DA investigator charged with agreeing to fix warrants for sex

Erica D. Johnson

Thursday, Feb. 12, 2004 | 11:06 a.m.

A senior investigator in the district attorney's office was arrested Wednesday on charges alleging he agreed to fix outstanding bench warrants for a woman in exchange for sexual favors.

FBI officials arrested Pete Baldonado, an investigative field officer who has worked on some high-profile cases, at his downtown office Wednesday morning, Clark County District Attorney David Roger said.

Baldonado was booked into the Clark County Detention Center on a single felony charge of receiving a bribe by a public officer or employee. Court records show he was released from the jail late Wednesday after posting $3,000 bail.

The arrest came after a joint investigation by Roger and the FBI revealed that Baldonado made an agreement with an informant to quash her bench warrants in exchange for sex. Roger said the unnamed witness was not involved in a case being prosecuted by the district attorney's office.

Court documents show Baldonado, during taped conversations with the woman, also mentioned the names of three other women he was trying to contact in relation to their bench warrants.

Roger said it was too soon to determine whether Baldonado behaved inappropriately while handling any cases through the district attorney's office.

"The investigator provided FBI agents with a statement concerning his wrongdoing," he said. "We will review that statement to determine whether the investigator committed other crimes."

Baldonado resigned from his position upon his arrest. "He is no longer employed with the Clark County district attorney's office," Roger said.

The state attorney general's office is expected to prosecute the case. The charge carries a punishment of one to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

Attorneys at the Clark County Courthouse who worked with Baldonado said they were shocked to hear that charges had been brought against the veteran investigator who was generally well-liked and respected.

Chief Deputy Public Defender Curtis Brown, who heads the murder team in the public defender's office, said he has known Baldonado for years and he played golf with Baldonado regularly.

"If (the charges are) true, I'm shocked," Brown said. "But I find Pete Baldonado's character to be above reproach. He never even cheated at golf."

Baldonado's credibility is at the center of an appeal of the high-profile conviction of Pascual Lozano, who was sentenced to death for firing the shots that killed 9-year-old Genesis Gonzales.

During the trial Gonzales' 14-year-old sister, Tannia, testified that she saw a man open fire in an alley near the shooting site moments after the shooting.

Tannia told jurors she was not sure of the ethnicity of the gunman. But Baldonado testified that the teen told him that the gunman was Hispanic. Lozano is Hispanic.

Deputy Special Public Defender Bret Whipple has argued that Baldonado misrepresented Tannia Gonzales' statement for jurors and he has filed a motion asking for a new trial based, in part, on Baldonado's testimony. Attorneys are still waiting for District Judge John McGroarty to rule on the matter.

Whipple said Wednesday that the recent charges brought against Baldonado would be an issue for appeal if the case reaches the Nevada Supreme Court.

"It will help our case," he said. "It's new evidence. Baldonado was a primary witness in the trial. His testimony was believed by jurors."

Whipple added: "On a personal level I respect Pete, and I'm sorry to hear those types of charges have been brought against him."

In addition to the Lozano case, Baldonado was the lead investigator on several other high-profile murder cases, including the case of Jose Vigoa, the ringleader in a string of deadly casino heists.

The charge against Baldonado came as a result of an informant in the FBI's gang task force tipping off agents to Baldonado's alleged activity, law enforcement officials said.

"We came across the information and worked jointly with the district attorney's office on the investigation," FBI spokesman Special Agent Todd Palmer said.

The task force is made up of FBI agents and state and local law enforcement, including Metro, Henderson and North Las Vegas police departments.

According to a declaration of arrest filed by the Henderson Police Department and obtained by the Sun, authorities set up a sting operation after the woman contacted FBI Agent Brett Shields.

The woman claimed a man known only as Pete approached her and offered to "take care of any warrants that (she) may have in return for sexual favors."

The woman gave authorities the license number on the government-issued Chevrolet Corsica the man was driving, as well as the number to the cell phone he used.

On Jan. 27 the woman recorded a telephone conversation between her and Baldonado in which she told Baldonado about her warrants. Baldonado said he was "trying to help out" some of the woman's friends, according to the warrant.

Authorities say Baldonado set up a meeting with the woman later that day to discuss the matter further. The woman recorded the conversation when the two met at an unnamed location in the Las Vegas area.

The informant told authorities that during the meeting, "Baldonado requested sex in exchange for helping her out with warrants," and that "Baldonado also mentioned the names of three other girls he was trying to get a hold of."

Those statements were verified by the recording, the warrant states. After reviewing the tape, investigators determined that Baldonado had "violated his official duty."

As a sworn peace officer, Baldonado is responsible for working with prosecutors to investigate cases, make arrests and execute search warrants, Roger said.

Baldonado has been a county employee for two decades. He began working as a bailiff and was eventually hired as an investigator.