Indictment brings end to Moncrief election probe

Jace Radke

Monday, Aug. 9, 2004 | 9:29 a.m.

Eleven days from now, Las Vegas Councilwoman Janet Moncrief is to be fingerprinted and booked on four charges of filing false campaign expense reports and one charge of perjury.

After that Aug. 20 booking, she has a Sept. 8 court date to be arraigned on charges she violated state campaign laws.

A District Court grand jury indictment, released Friday, charges Moncrief with four counts of filing false campaign expense reports and one count of perjury.

If convicted, Moncrief faces one to five years in prison and up to a $5,000 on each of the four counts of filing false campaign expense reports, and from one to four years in prison and a $5,000 fine on the perjury charge.

Senior Deputy Attorney General Conrad Hafen said that he wasn't aware of any other elected public officials who had been indicted on the charges Moncrief faces.

"Based on my research of the cases and statutes there hasn't been any cases with these counts," Hafen said. "If she is convicted, she would have to forfeit her position."

Hafen said the indictment against Moncrief closes the investigation into her alleged violations of state campaign laws, but did leave the possibility open that the investigation could continue.

Hafen added that none of the witnesses who testified before the grand jury, including former Las Vegas Councilman Steve Miller and Moncrief's campaign manager Tony Dane, were guaranteed any kind of immunity from prosecution for their testimony.

"At this point it (the investigation) is not ongoing," Hafen said.

According to the indictment, Moncrief did not report in-kind contributions and expenses paid to Miller, Dane and volunteer campaign workers that were in excess of $100.

Sources close to the investigation estimate that Moncrief did not report as much as $100,000 in contributions.

Moncrief, who beat then Councilman Michael McDonald in 2003, also allegedly failed to report contributions from J.C. Evans Communications, a California printer that made up campaign fliers for Moncrief, and Zignature International, a local print shop.

The indictment further alleges that Moncrief failed to report the in-kind contribution of a van by SavMor Rent-A-Car.

McDonald's campaign manager, Jim Ferrence, alleged that Moncrief underestimated her campaign contributions by 75 percent.

The perjury charge is based on a campaign contribution report from May 23 through July 3, 2003, that did not report alleged in-kind contributions of Miller and Dane. The report was signed by Moncrief and "filed under declaration of penalty of perjury that the contents of the report were true and correct," the indictment states.

Miller alleged that he was promised $25,000 and a job as a Ward liaison, an allegation Moncrief has previously denied.

Miller said Friday that he hopes "the charges will result in giving some guidelines as to how far politicians can go, and what they have to report."

Moncrief refused to comment on the indictment Thursday and Friday.

After speaking at the opening of an outdoor pool complex at the Bill and Lillie Heinrich YMCA on Meadows Lane at noon Friday, Moncrief would not acknowledge questions from reporters, who followed her indoors trying to get her to respond to them until she took refuge in the restroom marked "Girls."

Moncrief's liaison, Lito Rayos, said the councilwoman was not going to comment and was referring all questions to her attorney, Richard Wright. Wright could not be reached for comment Friday.

When asked for his thoughts on the matter, Mayor Oscar Goodman, also present at the pool opening, would say only, "It's a beautiful day at the pool."

Later Friday afternoon, Goodman conducted a press conference on the matter. He refused to speculate on the charges that Moncrief is facing or the process of filling her counsel seat should she be convicted of a crime.

Goodman said the charges in the indictment are serious, and added, "I'm familiar with some of the people (other than Moncrief) mentioned in the indictment and I have some questions about their credibility.

"The great thing is that we live in America where you are innocent until proven guilty beyond a resonable doubt," Goodman, a longtime criminal defense lawyer, said. "We're looking at months if not years before this is resolved, and I'm not going to look down the road and speculate."

Goodman refused to comment on Moncrief's handling of her campaign finances, but said he entrusted his campaign finances to an accountant and did not handle transactions himself.

Goodman added that as long as Moncrief continues to represent the people of her ward and attend her committees and meetings it would continue to be business as usual at City Hall.

When asked about Moncrief's lack of political experience and if that played a part in the charges being brought against her, Goodman said, "I never had any political experience and I'm a great mayor."