Regents might hit assemblyman with complaint

Jennifer Knight

Thursday, Nov. 20, 2003 | 9:56 a.m.

The state Board of Regents might pursue a complaint against Assemblyman Wendell Williams, D-North Las Vegas, alleging he pressured the chancellor to settle a lawsuit, university system officials said.

While Williams chaired the Education Committee during the 2003 Legislature, the system settled out of court with Williams' wife, Zelda, paying her $49,900 for a discrimination lawsuit she filed against the University and Community College System in August 2001.

At the time, regents and others questioned the timing of the settlement, especially in light of the fact the university system lawyer advised against it. Because it was less than $50,000, the settlement did not require action by the regents.

In a closed meeting conducted by the Board of Regents on Monday at UNLV's Tam Alumni Center, regents were told that Williams may have pressured Chancellor Jane Nichols to settle that case, according to university system officials who were privy to the results of the investigation.

"(Nichols') testimony would indicate that (Williams) did pressure her," said one university system official.

Nichols declined to comment.

Wendell and Zelda Williams could not be reached for comment.

Regents are now exploring whether to pursue the case under the Hobbs Act, a federal law typically used in public corruption cases.

Stan Hunterton, a former federal prosecutor who is now a criminal defense attorney, said the regents would have to determine that Williams obtained the favor because of his position.

Hunterton said that if the university system were to use this act, officials would use the portion that prevents anyone from obtaining property from another "under color of official right."

According to the Justice Department's criminal resource manual, a politician does not have to be the recipient of the "benefit of extortion" for the law to apply.

"All I know is it meets the three steps of the Hobbs Act," said another university system official present at the meeting.

The official said if regents were to proceed with this action against Williams, they would refer the matter to the attorney general's office.

The allegation that Williams may have used his influence to force system officials to settle the case came in a 1,000-page report put together by private investigator Jeffrey Cohen.

Cohen was hired to review allegations made by CCSN secretary Topazia "Briget" Jones that the community college engaged in unfair hiring practices.

Jones was hired as a clerical trainee and acted as Williams' "special assistant" during part of the legislative session this year while still working for the Community College of Southern Nevada. Jones claims she was hired, promoted and then fired after she refused to work on a bill that a CCSN lobbyist asked her to help out with.

Nichols met with Williams to talk about Jones' situation. Nichols ended up intervening in the CCSN personnel action and reversing Jones' termination.

Williams' frequent interaction with Jones and people throughout the university system during the legislative session could spawn another investigation into a land deal he was involved in, said the university system official.

Regents could potentially look into a land deal that Williams was trying to put together with the Nevada State College at Henderson.

The idea was for the state to lease property in West Las Vegas so the college could offer classes there. The proposal included $2.5 million from the Legislature, and that once the center was opened, Jones was in the running to be named administrative manager of the site, Spencer Stewart, a state college lobbyist said in a September interview with the Sun. The land deal eventually fell through.