Pedo-Counsel

Las Vegas attorney Richard L. Crane has been "temporarily suspended" from practicing law after pleading guilty to one felony count of sexually motivated coercion. From the RJ:

Crane was arrested in August 2009 in a Henderson police sting that nabbed men seeking to meet underage boys and girls via Craigslist.com.

According to Crane's arrest report, he believed he was speaking to a 15-year-old girl, and asked when she would turn 16. Crane asked questions about the girl's sexual history and asked on several occasions to "hang out," the report stated.

Crane is was a member of the Willick Law Group, where his bio used to read as follows:

Richard “Rick” Crane

Mr. Crane received his B.S. degree in General Studies from Excelsior University in 1996 and his M.S. degree in Management from Troy State University in 1997 while serving overseas with the United States Navy. Upon his return to the United States, Mr. Crane received his J.D. degree in May 2005 from Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego, California. Mr. Crane has represented the Government's interest in administrative hearings and performed an internship with the San Diego Public Attorney's Office prior to retiring from the Navy after 30 years of service.

Crane also authored a letter to the Editor of the June, 2007, Nevada Lawyer magazine entitled,
How Low Does the Bar Go? Surprising a guy like this chose to go by "Rick."

(Full Bio (PDF); LVRJ; Thanks, Tipsters!)

Monday News Roundup

On Friday, a federal jury found that apparently people do have to pay taxes, convicting Mr. Kahre and friends for using a gold coin scheme to evade taxes. (RJ)

Does being grossly obese count as contributory negligence? Louie Anderson is soon to find out (Courthouse News Service) [thanks to W for tip]

Apparently, judicial ethics do have a place in Nevada. Judge Cadish recuses herself from prosecution of Lt. Governor Krolicki case, citing potential conflict of interest. (RJ)

Dennis Kennedy [pictured left] proves that if you own the firm, there's no tie or wall decoration too tacky to have in your business profile (LV Business Press)

Thursday News Round Up

Here's the news that amused, but wasn't enough to peruse (in depth):

The Ninth Circuit is deciding whether corrupt doctors and lawyers can practice in Las Vegas with impunity whether the U.S. Attorney is required to offer a defense witness immunity when they grant a similar prosecution witness immunity. (RJ) [You can hear the audio recording of oral argument here]

Classic Nye County--apparently the speed limits in Pahrump are unenforceable because they were set up illegally. (LV Now)

Tired of taxes? A federal jury in Las Vegas may decide you can all skip out on income taxes by being paid in gold coins. (RJ)

Boyd Gaming thinks it's better than Vegas law--hiring California and New York-based bankruptcy attorneys for their bankruptcy. (RJ) [points to Snell & Wilmer's Bankruptcy partner Robert Kinas for at least snagging local counsel on the case].

Judge Miley involved in Soccer Mom Fight?

We've been hearing some rumors that Clark County District Court's judicial hottie, Judge Stefany Miley (Dept. 23), was involved in an altercation at a soccer field. The rumor is that she allegedly assaulted a soccer mom a few months back and that a police report was filed alleging assault and battery.

Well , turns out there is a police report filed with Las Vegas Metro:

Bill Cassell from @LVMPD confirmed Judge Miley's name was in a report about an altercation at a soccer game...no details, no charges yet. (KLAS investigative journalist Twitter account and George Knapp Twitter account)

We'll keep you updated as details come out because nothing would make us happier here at WWL than a cat fight between two soccer moms, one of whom wears the black robes by day.

[thanks to S for the initial tip]

Lawyerly News Roundup

Family law attorneys are going hungry up north. Damn recession is causing couples to try to work it out. (RJ)

Poor "Pimp Snooky" [pictured right] just can't convince authorities that he's not actually a pimp. It might have something to do with Snooky's repeatedly saying he's a pimp on Jerry Springer and the movie "Pimps Up, Hos Down" or his catch phrase “let me pimp, or let me die”. (LV Sun)

Many young attorneys dream of the day they have their first trial. Few dream that Nevada Supreme Court Justice Mark Gibbons might make the trial just that much more intimidating by presiding over the trial. (LV Sun)

Poor Noel Gage. Now the Nevada Bar says he's violated attorney ethics by sharing funds with [alleged crook] medical consultant Howard Awand. (RJ) Oh well, at least he's safe on the criminal charges [unless the Ninth Circuit decides Nevada should be allowed to clean up its attorney ranks]

Holding Out for a Hero: Prive Looks to Attorney Jay Brown for Salvation

If you haven't heard , Prive nightclub at Planet Hollywood lost its liquor license last week. The LV Sun reports that "the Gaming Control Board slapped Planet Hollywood with a $500,000 fine to settle claims the casino knew or should have known about illegal acts — drug use, underage drinking and assault — at Prive."

