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By Dave Toplikar (contact) 
Published Tuesday, Aug. 31, 2010 | 5:02 p.m.
Updated Tuesday, Aug. 31, 2010 | 6:06 p.m.
Gilbert
CSN official William Gilbert is accused in the theft of college property in the building of this home on Mount Charleston.
Sun Archives
- Gilbert CSN theft case goes to jury (8-30-2010)
- Prosecutors wrapping up theft case against ex-CSN construction chief (8-25-2010)
- Theft trial to continue for former CSN construction chief (8-14-2010)
- Gilbert case may turn on investigator’s testimony (6-2-2009)
- Judge blasts CSN police probe of alleged theft (5-30-2009)
- CSN official faces felony charges (9-26-2008)
- At CSN, two in seemingly similar jobs draw 6 figures (8-25-2008)
- Building chief returns to CSN post under a cloud (7-22-2008)
- CCSN’s, official’s methods conflict (6-22-2007)
- Raid sweeps through CCSN offices (6-14-2007)
- Contracts show conflict of interest (4-4-2007)
- Details emerge as CSN asks for money (7-3-2007)
- Flags raised, chief probed (3-26-2007)
- Gilbert blames disgruntled employees (3-26-2007)
- Sun’s probe hindered by college’s slow response (3-26-2007)
Beyond the Sun
It was more than three years ago that Bob Gilbert flatly denied to a Las Vegas Sun reporter that he had used his position as construction chief at the College of Southern Nevada to divert building materials, equipment and CSN employees to build his dream home on Mount Charleston.
No, Gilbert said, there was no wrongdoing.
No, he said, nothing was stolen from the college for his personal use at his home on 4-plus acres in Kyle Canyon.
In fact, the only complaints were those raised by disgruntled employees, and the college had looked into those and cleared him, Gilbert told then-Sun reporter Christina Littlefield in an interview published in March 2007.
But on Tuesday, a Clark County jury found him guilty of all 11 counts of theft brought against him by the Nevada attorney general’s office, which had followed up on Littlefield’s investigative series.
On Jan. 3, Gilbert, who could face years of prison time, will be sentenced by District Judge Donald Mosley.
One of Gilbert’s attorneys, Brent Bryson, declined to speculate about what kind of sentence the judge might hand Gilbert, who is free until the sentencing.
“It really depends. Given the possibilities, I don’t want to get into that because it could prejudice my client,” Bryson said outside the courtroom.
The trial began Aug. 8 with the state laying out its case against Gilbert in thefts from 2002 to 2007, when he controlled the equipment, manpower and material going in and out of the college in his position of associate vice president of facilities, operations and maintenance at CSN.
The jurors found him guilty of having pallets of cinder blocks bought by CSN delivered to his property; taking a man-lift that had disappeared from the college; stealing an electric chain hoist, a paint sprayer, 12-foot lengths of lumber, bags of thin-set mortar, door handles and door locks; stealing the use of a fork lift and a scissors lift that had been rented to CSN, and using the services of several CSN construction employees to work on his home while they were on the clock and being paid by the college.
The jury, which listened to three weeks of testimony from some 20 witnesses, heard Gilbert’s attorneys try to discredit the state’s investigation and poke holes in the state’s evidence, much of which was circumstantial.
The attorney general’s office had started its investigation when the Sun’s Littlefield was finishing her interviews in March 2007 with more than a dozen former and current college employees who said they had witnessed Gilbert misuse his position at the college.
They alleged he used CSN equipment and manpower to develop an 8,200-square-foot house, a 2,500-square-foot guesthouse, stables and a lighted basketball court.
Three days before the trial started, three of Gilbert’s co-defendants — Matthew Goins, George Casal and Thad Skinner, all of whom worked under Gilbert in CSN’s facilities management department — made agreements to plead guilty to lesser charges.
Each pleaded guilty Aug. 5 to two gross misdemeanor counts of conspiracy to commit theft. Each received a sentence that amounts to a year of informal probation.
On Monday, Chief Deputy Attorney General Conrad Hafen summed up the state’s case against Gilbert to the jury, saying it was based on “greed and the violation of the public’s trust.”
Hafen said Gilbert had “motive and he had opportunity” to divert the materials under his control for his own use.
Hafen said Gilbert’s position at the college and the fact that no one was checking up on him “doesn’t give him the right to steal ... There’s not a different standard that applies to him.”
Although Hafen put about 20 witnesses on the stand, Gilbert’s defense team relied on only one witness — Ron Remington, CSN president from 2001 to 2004.
Remington backed up Gilbert’s assertion that he had permission to have the building material and equipment on his property and that some college work was done there, including welding.
The jury didn’t buy it.
“It was a long trial,” Gilbert’s attorney Bryson said. “We certainly didn’t feel the state proved their case beyond a reasonable doubt. The jury thought otherwise. You know, that’s the way it is.”
Bryson said there are “certain areas that I’m sure will be explored on appeal” but that “under the circumstances, I thought that we presented a good case.”
Will he be put on "paid administrative leave" until he has exhausted all of his appeals?
