School contractor probed

Thursday, Oct. 5, 2000 | 10:56 a.m.

Metro Police are conducting an investigation of criminal allegations against Jetstream Construction, a drywall-installation company barred from Clark County school projects by a School Board vote Sept. 13.

The School Board vote came after the firm settled with six employees who claimed that company officers had required kickbacks of $200 to $280 a week in order to keep their jobs on prevailing-wage school projects, which usually pay about $20 an hour. The company admitted no wrongdoing in the settlement, which paid the six workers a total of $6,200.

On Monday, Jetstream's attorneys lost a bid to reverse the School Board decision. Attorney Keith Gregory said the company will likely appeal the Clark County District Court ruling.

The Carpenters Union and the Interfaith Council for Worker Justice, a labor advocate, have charged that the company targeted Hispanic workers for the kickbacks. At least 10 additional workers, all Hispanic, had offered to testify against the company, according to the labor groups.

Company attorney Keith Gregory said today that the charges are without substance and are a politically motivated attack by unions on the nonunion shop.

"I don't think there is anything there," he said.

Undersheriff Richard Winget said Wednesday that the investigation of the company is continuing. Chief Deputy Ray Flynn said that police will meet with the District Attorney's office next week to determine what legal actions, if any, should be taken based on evidence collected so far.

Flynn said police are taking the charges very seriously, in part because of the particularly vulnerable status of the workers, many of whom were recent or undocumented immigrants.

The kickback allegations, if they rise to the level deemed sufficient for prosecution, could generate extortion charges or other local, state or federal charges.

The Clark County District Attorney's office had no immediate comment. District Attorney Stewart Bell is out of town this week at a conference.

"Criminal charges are warranted," argued Jim Sala, a Carpenters Union organizer. Police "now understand that this is not an isolated instance in construction."

Sala said the union met with Bell early this year, and he directed the union to turn over evidence to the police department.

"We're very, very pleased that the Metro Police Department is taking the situation seriously," said Michael Slater, Interfaith Council executive director. "I think it's very important for both the deistrict attorney and (Nevada) attorney general's office to take whatever materials Metro takes to them seriously."