Two who lodged complaints could testify at Mack trial

Diana Sahagun

Friday, July 26, 2002 | 9:54 a.m.

Two men who lodged ethics complaints against Las Vegas Councilman Michael Mack but failed to testify against him could be heard for the first time in Mack's upcoming ethics trial.

Michael Bellon and Frank Maione are two of several witnesses who have been subpoenaed to testify for the prosecution in the councilman's Aug. 15 ethics trial in Las Vegas Municipal Court, according to court records.

Although Bellon and Maione filed ethics complaints and submitted documents alleging Mack tried to broker a deal between East Coast car dealer John Staluppi Jr. and a rival car dealer, they did not show up to the Feb. 14 ethics hearing.

But their allegations on paper led the Las Vegas Ethics Review Board to find Mack guilty of knowingly violating the city's ethics code on five occasions when he voted to postpone and ultimately deny Staluppi's car dealership application without revealing he had an outstanding $57,000 loan from a rival car dealer.

The board directed its attorney, John Graves Jr., to prosecute Mack in Municipal Court.

During the ethics hearing, Mack testified that he was distracted during his 2001 run for his council seat and thought the loan had been repaid when he voted June 6, 2001, to deny Staluppi's northwest dealership. Mack then said that he was not told until after the vote, by his accountant, that the loan had not been paid off.

Two of Mack's accountants, Crystal Martin and Michael Kern, have also been subpoenaed by Graves, according to court documents.

Las Vegas City Attorney Brad Jerbic and Ethics Board Chairman Earle White Jr. have also been called to testify.

If he is found guilty, Mack, who was elected in 2001, would be removed from office and face possible fines or jail.