Former cocktail waitress sues governor, former sheriff

Published Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2008 | 4:07 p.m.

Updated Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2008 | 6:15 p.m.

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Chrissy Mazzeo during a news conference at her lawyer's office in downtown Las Vegas on Oct. 25, 2006, where she presented her side of an incident involving Jim Gibbons.

Gov. Jim Gibbons

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Mazzeo: ‘If he had apologized … it would have been done’ (2-10-07)
New discrepancies in accounts from Gibbons, Mazzeo (12-28-06)
Issue turns to possible cover-up (11-4-06)
Mazzeo wants case reopened (10-30-06)
Gibbons and Mazzeo step up dispute: He issues denial, she hires attorney (10-20-06)

Startled and afraid, Mazzeo asked, "What are you doing? Are you serious? Please let me go."
At the time there was no expression on Gibbons' face as he started squeezing Mazzeo's arms harder and harder. Gibbons said, "You can try to run away or you can let this happen. I'm not going to f--- you. l'm going to rape you."
Mazzeo said, "What? Are you seriously going to rape me?"
Gibbons responded, "This isn't what l want from you. You have two choices. You can try to run away or you can let this happen."
From where Mazzeo had been seized, forced into a corner and confined she could see Camera No. 1 across the garages and she could see Camera No. 2 in line with the elevator.
Mazzeo said, "l have a baby. Please don't do this to me, There's a camera there."
Gibbons said. "I don't care about the cameras."
Mazzeo said, "What are you doing. You're running for governor."
Gibbons said, "You have two choices."
Mazzeo said, "What are my choices."
Gibbons coldly said, "you either listen to me and do what I say, or you're fu--ed!"

Former cocktail waitress Chrissy Mazzeo, who accused then-candidate for governor Jim Gibbons of assault, filed a lawsuit against the Republican governor and former Sheriff Bill Young in U.S. District Court on Tuesday.

The lawsuit names political consultant Sig Rogich, the Metro Police Department, attorney Donald J. Campbell and Mazzeo's former friend, Pennie Mossett-Puhek, and alleges Mazzeo's rights to due process and equal protection were violated.

The lawsuit was filed two years and a day after the alleged attack.

Rogich at the time was Gibbons' campaign manager. Campbell was retained by Rogich to represent Gibbons in regard to the incident, which occurred Oct. 13, 2006, in a Paradise Road garage.

Mazzeo, who was 32 at the time of the incident, was a cocktail waitress at the Bellagio. She accused Gibbons of assaulting her in a parking garage after a night of drinking at McCormick & Schmick's restaurant.

Mazzeo met Puhek, then they talked about an attack on Mazzeo by her boyfriend in Laughlin three months earlier, as well as her years-long battle with cancer.

At about 7:45 p.m., Puhek spotted Gibbons and Rogich in the cocktail lounge. Puhek bought Gibbons' table a round of drinks and Gibbons invited Mazzeo and Puhek to join them.

According to the complaint, Mazzeo said she became uncomfortable sitting next to Gibbons and tried to move closer to Puhek in the booth. When other people began taking photos of Gibbons, Mazzeo said she felt so uncomfortable that Puhek complained to Rogich.

After Mazzeo got out keys to her pickup truck, she went to the restroom, and Gibbons handed her a business card when she returned to the table. Gibbons and Rogich then left the table and Mazzeo stayed behind for 15 or 20 minutes before walking outside the restaurant and searching for her keys in her purse.

It was raining that Friday the 13th, so Mazzeo was startled when Gibbons appeared between two bushes at the north of the restaurant, the complaint states.

"Are you looking for me?" Gibbons asked Mazzeo.

"No, I'm looking for my keys," she replied, according to the complaint.

Gibbons offered to take her to her truck. She said they entered the first floor of the Hughes Center parking garage, then turned northeast, where Mazzeo said she spotted a surveillance camera. She alleged that Gibbons grabbed her by the upper arms and shoved her about 10 feet until she was pinned against a column near the elevator.

Mazzeo claimed in the lawsuit that Gibbons threatened to rape her and she struggled, kicking him in the shins as three teenagers ran by the pair.

Once she escaped, Mazzeo said she ran to the lobby of a nearby La Quinta Inn to call police. Mazzeo also called Puhek, who instructed her not to call police.

The lawsuit describes a frightened Mazzeo, who saw Gibbons at the La Quinta Inn's lobby windows with his wet jacket off and looking in at her. As Mazzeo ran passed Gibbons outside the hotel's lobby, he grabbed her arm and said, "Wait, I need to talk to you. You screwed up because you called 911. You'll be sorry."

The lawsuit said a night desk clerk at La Quinta witnessed this altercation.

Mazzeo ran across Paradise Road to a Starbucks and hid in a restroom stall before calling Metro Police again.

It was after 11:12 p.m. when police first responded to Mazzeo's 911 calls, the lawsuit said.

Puhek had urged Mazzeo to cooperate with Gibbons. When Mazzeo said, "No, he's guilty," Puhek replied: "I know he is. I saw how he was acting. I watched everything. But if you don't drop the charges they are going to kill you and all of your family. Rethink your decision. You don't know who you are messing with or who they know."

Mazzeo later refused to press charges, and no charges ever were filed. Gibbons won the race for governor three weeks later.

Gibbons spokesman Ben Kieckhefer declined to comment on the lawsuit late Tuesday afternoon. Gibbons is in Washington, D.C., all week in meetings with Interior Department officials.

Metro Police also declined to comment because the case is involved in litigation.

