SUN EDITORIAL:

College official charged

State attorney general’s office took strong action, unlike CSN’s administration

Sunday, Sept. 28, 2008 | 2:08 a.m.

A series of Las Vegas Sun stories has led to charges of theft and misconduct filed against the construction boss at the College of Southern Nevada.

The Sun printed the stories only after successfully battling the college’s administration, which for months last year stonewalled a request for public documents submitted by Sun reporter Christina Littlefield.

Littlefield also got the run-around when she requested interviews with top college officials. When the college made her submit questions in writing, it did not provide timely responses.

Despite the obstacles, Littlefield persevered and wrote at length about allegations of theft and contract fraud made by current and former campus employees against William “Bob” Gilbert, the college’s construction director. Gilbert denied any wrongdoing and said the allegations were made by disgruntled employees.

The Sun’s dogged reporting was the “primer” for an 18-month criminal investigation by the Nevada attorney general’s office, Chief Deputy Attorney General Conrad Hafen said.

A grand jury indictment, returned Friday in District Court, leaves Gilbert facing 13 counts of theft and four counts of misconduct by a public officer. The indictment also charges three people who worked under Gilbert with assisting in the alleged crimes.

An indictment is a formal accusation, not a finding of guilt. Gilbert and the others will have to answer the accusations in court.

The allegations against Gilbert center on a house he was building in northwest Las Vegas. He was accused of using college-owned building materials there and of giving certain college contractors favored status if they would provide labor at the house for free or at a reduced cost.

“Based on the evidence gathered during the investigation, it is clear that Mr. Gilbert built his million-dollar house on the backs of Nevada taxpayers,” Hafen told the Sun on Thursday.

The allegations against Gilbert are serious. We are heartened that the attorney general’s office took them more seriously than did the college’s administration.

Discussion: 5 comments so far…

By jfnance32

9/28/08 at 8:17 a.m.

Suggest removal

Jim Rogers should be fired as from his job as Chancellor.

Chancellors normally are supposed to be focused on their duties of being the chief executive officer of the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE). Being CEO of NSHE has been the last thing on his mind lately.

He is focused like a laser beam on his war on Republicans. He has turned the NSHE into a cheerleader for Democratic Party.

The Democratic Party has used all the money that Rogers has given to them to generate mailers that come from the sewer. In those mailers, it accuses Republicans of wanting children to die. That sewer smell on Rogers is getting to be very repugnant.

Rogers no longer cares about doing his job as CEO of NSHE. Since 2007, Rogers has known that William "Bob" Gilbert has stolen from the NSHE. What has happened to Gilbert? He received a one year's paid vacation. I heard that Rogers is tough but that is really harsh. Gilbert has now returned from vacation and now we have two people earning money for the same position in NSHE. Roger is an excellent CEO at NSHE. The taxpayers are paying two people over $100,000 each to do the same job. I guess the budget cuts have not trickle down to that department yet.

Now, Gilbert has been indicted by Clark County. What has Roger done? He has done nothing. Perhaps, Rogers will give Gilbert another harsh year's worth of paid vacation. Perhaps, the Regents should put Rogers on a permanent unpaid vacation.

You can go to the link below and find the Regents' contact information. The CEO of NSHE serves at the pleasure of the Board of Regents. The Board of Regents serves at the pleasure of the voters of the State of Nevada.

http://system.nevada.edu/Board-of-R/Bios...
By wonteach

9/28/08 at 4:41 p.m.

Suggest removal

On another website, I posted a question about whether ANY employee in the history of CSN/CCSN had ever received a one year PAID leave of absence, for any purpose. So far, no one seems to know of any such case, and several people have declared their certainty that there ARE no other such cases. Even when we allow for the the fact that the CSN administration became an ethical sewer the moment Richard Carpenter set foot on campus, the granting of such a unique (and expensive) privilege to an employee who was under criminal investigation seems inexplicable.
By Farah

9/28/08 at 7:41 p.m.

Suggest removal

I am a CSN faculty member, and have known many people by being there for a long time. On behalf of all the CSN employees that I know, from the bottom of our hearts, thank you Las Vegas Sun, for your strong support of your very tenacious reporter, Christina Littlefield, who was stonewalled and smeared by the CSN administration but persisted on digging. Without your unwavering support, today we would not have had a Pulitzer Prize winner candidate from your prestigious paper. The honor and glory belong to both Christina Littlefield, and the fertile environment you have provided at the Las Vegas Sun for true journalism to blossom.

For years Bob Gilbert had been witnessed stealing from CSN. The fabricated time cards, the student workers and the IT employees working on his house all during working hours, and truck load of materials shipped to his mansion, just to name a few that were already being widely witnessed. It took a Christina Littlefield and your newspaper, to actually put a stop to it. The crooks were actually slapped in their faces with this AG's indictment! You will never understand the degree of all of our appreciation. You have helped Nevadans save millions by stopping the stealing now, and endless amount of money for many years to come if Bob Gilbert continued getting away. You are truly the Nevadans' tribune. We, at CSN, and in Nevada, salute Christina Littlefield and the Las Vegas Sun! A million thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
By CSNspeaks

9/28/08 at 8:38 p.m.

Suggest removal

Farah, well said! Thanks to Christina Littlefield and the Las Vegas Sun. Thank you Nevada Attorney General. Thank you Clark County Grand Jury. The entire CSN faculty, staff, students and parents, and all Nevadans, thank you, for stopping the ongoing theft at CSN, and for stopping future possible theft of any State entity. The punishments have to be swift and heavy, to set an example for future thieves. We look forward to the excellent reports from the Las Vegas Sun to continue keep us abreast of all development.
By Justscribe

9/29/08 at 6:11 a.m.

Suggest removal

CSN faculty and staff are eternally grateful that the Nevada Attorney General's office and the Las Vegas Sun are willing to expose CSN's criminal behavior.

Millions of dollars have been STOLEN with the assistance of Chancellor Rogers and the NV Board of Regents as they have both refused to address the corruption issues at CSN. WHY? Why would a board of 13 seemingly intelligent individuals abdicate their ethics and responsibility as the overseers of the Nevada System of Higher Education? Because the Board only cares about keeping Rogers happy, not the taxpayers they serve.

Rogers' influence on the BOR has been catastrophic for NSHE, it's akin to the Economic Financial Crisis America is facing. The same components are present, greed, massive theft, lack of oversight and no accountability. When will Nevada Taxpayers demand the resignation of the Board of Regents and Rogers? ENOUGH!!!

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