FRM, of course he will, innocent until proven guilty (more than once). I can't believe any CSN administrator within shooting distance of this story hasn't been let go. Why would they need to store/work on stuff up Kyle Canyon? Can you imagine the wasted time/gas etc. just haulin' the "goods" to and fro? What now, do we dismantle the house and buildings?
Of course he'll appeal. They all do. But at least he didn't slide by this time and hopefully the appeal judges will uphold the ruling. And at least he'll be spending more of his ill-gotten gain on lawyers. He was so used to having his higher ups let him slide he thought he could beat the rap. Too bad Bob! Was it worth it?
gbigs: Not enough said. How are unions involved in this? There's nothing in the story that implicates unions.
I do hope now that he's a convicted felon the campus can fire him and don't have to wait for the appeal. Or even for sentencing.
"Will he be put on "paid administrative leave" until he has exhausted all of his appeals?"
While awaiting his trial, I believe he was on paid adminstrative leave for 1 or 2 years.
That ended about 3 to 6 months ago.
This is his 2nd conviction on dealing with stealing from a government entity.
That should mean he gets a tougher penalty this time.
I am betting that he will go to the big house for 1 to 3 years with another 10 on probation.
Teaser- I agree with you i didn't see anything about Unions in this article! It's a big misconception that everyone working at a "school" is union. gbigs-get a clue!!!
He had a state contract. It had nothing to do with unions.
Thousands of government workers at all levels go to work everday in this state. They don't steal, they don't cheat... they work hard, but people like this continue the stigma of distrust that is so prevelent.
How did this guy think that he was going to get away with all of this and at the same time thinking that nobody was ever going to find out about it. "Eleven felony convictions" This guy is screwed for the rest of his life.
You would think Gilbert,living in this town,could throw down some good odds of someone talking from all the laborers he had comming & going.Sheese,he didn't expect anybody to get wise,outraged,disgrunteled,or have fellings of guilt?I don't even trust my pizza delivery guy not to give me slices in a different manner.Must of been a trusting man.Too bad we couldn't trust him.
Public employees, whatever you make plus all you can steal.
It's very telling he could only get Remington to vouch for him, (himself removed from office in that botched firing back in late 2003) and no current administration, or even Richard Carpenter, the president who was actually in charge when the AG started investigating in 2006-2007. Well done to the AG for successfully highlighting and convicting corruption. The question remains whether CSN has cleaned up its act, and if the same contractors who were doing all the work on Gilbert's ranch are still the sole contractors at the college?
Sell the house, I'm sure CSN can find a way to spend the money.
I have an idea for you Bob. You can probably get a lighter sentence if you talk to the DA about all the other corruption you witnessed during your tenure at CCSN.
That guy kinda looks like prototypical union thug/longshoreman. No wonder he is a crook like a standard issue union thug/longshoreman.
Gilbert and his attorney are crooks. It would not surprise me that the attorney was an associate of Gilbert in taking construction material from the college and having college employees doing work. I hope the county has put a lien against Gilbert's home since it was funded in part by the tax payers and that Gilbert pays back the county for all material and time spend away from the job. I hope Gilbert is not eligible for his retirement because of the felony charge and the fact that he lied about the time actually spend on the job.
The state should definitely take the bastard's house! Even that won't make up what csn has paid him while he's been on "leave". And what about the 3 different presidents that have supported him: Remington, Carpenter, and Carpenter's lapdog, Richards? Richards should definitely be fired, immediately (and to think, Remington was actually the best of the bunch....). He should get several years jail time; I'm hoping for a minimum of 3-5.
gbigs you have taken the idiot chair away from SGT Rock with your ridiculous,lying post. Just where is there any union conection here? Gilbert was a company man, a part of managemnet you nit wit. Get a life and get some mental health help.
OMG, when can we STOP paying this fool
Nobody who is not close to this knows very little of what and why this all happened.
Gilbert's employment with CSN ended about a year ago. (That's not a rumor; I know it for a fact.)
WAKE-UP NV TAXPAYERS! CSN cleaned up? Back to earth please! Gilbert's, boss, Patty Dayer, VP of Finance has been rewarded with a promotion for her probable complicity. Do you really think that Carpenter administration elite (e.g., Carpenter, Foshee and Key) allowed Gilbert to amass his wealth and they got zip? Impossible! To Gilbert's misfortune, he validated the assumption that he is a brainless thug; maintaining a code of silence to protect people that secretly THREW HIM UNDER THE BUS. Look at the paper trail; the majority evidence was supplied by VP's with access to the documents ensuring a hefty prison term for Gilbert, after all he is expendable. HOWEVER, Gilbert could extract a glimmer of self-respect and exhibit contrition by disclosing the names, schemes, and wrongdoing that were and are being facilitated by CSN officials. He would go from thug to hero! This epiphany would result in a new LEGITIMATE career for Gilbert"CONSULTANT specializing in combating educational crimes.
Wake up Taxpayers is percisley what people should do in this case, let alone other ones.Someday it will be known to those who are not on the inside.