Desperately looking to save itself from extinction, Prive turned to attorney Jay Brown [on the right in picture] of Singer & Brown, LLC for it's liquor license salvation. (LV Sun) So who is Jay Brown?

The LV Sun describes him as an attorney with "juice" in Las Vegas who "over three decades has earned a reputation as an influential advocate in local government circles". During the 70s and early 80s (i.e. Vegas mob years), Jay Brown was counsel for the Tropicana casino/hotel. Later, he was counsel for some of the more notorious Vegas mobsters (along with our current mayor, Oscar Goodman). Three decades of influence of Vegas usually comes with a certain ethical or moral stain, but we still haven't found anyone stating that Mr. Brown is anything other than an attorney plugged in to the heart of Vegas politics and casinos. Either way, he is definitely old school Vegas and very politically plugged in. (See campaign donations here)

Professionally, Mr. Brown has a rather low profile on the web. Lawyers.com has a fairly sparse profile, listing him as admitted in 1970 to the Nevada Bar, practicing in the areas of zoning, corporate and business law. Martindale.com gives Mr. Brown a BV peer review rating. Beyond that, his firm has no web presence.

But when you google "Jay Brown Las Vegas," a massive number of links tying Jay Brown to alleged payoffs, alleged mafia connections and alleged corruption in government. In 2006, RJ columnist Jane Ann Morrison's reported on the mystery surrounding who paid former Clark County Commissioner, later felon, Dario Herrera's legal fees in his corruption trial. (RJ) Mr. Brown's name came up in testimony in Herrera's trial from strip club owner Michael Galardi, who stated he didn't know how the money he paid Mr. Brown for lobbying was used. (RJ). In 2007, he represented Crazy Horse Too in its attempts to get an extension on its liquor license after former owner with mob-ties, Rick Rizzolo pled guilty on federal charges. (RJ)

Then there's the conspiracy websites. According to the theories, Mr. Brown is the man that made Senator Harry Reid rich (Canada Free Press), a business partner to Harry Reid (LasVegasVegas.com) and funnelled mob money to Harry Reid (Free Republic).

What do you think, readers? Is Jay Brown simply good corporate counsel at the heart of Vegas politics or old school Vegas corruption with a bar number?

Sorry boys: Prostitution Arrests Shut Down the Daylight Ogling of Topless Strippers

Since the beginning of time, it has been the dream of men everywhere to ogle trashy women in the open sunlight and not have to hide in the darkened lairs of strip clubs. Thanks to the Rio and Sapphire Strip Club, this dream became a reality at the Sapphire Pool . . . until yesterday.

According to the RJ:
The Rio has indefinitely closed its adult-themed Sapphire Pool after it failed an "integrity check" by Las Vegas police on Saturday, the property's owner confirmed late Tuesday.

The Rio wouldn't explain to the RJ what "failed an integrity check" means. Las Vegas Metro was not as reluctant to comment:

Several women were arrested by undercover officers on charges of prostitution at
Sapphire Pool this weekend, according to Metro. The activity over the weekend caused the strip club-branded pool to close for two days and and the subsequent suspension of European-style sunbathing for the remainder of the season, said Rio spokeswoman Deanna Pettit.

“There were several arrests for prostitution,” officer Bill Cassell of the Las Vegas Metro Police Department said. “We do this all over the valley every day. It was just their day.” (Daily Fiasco)

Let's take a second and bow our heads for the men who's dreams are now dashed. [hat tip to WD on finding the story]

Judge Voy Hits the Big Time

WWL wants to say congratulations to William O. Voy. We tend to cover a lot of negative news here on the blog, but we're impressed with and happy to cover Judge Voy's crusade against underage prostitution. Turns out CBS Evening News is impressed as well.

