Former RSCVA boss Keene cleared of criminal wrongdoing

Thursday, Nov. 16, 2000 | 5:12 a.m.

The Washoe County District Attorney's Office concluded no charges were warranted against Phil Keene, the former president of the Reno-Sparks Convention and Visitors Authority.

"While Mr. Keene's actions cast a shadow of suspicion over the propriety of his personal use of RSCVA credit cards, it cannot be proven beyond a reasonable doubt that he acted criminally," Deputy District Attorney Cheryl Hier-Johnson said Thursday.

The RSCVA board fired Keene in May based on charges that he used the credit cards to pay for more than $10,000 in personal expenses. He later reimbursed the authority for the charges.

The criminal investigation found that the authority's failure to enforce its own policies may have contributed to Keene's repeated use of the business credit cards.

The Nevada Ethics Commission is continuing to look into the matter.

archive