Peter Maheu, son of international spy Robert A. Maheu, whose firm managed Howard Hughes’ gaming properties and vast Nevada real estate and mining interests, died recently at his Las Vegas home. Maheu was chairman and chief executive officer of QSI Specialists, a large Nevada mystery shopping company, at the time of his death. Previously he was president of Global Intelligence Network, where he oversaw thousands of intelligence investigations, including background checks of individuals seeking key casino jobs and positions in other businesses in more than 70 countries.
A licensed private investigator in Nevada and California, Maheu helped gaming properties with compliance issues, wrote articles and lectured extensively on preventing business fraud and worked to keep organized crime out of casinos in emerging overseas markets.
After leaving his father’s firm, Maheu founded Trademark Protection Services, specializing in preventing trademark and copyright infringement on his clients’ brands. The company had 30 offices nationwide, with clients including 20th Century Fox, Walt Disney Company, Mirage Studios and Hard Rock Café.
Maheu was a member of the Metro Police Use of Force Board and president of the Nevada Society of Professional Investigators. He also belonged to the International Masters of Gaming Law and the Southern Nevada chapter of the Honor Flight Network. Maheu taught courses on international organized crime and the gaming industry at the California Department of Justice Advanced Training Center.
William D. “Billy” Weinberger , son of the dean of casino gaming, William S. “Billy” Weinberger, said, “Peter was a delightful man with a quick, wry wit and an in-depth knowledge of so many things. At business lunches we compared notes and traded stories of the good old days in Las Vegas, often filling in details of each other’s stories. I regret that our lunches have come to an end way too soon.”