Judge Voy appeared (first seen on the video at 2:54) on the national news program to discuss his proposed lockdown safe house for underage prostitutes arrested in Vegas:

Watch CBS Videos Online

New marketing strategy: prostitutes looking for Johns, hire me as your attorney

Having trouble bringing in the clients? You may not be trying hard enough to reach those hard-to-reach customers. Say, you're a criminal defense attorney who needs more clients. Why not go where your clients work? You could go tour street corners and drop your business card on prostitutes or collect all the prostitute cards you can on the strip and call to let the women know you're available for their defense if they ever get busted.

Or, you could use craigslist personal ads:

High Risk Occupation or Hobby ?? Escort, Entertainer, etc - m4w - 50 (Las Vegas)

Ladies, are you an entertainer (of any sorts) can you afford not to have an attorney on YOUR SIDE , ANY TIME ? go to lglteam.com and see how you can have someone fighting for you.

The genius behind placing ads in a space where men are looking to get laid and prostitutes are offering their services? Barry Keller. Mr. Keller does not appear to be licensed as an attorney in Nevada (according to Nevada State Bar), but we admire his rain making efforts anyway.

Palmer & Assoc. v. C. Conrad Claus (the last match of round one)--ends 7/11 at 5 p.m.

I hope you saved up some energy readers, because our favorite match up so far is the last match up of the first round: attack dog v. sword wielding legal warrior.

6. Palmer & Assoc.

We have to confess that we love Palmer & Assoc.'s attack dog ad campaign. Outside of the world of business law, many clients seem to want aggressive representation--the proverbial "pit bull" attorney. That's why we think P&A's ad campaign works so well. Who cares if they're any good? The marketing suggests ferocious representation that will latch on to the leg of a D.A. (criminal defense) or Insurance Defense counsel (personal injury) and not let go. The best part? P&A also handles dog bite cases.

Feel like the attack dog ad is too over-the-top? Well, P&A has a second website (www.accidentattorneysoflasvegas.com) for those who may not want to hire a snarling dog for their legal representation. And in true braggart plaintiff's attorney fashion, the accident attorney website has a section flashing the judgment amounts that the firm has secured in prior cases.

Need further proof of the firm's quality? It has a 100% approval rating on Best of the Web [based on one "thumbs up" out of one total votes]

v.

11. C. "Law is War" Conrad Claus
In the other corner, the sword-wielding legal warrior. If you had to choose a lawyer to back you in a street fight, it would have to be C. Conrad Claus ("CCC"). First, there's the bald head. Then, there's the intimidating glare and his former history as a cop. Finally, there's the black shirt and black suit--the classic dress combo for the bad ass and the mafia.

Combine that with the fact that CCC's website is lawiswar.com and we expect that District Attorneys going up against CCC quake after a hard fought motion to suppress, worried that Mr. Claus might follow them to their cars. The man's website is decorated with a sword, after all and has a rolling list of the reduced penalties he's claims credit for obtaining for clients.

CCC is a former cop and former Deputy District Attorney. He may not advertise up and down I-15, but he's certainly got a large media presence. He's been a national legal commentator (ABC News interview on OJ and Judge Glass, appearance with 4:34 remaining) and has made appearances on local news (video clip available here). Our favorite line from the local story: "leave [Charles] Free, free".

Criminal of the Day for Mental Monday: the Terminator

The Fourth of July weekend is special in Nevada. Why wouldn't it be? The nation's birthday requires spectacle and there's nothing Nevada and its citizens know better than making a spectacle.

Consider the well-thought out spectacle produced by our criminal of the day (from an RJ report):

A 19-year-old man awaits a court appearance after being arrested on suspicion of running naked through the Stateline casino area on Lake Tahoe's south shore.

Douglas County sheriff's deputies say Sean Stanley Smith was arrested before a group of startled children in the Harrah's Tahoe arcade.

He reportedly told officers that he had used marijuana and LSD, and was running naked because he thought he was the "Terminator."

The only way this story gets better is if an attorney at Warner Brothers sues for copyright violation.

