Harvey Whittemore

Frederick Harvey Whittemore (born August 17, 1952) is an American lawyer and businessman in the Reno, Nevada area. As an influential lobbyist

Whittemore was the president of Coyote Springs Investment, LLC, the land-development company behind Coyote Springs, a controversial $30 billion planned golf course community of 160,000 homes on 43,000 acres (17,000 ha) in the rural Nevada desert. Whittemore's close relationship with Senator Harry Reid came under scrutiny because of perceived legislative and political pressure favors allowing Coyote Springs to overcome regulatory problems.

Whittemore, whose daughter, Andrea Whittemore-Goad, is a chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) patient, founded a research center known as the Whittemore Peterson Institute to investigate the condition. Whittemore and his wife Annette met at their college, the University of Nevada, Reno, and married in 1973.

Whittemore's first experience with politics was the 1978 Nevada gubernatorial race, during which he established contacts in the Nevada political scene. He was hired by the law firm Lionel Sawyer & Collins as a lobbyist, where he advanced to senior partnership. He was called one of the most powerful men in Nevada, the most powerful casino lobbyist, and "the Lance Burton" of lobbying. His influence was diminished when the legality of his campaign contributions were scrutinized in 2012 by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, leading the Las Vegas Review-Journal to write that he was "now a pariah."

Coyote Springs Whittemore's land-development ventures included golf communities and Coyote Springs, a planned living community about north of Las Vegas on of desert land. First envisioned by Whittemore in the early 1990s, and is slated to include 160,000 homes, twelve golf courses and several hotel-casinos. Its total cost has been estimated at $30 billion. The first golf course, designed by golfer Jack Nicklaus, opened in 2008. Home construction was expected to begin in fall 2012. Coyote Springs has been called a "marvel" and an "outrage." Whittemore considered the development an opportunity "to create a beautiful place which is unique in the world." Whittemore, his wife, and company contributed tens of thousands of dollars to Reid's election campaigns and to Reid's leadership fund, which was used to aid Reid's allies and is said to have helped Reid attain his leadership position.

Previously, Whittemore also funded the political campaigns of two of Reid's sons. All four Reid sons have at one time been employed by Whittemore's law firm. Whittemore was eventually obliged to pay for the land after watchdog groups objected to the transfer provision. Reid achieved additional adjustments to the land's status in 2004 legislation. Whittemore responded to the filing by stating that neither Senator Reid nor his son Leif had affected the decision,

Alleged political pressure on the EPA The United States Environmental Protection Agency initially refused to grant permits based on the projected environmental impact of destroying stream beds in the Coyote Springs Valley. In what EPA officials called an "unusual" move, Senator Harry Reid contacted the EPA administrator after a process including a phone call from his son Leif, Whittemore's personal attorney.

In 2004, Whittemore partnered with Thomas Seeno to lead the Wingfield Nevada Group, with Seeno paying for half of the company. In 2007, Seeno's brother Albert Seeno Jr. paid to join as partner, with Wingfield Nevada Group ownership divided in three but Whittemore holding management rights. That year, Wingfield initiated the Coyote Springs project, but a financial downturn in the housing market kept the project from moving forward. In mid-2010 Albert Seeno Jr. took over management of Wingfield, and he brought in his son, Albert Seeno III. Brad Mamer, right-hand man to Whittemore, said that under the new management, changes were made to Coyote Springs golf course without proper permits.

Whittemore Peterson Institute

Whittemore and his wife Annette, together with chronic fatigue syndrome specialist Daniel Peterson, established a CFS research organization known as the Whittemore Peterson Institute for Neuro-Immune Disease (WPI). A study conducted by the WPI reported in October 2009 that the so-called xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus was found in most CFS patients they tested, sending many patients to doctors for tests and drugs. Repeated independent attempts to replicate this result were unsuccessful. Additional studies found that the WPI results were the result of contamination with a laboratory recombinant virus and that there was no evidence that humans have been infected. The WPI paper was retracted.

The Whittemores contributed and raised funds for the institute in response to what they felt was a lack of action on chronic fatigue syndrome from the federal government. The Whittemores state that the only treatment with any effects was an experimental antiviral drug administered by Peterson.