Court briefs for Jan. 20, 2003

Monday, Jan. 20, 2003 | 9:52 a.m.

Affidavit filed in Binion case

An FBI agent ordered to reveal whether he knows of any evidence that could clear Rick Tabish of the murder of Ted Binion filed a sealed affidavit with U.S. District Judge James Mahan last week.

FBI Special Agent Gerald McIntosh was ordered to review one of his investigations after Mahan ruled that McIntosh made it clear that he was investigating Binion's murder in a previous affidavit related to a 1999 FBI case that included wiretaps and focused on drug trafficking and racketeering.

The sealed affidavit filed Thursday should include any information McIntosh may have come across that either ties Tabish to the murder, clears him or reveals new witnesses. The FBI has previously filed court documents stating that there is nothing in McIntosh's investigation that clears Tabish.

A hearing is scheduled on the matter on Jan. 31.

Plea deal made in standoff with boy

A man accused of holding a 7-year-old boy hostage in a standoff with police entered a plea agreement Friday in Las Vegas Justice Court.

Anthony Miranda, 35, originally faced five felony counts, which included first- and second-degree kidnapping, assault with a deadly weapon and attempted robbery with a deadly weapon.

But Deputy Public Defender Tom Rigsby said Miranda planned to plead guilty to one count of first-degree kidnapping and one count of robbery with the use of a deadly weapon.

Under the agreement, Miranda will receive a sentence of five years to life in prison for the kidnapping charge and one to 10 years in prison for the attempted robbery charge.

Police say Miranda chased a woman on the Strip on New Year's Eve before grabbing the boy and putting a knife to his throat. The child was released unharmed.

Miranda was sought on parole violation charges in California, police said.

Salvage operator sentenced to prison

A man who operated an automobile salvage yard where Metro Police recovered 33 stolen cars or car parts was sentenced in federal court Friday to 24 months in prison.

Aram Khakalmazyan, 42, pleaded guilty to selling and receiving stolen vehicles and being a felon possessing a firearm.

Khakalmazyan operated a large salvage yard at 6070 N. Hollywood Blvd. where a Metro investigation turned up the stolen cars in Febuary 2002, a spokeswoman with the U.S. attorney's office said.

More than $100,000 in restitution is being sought from Khakalmazyan, with a hearing scheduled in March to determine the amount he will pay. Khakalmazyan will also be required to perform 40 hours of community service and three years of probation after he is released from prison.

Guilty plea entered in nursing incident

A woman once charged with hitting an elderly patient in a Las Vegas nursing home has pleaded guilty to failure to report the incident.

Justice of the Peace Nancy Oesterle sentenced Maria L. Fernando-Castillo, 39, to one day in jail, a sentence she has already served.

Tim Hay, director of the Medicaid Fraud Unit in the state Attorney General's Office, said he would have preferred a longer sentence.

Charges of failure to report elder abuse or neglect are still pending against Carole Ealy, 62, and Juan A. Martinez, 35. Fernando-Castillo, Ealy and Martinez were all employees at the nursing home but have left.