Not a Good Day for Public Officials (Current and Former)

Wednesday was not a good day to be a public official in Nevada. Well . . . it was not a good day to be a public official and a criminal.

KNTV (ABC) is reporting that the North Las Vegas Fire Captain was indicted on arson charges. (KNTV). Yes. You read that right. The Fire Captain was starting fires. Apparently, he [allegedly] took his car out in the desert and torched it in an attempt to get some insurance money:



Meanwhile, over in Pahrump, a former Nye County Commissioner was convicted on charges of trying to bribe a Pahrump Town Board member. (RJ) The former Commissioner apparently tried to get his wife appointed as curator of a veterans memorial. [He couldn't have asked for a car or a house or cash? Oh Pahrump, why is everything you do so low rent?]

Personally, I think these two should team up and form a super arson-corruption team. They could go town to town through the state demanding packs of gum or meaningless political appointments. And if you refuse them? The Fire Captain will torch your house.

Ninja Watch!: the case of the missing crown

As a trashy gossip rag loosely-affiliated member of the fourth estate, WWL feels it is important to incorporate stories in the interest of protecting public safety. In that vein, we feel it is important for members of the Nevada bar in northern Nevada to be on the look out for ninjas.

The LV Sun reports:

Miss Nevada's head will be missing something important when she's crowned Saturday night: the crown itself.

Organizers say the crown, almost identical to the one worn by Miss America, was stolen late Thursday morning from the locked Reno hotel room of a pageant board member . . .

Pageant spokeswoman Teresa Benitez-Thompson says the company makes one
crown for each state, and getting a replacement before Saturday night is impossible.
She says Circus Circus hotel security is going through security tapes . . .

Good luck to hotel security. Ninjas' skill in the art of silent attack, practical invisibility and quiet theft will make it very hard for the hotel to catch them.

Not Enough Amusing Criminal Conduct in Vegas? Chris Hansen to the Rescue

If you're the type of person that can't get enough goofy criminal conduct, then you're in luck. Chris Hansen of Dateline NBC took a break from pretending to be a 14 yr old girl and filmed some shows with the Vegas Police, catching the seedier parts of Vegas. (Hansen Files)

Oh goodie, I hope they set up a prostitution sting at a Vegas strip club. I'm looking forward to Chris Hansen's emotionless voice questioning a customer about solicitation while the customer gets a lap dance.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Attorney of the Day?

We're not sure if Stacey Chapman is an attorney (NV State Bar says she's not barred in NV), but if she is, the ad she posted on craigslist offering legal services (available here) makes her WWL's attorney of the day.

Super Stacey will apparently fight for you while flying around town in a form-fitting super dress. According to the post, she will:

. . . FIX TRAFFIC TICKET, DUI'S, WARRANTS AND CRIMINAL CASES NO POINTS ON YOUR RECORD (IN MOST CASES) NO TRAFFIC SCHOOL (IN MOST CASES) NO INSURANCE INCREASE NO COURT APPEARANCE

Personally, I've always wanted a super hero on my side, especially one that writes in ALL CAPS.

To Disclose an Identity or Not to Disclose an Identity

You may have noticed that people on WWL enjoy remaining anonymous. The editors of WWL tend to believe that anonymity in the legal field can lead to increased reporting of the absurd actions of the Nevada legal industry. Need further proof of the value of anonymity, see the Nevada State Bar's anonymous phone number for reporting ethical violations.

But there are also arguments that anonymity in our society can be dangerous, leads to libel and leaves people free to write things they wouldn't if without anonymity. Case in point, this week the U.S. Attorney's office subpoenaed Review-Journal records related to anonymous comments, which allegedly threaten the attorneys and jurors in a current criminal tax trial (RJ):

Las Vegas business owner Robert Kahre and others face federal tax fraud charges
for paying contractors with gold and silver U.S. coins based on the precious metal value of the coins but using the much lower face value of the coins for tax purposes. . .
Jury members, [AUSA Gregory Damm] and Christopher Maietta, another government attorney, are the subjects of online comments that might be construed as threats . . .

The tone of the comments (RJ):

One commentator said, "The sad thing is there are 12 dummies on the jury who will convict him. They should be hung along with the feds." . . .

