Rival’s P.I. prompted US Med search

Art Nadler

Tuesday, April 21, 1998 | 9:58 a.m.

The search and seizure of documents and computer records at a now defunct North Las Vegas medical waste recycling plant was initiated by a private investigator hired by a competitor, recently unsealed court documents reveal.

Three premises of US EnviroMedical Corp., (US Med) were raided by North Las Vegas Police last month and two semi-truck trailers seized with stored medical waste in what an affidavit claimed constituted criminal offenses of:

Moran is the attorney representing Silver State Disposal Service.

The two companies had been locked in legal battles over the local medical waste disposal business.

The affidavit states that Dillard provided MacBan with the transcripts of taped interviews he (Dillard) did with former employees at US Med.

The affidavit said that Dillard had maintained a 24-hour surveillance of the US Med properties.

It didn't say that MacBan had interviewed any of the former employees himself, or verified the authenticity of the taped recordings before seeking the search warrants.

Lt. Mike Blackwell of the North Las Vegas Police said MacBan told him he did interview former employees before obtaining the search warrants.

"It doesn't seem like the city of North Las Vegas did anything at all," US Med attorney Oscar Goodman said. "It seems like they relied on the work of a hired gun."

The North Las Vegas City Council revoked US Med's business license last month for burying medical waste in its yard at 3890 E. Craig Road. The company has suspended its operations.

Deputy District Attorney Frank Ponticello said Monday he hasn't decided whether or not to seek criminal charged against US Med. He said he is waiting for test results of the recovered waste to see if it was hazardous.

US Med officials were unavailable for comment.

(((SUN reporter Bill Gang contributed to this story.)))