Discussion: 22 comments so far…

By bremskraft

10/14/08 at 5:07 p.m.

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Finally!!!
By annienonymouse

10/14/08 at 5:56 p.m.

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It's about time!
By Johnathan_Abbinett

10/14/08 at 5:59 p.m.

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Good for her - I hope the full truth comes out and anyone found guilty get prosecuted to the full extent of the law - and she wins a sizeable sum of money!
By true_rebel_fan

10/14/08 at 6:30 p.m.

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hey, where are all the governor supporters now?

hmmmm.... i guess he's not the great guy all of you thought he was, was he? get his butt in court, and, make him pay up!

hmmmm.... i wonder when the federal government is going to pursue criminal charges regarding whatever funny business he was previously up too?
By stown

10/14/08 at 7:13 p.m.

Suggest removal

Who has the video tape. I bet its worth a thousand words. Who in the Sherif office has it. Bring it forward. Your ethics requir you to produce it. Goodbye Gov. Oh thats right were at the sage grose convention and Nevada does not matter.
By jfnance32

10/14/08 at 7:13 p.m.

Suggest removal

1. She has a pretty weak case and most likely it will be thrown out of court for lack of evidence.

2. It will be 5 to 7 years before it gets into the court docket. There is a large backlog in civil court cases.
By stown

10/14/08 at 7:23 p.m.

Suggest removal

Where was the Dignatary Protectio detail from the NHP. They guard him around the clock are they covering this up also, Suponea them also. Lets hope they tell the truth its the oath they take. They must have all been promoted it be interesting to see who was there at the time and terte rank now. Something to look into
By gunowners4obama

10/14/08 at 7:55 p.m.

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If you voted for GWB and Gibbons, then you probably voted along party lines, because these men never did have the integrity, character, and leadership characteristics needed for their positions. You need to really consider what you're doing on Election Day when you vote for president, and not vote for McCain simply because he's Republican. If you're not sure what to do, promote choice by voting for a third party candidate.
By R_Linn

10/14/08 at 8:11 p.m.

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What a shock! That is, it's a shock that it took that gold digger two years to complete her scheme and file a lawsuit.
By R_Linn

10/14/08 at 8:15 p.m.

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Hey, stown, check your facts. Gibbons wasn't governor when this farce is alleged to have happened therefore he had no protection detail.
By gmag39

10/14/08 at 11:04 p.m.

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Too bad these 2 kids didn't end up together.
sheesh. Frankenstein & Bride of Frankenstein.
By geezelouise

10/15/08 at midnight

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You go Chrissy. That louse needs to go bye bye and you have a right to file this. Don't let these idots tell you otherwise.

Luv Gov or not, you don't have to be a victim.
By geezelouise

10/15/08 at 12:04 a.m.

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Nance,

Get a clue, will you????
By Lenny_V

10/15/08 at 5:18 a.m.

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METRO is corrupt to the core.
By 2zero

10/15/08 at 9:03 a.m.

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Follow the money!

What we need is a dog that can sniff out Sig money.

Sig, "my friends" is a corruption broker. A dear and close friend to the Bush cartel, the man who brought Nevada; Gibbons (even Sig admits this one was a bad investment) and today the go to guy for the McCain campaign.

Sig has a infamous history and a middle school named after him...LOL (only in Vegas...baby).

Sig keeps Randy Walker in his front pocket, and you thought he was just h*rny.

Alaska has a road to "no where", Sig is going to broker Vegas an airport "in the middle of no where". After all it was Sig that brokered our wonderful mass transit monorail with public funds that does not even start at the airport, but that's ok because two of the Walkers (Randy's best) ran it; into the ground.

Sig was Mike Tyson's agent (before the boxing commission) after he raped but before he bit off the ear.....fast million buck payoff, "it was simple domestic rape".

Sig is up to his eye balls in the CCSD & the RTC, get a list of the companies that pay him tribute so they can get lucrative projects in our low life state...of denial.

Follow the money, Sig just went way out on a limb and was rewarded a monopoly at McCarran's "D" gate....totally justified since he had a "Broadbend" as his minority (female) and after all her daddy was the airport's director when Sig first took control of it.

Sig is toxic, cancerous, greed, greed, greed!!!!

Sig; King of Corruption...priceless, no I mean high priced!
By texexnv

10/15/08 at 9:08 a.m.

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Zzzzzzzzz..........
By carly500

10/15/08 at 11:22 a.m.

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Gibbons is an embarrassment to the state of Nevada. His behavior is that of a "low life". He does not and never will have the makings of a leader. Time to take out the trash!
By WS

10/15/08 at 1:32 p.m.

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I'm not a fan of the Governor's, but TWO years it's been since she says she was assaulted? Come on... this stinks.
By geezelouise

10/15/08 at 4:35 p.m.

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Is there some sort of statue of limitations on this? Why is two years too long to wait. I am sure this was a very difficult decision for her to make. If you recall how she was treated during the time it happened by Metro and the press, it makes perfect sense that it would take her a while to get up the courage to do this.

This woman was the victim. Give her at least some common courtesy and respect.
By TGinVegas

10/15/08 at 9:30 p.m.

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Hey 2zero: i think I saw Sig on the grassy knoll 45 years ago. why don't you look into it?
By johnevegas

10/16/08 at 5:06 a.m.

Suggest removal

Gibbons is a corrupt non-leader, and apparently a potential sexual deviant as well. I still shake my head in disbelief that anyone would have voted for this "man".