White party leader accused in sex case

Jen Lawson

Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2005 | 11:28 a.m.

Metro Police are investigating the leader of the proposed White Peoples Party after several women accused him of sexual misconduct at one of his halfway houses, state officials said.

Authorities declined to elaborate on the accusations against Michael O'Sullivan, but Lt. Tom Ely of the state Public Safety Department said the 10 women who had been staying at Vision House have been relocated to other facilities by Parole and Probation authorities.

And on Friday, state Public Safety officials decided to remove the six male parolees and probationers who had been residing at his two other Vision House locations.

"The perceived conduct of Vision House owner Michael O'Sullivan is counterproductive for offenders under community supervision, so I must relocate this small group to more appropriate housing," Parole and Probation Chief Amy Wright said.

O'Sullivan, 41, is a convicted felon from Illinois and has also been arrested by Metro numerous times between 1988 and 2002.

Officials recently became aware of his criminal background and the decision to remove the six male offenders was based on the public scrutiny given to O'Sullivan.

O'Sullivan's three halfway houses are meant to be sober living environments for alcohol and drug addicts and for those on parole or probation who have committed crimes linked to substance abuse.

Robert Benz, the president of the homeowners association in a neighborhood where one of O'Sullivan's Vision House facilities is located, filed a complaint against with the state last week.

"I'm happy they (the parolees and probationers) are out, but I'm extremely distressed that they were there to begin with," he said.

O'Sullivan has a local business license, but he does not have a state health division license to operate a halfway house.

The Sun was given incorrect information by state officials last week who said O'Sullivan does require a license.

Lisa Jones, facilities surveyor with the Nevada Bureau of Licensure and Certification, said halfway houses with a "mixed population" -- recovering substance abusers who are not ex-convicts and those who are -- don't fall under the regulations that require a license.

But now that the parolees and probationers have been removed from Vision House, the Bureau of Licensure and Certification will look into what O'Sullivan needs to operate legally.

"We will conduct an investigation and do all of our own information-gathering," she said.

A new law will go into effect Oct. 1 further codifying the license requirements for halfway houses and transitional living facilities, but the language has not yet been fully established, the state Public Safety Department's Ely said.

The sexual misconduct complaints were filed July 28 by female parolees living at a Vision House facility. The women were relocated immediately, Ely said.

"The reason why we removed them was for their safety," he said. "We didn't want to be advised of a situation and not take any action."

Last week, after a probation officer spotted a television news van outside of one of the Vision Houses, officials became concerned that the media attention would negatively affect the ex-convicts who were living there and trying to stay sober.

Because O'Sullivan hadn't been required to have a state license to operate a halfway house, authorities were not aware of his criminal background before the Sun reported it last week.

However, the law says a criminal record that includes misdemeanors and felonies that are more than seven years old cannot preclude someone from having a state license.

He was convicted of burglary in Illinois in 1982, when he was 18, and aggravated battery, robbery and burglary two years later, authorities said.

His record with Metro Police includes citations for battery, obstructing police and failure to register as a felon.

O'Sullivan, a member of the National Vanguard, a white supremacy organization, is listed as the chairman of the White Peoples Party, a political group that wants to end illegal immigration and affirmative action.

Last month the National Vanguard filed documents with the state to create the party, and the group is in the process of collecting signatures to make the group an official political party in Nevada.

O'Sullivan's halfway houses have never been a problem in the past, Ely said.

"Quite frankly, his homes have always been clean, neat, sober environments," he said. "He has people of all races."

O'Sullivan could not be reached for comment.