New judge picked for Walters

Kim Smith

Friday, April 28, 2000 | 11:18 a.m.

Golf course developer and money-laundering suspect Billy Walters has a new judge.

District Judge Mark Gibbons has been selected to preside over the case now that Judge Donald Mosley has recused himself.

Gibbons met with a government attorney, Walters' attorney and the attorneys of his co-defendants Thursday to see if they were aware of any reason he could not be an impartial judge.

Walters, James Jay Hanley and Daniel Pray are accused of funnelling money to and from illegal bookmakers across the country through Sierra Sports Inc., a company owned by Walters.

Mosley was originally assigned to the case, but the Nevada attorney general's office questioned his impartiality when he dismissed two of the grand jury indictments handed down against the politically connected Walters and his co-defendants.

A hearing was held before Chief District Judge Lee Gates in March in which Mosley's relationship with Hanley's attorney, John Moran Jr., was presented as evidence of possible bias along with several other issues.

Moran and Mosley have gone hunting together on several occasions and Moran testified on the judge's behalf six years ago when Mosley was involved in a custody battle.

Gates found that there was "no evidence whatsoever" of bias, but Mosley removed himself from the case earlier this month.

Mosley said at the time that "the public trust has been so eroded by news accounts of this case that no decision would be viewed as being made purely on the merits" of the case if he stayed on it.

On Thursday Gibbons provided Deputy Attorney General David Thompson, Moran and Richard Wright, who is Walters' attorney, copies of his 1996 campaign contributors. He also took pains to tell them that he doesn't know any of the defendants, isn't familiar with the case and hasn't been approached by anyone wanting to discuss the case.