State goes after CSN official’s estate

By Jeff German

Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2008 | 2 a.m.

The Nevada attorney general’s office is trying to force College of Southern Nevada construction chief William “Bob” Gilbert to forfeit the sprawling Mount Charleston estate he’s accused of building with college money and resources.

“If we’re successful, this is an opportunity to recoup the money the taxpayers lost at the hands of Mr. Gilbert,” Chief Deputy Attorney General Conrad Hafen said. “We want 100 percent of the property forfeited.”

The state’s nine-page civil complaint, filed in District Court on Monday, seeks a judgment turning over the 4.26-acre estate to authorities on the grounds that it was used in the commission of a crime.

Gilbert, 49, was charged in a Sept. 26 indictment with stealing building materials, equipment and the services of college employees under his supervision for construction at the 9045 Barr Ave. property. The mountain estate, listed in county assessor records as having a $1.3 million taxable value, includes an 8,200-square-foot main house, a 2,500-square-foot guesthouse, a lighted full basketball court, a tennis court, stables, a carport and several storage units.

Investigators with the attorney general’s office testified before the grand jury that a large portion of the materials used in the development of Gilbert’s property were the same as those used at the college.

“They were all commercial-grade and quality materials,” investigator Anthony Ruggiero told the grand jury. “That’s not the type of materials you use to build a house.”

Jerry Tippetts, a senior inspector with the Clark County Building Department, offered a similar opinion.

“It appeared that somebody had a lot of money,” Tippetts testified. “They were using methods and materials in there that I have never seen used in even a high-end residential (development).”

In the forfeiture complaint filed Monday, Hafen laid out some of the evidence investigators uncovered during their investigation of Gilbert.

• When investigators drove onto Gilbert’s property on March 26, 2007, they saw what appeared to be college “equipment and materials” consistent with what had been reported in the Las Vegas Sun.

• Kevin Stich, a college locksmith who worked on Gilbert’s house, told investigators he saw door locks and handles, roofing materials and flagstone that all appeared to be of the type used on campus, Hafen said. Other college employees who worked on the house reported seeing tile, cinder blocks and light poles used at the college.

• Mario Balderas, a former college facilities supervisor, told investigators he saw “16 to 18 dark brown walnut cabinets with maple butcher block counter tops” that had been at the college.

• When state agents searched the Mount Charleston estate on June, 13, 2007, they found a manlift, paint sprayer and chain hoist, all tagged as college property.

Gilbert was charged last month with 13 counts of felony theft and four counts of misconduct by a public officer in the alleged scheme, which the indictment said occurred between January 2002 and February of this year.

Gilbert, now on paid leave from his $147,204-a-year vice president’s position, pleaded not guilty to the charges earlier this month.

Three college employees under Gilbert were also indicted with him.

Facility manager Matthew Goins and construction inspector George Casal were charged with spending their days helping him work on the mountain property, and construction manager Thad Skinner was accused of picking up building materials billed to the college and delivering them to Gilbert’s estate.

All three men have pleaded not guilty and are on paid leave.

The attorney general’s ongoing investigation is now focusing on the conduct of the operators of a private construction company that did work for Gilbert and the college. Hafen said he may seek more indictments in the case.

Jeff German is the Sun’s senior investigative reporter.