The Nyes Have It!

According to the RJ, Nye County District Attorney Robert Beckett was arrested Wednesday morning on fraud and embezzlement charges in connection with a bank account his office managed for more than 13 years.

Beckett has been charged with more than 40 counts, including 20 counts of fraudulent appropriation of property, 20 counts of misconduct of a public officer, one count of malfeasance of office and one count of embezzlement.

Seriously. The District Attorney.

The account in question was used to hold money from people charged with writing bad checks. The money was supposed to be used to reimburse victims of bad checks. Bad-check writers also must pay fees on top of their reimbursements.

Problem is, the account came up a bit short during a recent audit. Beckett's explanation for the shortfall is classic:

Beckett last week said the fund was being phased out because "people aren't writing bad checks anymore."

Yay! Only "good checks" in Nye County from now on - problem solved. Give that man another term in office!

You may remember Beckett as the DA who managed to wreck two vehicles in six hours while driving drunk back in June of 2008. He is, incredibly, running for his fifth term as Nye County DA ... but this time he has some stiff competition. [Rimshot!]

The election will (hopefully) come down to a choice between Ron Kent, Beckett's former chief civil deputy and Brian Kunzi, a senior deputy attorney general. Although, maybe it would be better for us if Beckett stayed in office. Who knows what he'll do next?!

(LVRJ; Thanks Tipsters!)

Del Vecchio Making a Run for DA

Lucky Nye County residents have one hell of a choice to make this election season. Apparently Nye has had some issues with their current District Attorney. District Attorney Bob Beckett was involved in two car wrecks on June 15, 2008, after which Beckett was arrested for drunk driving but pleaded guilty in Barstow, Calif., to misdemeanor reckless driving. Yes, this is the current DA.

Well, Las Vegas resident Nicholas Anthony Del Vecchio, a former Clark County family court judge removed by the Commission on Judicial Discipline in 2008, thinks he could do better for Nye. Del Vecchio was removed from office after he admitted to having sex in hotels with a female staff member during working hours and made sexually suggestive remarks to another. He was also charged with inappropriate remarks to a Hispanic bailiff and a black employee.

The Order removing him said, "Judge Del Vecchio's pervasive and unhealthy fixation on sex and sexual innuendo in the workplace is both evident and objectionable. His repeated behavior was so boorish and crude as to be unimaginable in any employment setting, much less a court of law." If that ain't DA material, we don't know what is!

When asked about his past removal from office during an interview, Del Vecchio had this to say:

"The current DA was popped for two DUIs, so I guess it's up to the voting public to decide which one of the wrongdoings I guess is more severe, number one. Number two, I will say I admit what I did, I apologize for what I did, and I attended and completed counseling. This is America the land of second chances. I knew it was going to come up. It's just one of those things and there's no way around it. You could certainly question my sanity, stepping back into the public light again."

We certainly can, and will ... you crazy bastard! That's exactly what the public wants to do when choosing a DA - pick the one with the least severe criminal history.

Luckily there is a second choice for Nye residents. A decent candidate with no apparent criminal history named Brian Kunzi has also entered the race. We're pulling for ya, Brian. Where do we send the donations?

(Pahrump Valley Times; Thanks Tipster!)