Columnist Jeff German: The Nevada attorney general’s role in the Royal Links controversy

Friday, Nov. 18, 2005 | 7:30 a.m.

Jeff German's column appears Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday in the Sun. Reach him at german@lasvegassun.com or (702) 259-4067.

It may be a smart political move for George Chanos to dive into the mess at City Hall over the dealings of golf course developer Billy Walters.

The investigation is sure to give the newly appointed attorney general plenty of publicity as he gears up to run for the office next year.

But it's also getting him off on the wrong foot with a couple of Republican colleagues in law enforcement, Sheriff Bill Young and District Attorney David Roger, two popular politicians who are running next year, too.

It's being called a slap in the face to the work of both men in the case.

Young and Roger, I'm told, aren't pleased with the way Chanos, who has little experience in criminal matters, launched the inquiry.

Chanos didn't even give Young the courtesy of advance notice before he sent a letter to City Hall notifying officials of his probe.

And no one from the attorney general's office apparently asked to see the report of the Metro Police investigation, along with the witness statements, before deciding to second guess Young and Roger.

Then, in a bit of grandstanding, the novice AG showed up at the City Council meeting Wednesday to watch it rescind a vote allowing Walters to turn the Royal Links Golf Club into a subdivision.

Afterward Chanos was available to soak up the media attention.

The attorney general's office, it turns out, has plenty of history with the politically connected Walters.

And it's not pretty.

Under former Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa, the office waged a four-year battle with Walters between 1998 and 2002 over money-laundering charges involving a multimillion-dollar sports betting operation Walters ran.

Walters, with the best legal talent money can buy, ultimately prevailed.

Three separate criminal indictments against Walters, well known for his professional gambling activities, were dismissed in the legal tussle that went all of the way to the Nevada Supreme Court.

During the fight Walters accused the attorney general's office of mounting a "witch hunt" against him.

The one constant player then and now is Gerald Gardner, who took over Del Papa's criminal division as the fight was winding down.

When it finally ended, Gardner was quoted as saying the office was "unapologetic" over the way the case was handled.

At Wednesday's City Council meeting, Gardner was back in the limelight. He did the talking for Chanos, as his top deputy in Southern Nevada.

Word of the investigation, meanwhile, stirred up rumblings within the legal community that Chanos may be on shaky ground thinking he has jurisdiction to investigate Walters' dealings with the city.

Gardner, however, said he was "comfortable" that the attorney general has the authority.

There's no mystery as to why Chanos opened the inquiry, Gardner said.

"The attorney general felt that we needed to take a look at this, largely thanks to the media reporting," Gardner said. "It seemed like new evidence was surfacing every day."

Gardner said he'll be overseeing a team of attorneys and investigators taking a look at Walters and City Hall.

One guy watching it all very closely will be Richard Wright, the criminal defense lawyer who handed the attorney general's office its lunch the last time it messed with Walters.

Wright, who has been retained by Walters again, was sitting next to the wealthy developer at the City Council meeting when the mayor announced that Chanos was opening his investigation.

The defense lawyer almost looked itching for another fight.