million to Summa since her purchase of the Landmark, was forced to sell her majority share in the resort. Morris ownership The Landmark was entangled in a Toledo bankruptcy court in July 1983, at which point Bill Morris, a Las Vegas lawyer, made plans to purchase the resort. Morris, also a member of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA), had previously owned the Holiday Inn Center Strip hotel-casino, as well as the Riverside Resort in nearby Laughlin. Morris had also previously represented Plaza Tower, Inc. at the time that Hughes completed his purchase of the resort. Morris intended to eventually expand the resort to 1,100 hotel rooms. Yelverton and his wife stated that they had been sold a five-percent interest in the Landmark in 1979, but that the document was never filed with the county recorder's office. In August 1983, the Yelvertons filed a state suit to prevent the sale to Morris, stating that they would not be compensated for their interest if the sale proceeded. At the time, Gary Yelverton was the Landmark's casino manager. The Nevada Gaming Control Board delayed approval of Morris' purchase until his offer could be updated to include what Zula Wolfram owed to Summa. Morris purchased the Landmark for $18.7 million, and took over ownership on October 30, 1983. The struggling resort had