Court briefs for November 15, 2001

Thursday, Nov. 15, 2001 | 9:39 a.m.

A 40-year-old California resident accused of taking part in a scam that resulted in $373,000 in stolen money being wired to Las Vegas casinos has entered a plea agreement.

Michael Gant on Wednesday in U.S. District Court pleaded guilty to wire fraud and aiding and abetting.

The crime is punishable by up to 30 years in prison, but because of his plea agreement and lack of a criminal history, Gant is expected to get between 12 and 18 months in prison, said defense attorney Osvaldo "Ozzie" Fumo.

Gant and Sherman Eugene Smith Jr., 41, told authorities they agreed to pick up a portion of the money that had been wired from California bank accounts to the Rio and Harrah's without the owners' consent.

The pair, who used fake identification to pick up the money, said they were promised a percentage of the total money transferred, but claimed they didn't know who had transferred it.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Margaret Stanish said the wire transfer scam itself is a bit unusual, but it is not unusual in other fraud cases for minor participants not to know those who play more significant roles in the crime.

Gant is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Philip Pro Jan. 18.

An arrest warrant was issued for Smith in October after he failed to report to his pre-trial probation officer.

Driver facing DUI charges

A 41-year-old Las Vegas man has been indicted in connection with two accidents that left one person dead and three seriously injured.

According to an indictment unsealed Wednesday in District Court, Jerome Raftis faces four counts each of driving under the influence and reckless driving and one count of involuntary manslaughter.

Chief Deputy District Attorney Gary Booker said Raftis was legally intoxicated when he allegedly caused one vehicle to swerve and roll over, seriously injuring one person on Interstate 15 near Sloan. He then reportedly struck another vehicle head-on, killing a passenger, Robert Lafferty of Bogota, Colombia, and seriously injuring the driver and another passenger.

Raftis then struck a tractor-trailer before coming to a stop, Booker said.

Blood tests showed Raftis had a blood alcohol level of 0.26, more than twice the legal limit, Booker said.

Raftis, who is being held in the Clark County Detention Center on $185,000 bail, is scheduled to be arraigned by District Judge Donald Mosley Nov. 21.

Teen pleads guilty in case

A 16-year-old boy accused of shooting his best friend in the head has entered a plea agreement. The victim is on life support.

Defense attorney Osvaldo "Ozzie" Fumo said his client pleaded guilty to reckless endangerment in Juvenile Court Wednesday. As a result of the plea agreement, the boy could get as little as probation or be sent to the Summit View Youth Correctional Center when he is sentenced Dec. 12.

The Sun is not naming the boy because of his age.

Fumo said the boys were taking drugs and drinking vodka on July 27 when they retrieved the suspect's father's guns from a locked gun box. The victim, Sean Thomas, loaded and unloaded a .9 mm, and the suspect was in the process of taking the gun from him when it discharged. The lone bullet in the chamber struck Thomas in the forehead.

Fumo said his client didn't know that a bullet remained in the gun. After the shooting his client performed CPR and applied pressure to the wound until paramedics arrived, Fumo said.

Two pharmacists are indicted

A federal grand jury has indicted two men on conspiracy and mail fraud charges in connection with a prescription-drug selling scam.

According to the indictment, George Harvey, a Nevada pharmacist, and Dennis Dean Killion, an Iowa pharmacist, purchased pharmaceuticals at discounted prices from drug manufacturers through wholesalers by claiming that the Oak Hill Pharmacy, for which Killion was president, would only dispense the drugs to nursing home patients.

The drugs, however, were then sold to a pharmaceutical wholesaler at a great loss to the drug manufacturers and at great profit to themselves, the indictment states.

The men allegedly operated the so-called "gray market drug diversion scheme" from November 1995 through at least July 1997, the incident states.

The men face one count each of conspiracy and 27 counts each of mail fraud.

Man sentenced in killing of two

A Las Vegas man who received the death penalty last month for killing two men was sentenced Wednesday on three additional charges related to the same crime.

Darion Lee Daniel, 30, was sentenced by District Judge Donald Mosley to 95 years in prison on two counts of attempted murder with use of a deadly weapon and one count of burglary while in possession of a firearm.

The sentences would be served in the event that Daniel's murder conviction and death sentence are overturned.

A Clark County jury rejected Daniel's claim that he killed Fred Washington, 24, and Mark Payne, 25, in self-defense.

Deputy District Attorneys Christopher Lalli and Robert Daskas say Daniel, 30, walked into a downtown apartment in January 1997 and opened fire on a group of people watching television.

Washington died on the couch, and Payne was killed as he ran through the kitchen trying to escape. Antoine Hall and Tehran Woods, 24, were shot several times, but survived.