Readers' online feedback, mostly anonymous, is almost entirely pro-Kahre. Some comments personally attack Damm. One, for example, calls him a "socialist, fascist
Mormon" and a "Nazi moron."

The RJ and the ACLU have teamed up to resist the subpoena. (RJ) However, yesterday the RJ decided to continue to challenge the subpoena, but will release information to the U.S. Attorneys from the two most allegedly violent comments so that authorities may identify who they are and where they live. (RJ)

Hmmm . . . the side of me that posts under a pseudonym is concerned. The side of me that doesn't think attorneys and jurors should be shot for prosecuting tax evaders is a fan of the subpoena. What do you think readers?

Quiet Kids, I'm watching the Lakers

Did you see that game last night? Derek Fisher was on fire. Kobe as usual was a champ. You'd have to be a fool to miss a game of this series and if you missed the explosive Lakers offense in last night's game, you'd be kicking yourself all day today.

Apparently, Jonathan Weaver, the winner of today's parenting award completely agrees:

A man accused of leaving two toddlers tied up in a southwest valley garage said he was upset that he had to baby-sit his girlfriend’s children and went to a bar to watch a basketball game, a Metro Police report said. He appeared in Clark County District Court this morning.

Jonathan Weaver, 20, was arrested on charges of child abuse and endangerment, kidnapping and attempted murder after police broke into the apartment complex garage in the 10000 block of South Spencer Street about 8:15 p.m. Tuesday and found the 1- and 2-year-old children tied up in their car seats, police said.

The children, who had been left in the garage for more than two hours, were also gagged with cloth and a shirt was pulled over the younger child’s face, police said. (LV Sun)

Normally, WWL doesn't support child abuse, but that was a hell of a game.

Is Wearing Boxers on Your Head the New Thing for the Stylish Criminal?

The Vegas Valley has added a new criminal to its oddball collection: The Boxer Bandit (video available at NBC News 3). The man robbed 4 convenience stores in east Henderson at gunpoint while wearing plaid [hopefully clean] boxers on his head and looking out the pee[p] hole.

While we would normally applaud the robber's unique style (see naked bus-jacker), it turns out the Henderson Boxer Bandit is merely following the new stylish trend in crime: wearing underwear over your face.

The trend setter appears to have been a Pensacola, Florida criminal, who robbed a convenience store in October 2007 with boxers over his head. (CBS-Pensacola). The trend then spread north to Boston, Massachusetts where a man started robbing stores at knife point while wearing white boxers over his head (ABC-Boston). Now the stylish look appears to have spread west. We can only hope it catches on with the same popularity as prison tattoos.

Best Circus in Town this Week: Aryan Warriors Trial

This best circus in town takes place over at the U.S. District Court of Nevada this week as a gang of criminal defense attorneys attempts to convince a jury that the Aryan Warriors gang isn't so bad, or at least not as bad as the Assistant U.S. Attorneys keep saying:

the Aryan Warriors are a criminal enterprise that preached white supremacy, assaulted inmates, dealt drugs and operated illegal gambling rings. They denied members corrupted guards and dominated Nevada prisons through intimidation and illegal money-making operations. (RJ)

Turns out, according to defense attorney Oswaldo Fumo, the Aryan Warriors aren't, you know, racists or anything. They're just white guys in prison who kind of banded together. [For Fumo's sake, I hope his client doesn't have a Aryan Warrior forehead tattoo or "SS" neck tattoo like the guy on the left. Fully visible nods to the Nazis tend to rub jurors the wrong way].

Justice of the Peace going down

With Judge Halverson permanently gone, there's a lack of complete and total embarrassment in the Nevada Judiciary. That is, until yesterday.

The RJ reports:

"Sue Abbatangelo, the wife of Justice of the Peace Tony Abbatangelo, accused her husband of grabbing her by the neck, choking her and screaming at her during a fight at the couple's home Wednesday.

She further accused the judge of physically abusing her over a two-year period."

As if the news story wasn't bad enough for the judge, it turns out that his wife is the sister of District Judge Michelle Leavitt and attorney Andrew Leavitt. We've written before about the wrath of the Leavitts when you go against the family (post available here). If I were Justice of the Peace Abbatangelo, I'd be praying to be locked up.