Editorial: Root out all corruption

Tuesday, July 31, 2007 | 7:17 a.m.

S ome former federal prosecutors are saying that the July 18 sentencing of former Clark County Commissioner Erin Kenny might have been the last hurrah of the infamous G-sting trials.

The public corruption investigation involving county elected officials taking bribes from a strip club operator has been capturing local headlines for four years.

It has resulted in prison sentences for Kenny as well as former County Commissioners Lance Malone, Dario Herrera and Mary Kincaid-Chauncey, and also for strip club boss Michael Galardi. In a related trial, real estate consultant Don Davidson was convicted of wire fraud on July 17. His sentencing has been set for Oct. 26.

Sun reporters Jeff German and Steve Kanigher, in a story published Monday, wrote that federal prosecutors say the G-sting investigation is not over.

But they also interviewed former prosecutors, including Stan Hunterton, who expressed the opposite view. "I'd be surprised if we see any more," said Hunterton, who once served as chief of the Justice Department's Organized Crime Strike Force in Las Vegas. "The public has Erin Kenny fatigue, and I think law enforcement does, too."

Hunterton's analysis may be right. But we believe if there is any lead on others who may have been involved, fatigue must be overcome for the sake of justice.

German and Kanigher also pointed out another fact that might bring an end to the G-sting investigation - the federal five-year statute of limitations for prosecuting corruption. The final acts of wrongdoing by Kenny, et al., are said to have occurred in 2003. That puts this whole investigation on a tight deadline.

On this issue, we support the Effective Corruption Prosecutions Act of 2007, sponsored by Sens. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., and Mark Pryor, D-Ark. Introduced in January, the bill awaits action by the Senate Judiciary Committee. Among others things, it would extend the statute of limitations to eight years.

We agree with Leahy, who said in January, "Corrupt officials should not be able to get away with their ill-gotten gains just by winning the waiting game."