State has no request yet for McDonald probe

Thursday, Nov. 18, 1999 | 10:25 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- The state Private Investigators Licensing Board said Wednesday it had not received a request for an investigation to determine whether Las Vegas Councilman Michael McDonald may be illegally brokering business to private detectives in Southern Nevada.

A spokeswoman for the board said a request from former Councilman Steve Miller had not arrived in the office by Wednesday, and she said that Bill Bertram, head of the licensing agency, was out of town and would not be back until Monday.

Miller, in a letter dated Wednesday, asked the board to investigate McDonald's activities after a story appeared in the Las Vegas Sun that said McDonald has a business license for a management/marketing service, Alpha-Omega Strategies. The story said the company essentially refers clients to private investigators or attorneys. But McDonald doesn't have a state license.

McDonald said in the story that if somebody brings in a case, he tells the individual the name of a private investigator to contact or advises the person to talk to an attorney.

Miller, in his letter to the board, said, "These statements clearly indicate that the councilman is taking advantage of his official office to broker business for private investigators in Las Vegas. Therefore I make this request for your department to investigate his activities."