Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Ex-CSN official serving prison term for theft to be free on bail

Judge sets bail at $10,000 for Bob Gilbert, pending Supreme Court appeal of theft conviction

Gilbert

Steve Marcus

Bob Gilbert, the former construction chief at the College of Southern Nevada, is led away by Deputy Marshall T.J. Knickmeyer after sentencing at the Regional Justice Center Wednesday, Feb. 16, 2011. Gilbert was found guilty by a Clark County jury in August 2010 on 11 counts of theft.

Gilbert Sentencing

Bob Gilbert, the former construction chief at the College of Southern Nevada, is led away after sentencing at the Regional Justice Center Wednesday, Feb. 16, 2011. Launch slideshow »
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CSN official William Gilbert is accused in the theft of college property in the building of this home on Mount Charleston.

William “Bob” Gilbert, a former College of Southern Nevada official who is serving a 12-month prison sentence on theft charges, could be free on bail by the end of the day.

Clark County District Judge Donald Mosley complied today with a Nevada Supreme Court order to set bail for Gilbert while the high court hears Gilbert’s appeal of his conviction for stealing building material from the school.

Mosley set bail of $10,000, cash or bond, for Gilbert and set some conditions: if he works in the construction industry and he’s bidding jobs, he has to use his own license or do so under someone else’s license and disclose that he’s appealing the conviction, according to one of his attorneys, E. Brent Bryson.

“I know bail has been posted. He’ll get out sometime today or tomorrow,” Bryson said about 4:45 p.m. Wednesday.

Bryson said he would soon file the appeal before the Supreme Court and the court will set a time to hear the appeal. He said the opening brief will be due in September.

Mosley sentenced Gilbert on Feb. 16 to a minimum of 12 months on each of 11 counts of theft of materials from CSN, with the terms running concurrently. The former CSN construction chief has already served about five months. He initially began serving his sentence at the High Desert State Prison, but was recently transferred to the state minimum custody facility in Warm Springs.

“Obviously Mr. Gilbert was very pleased that reasonable bail was set,” Bryson said. “He’s looking forward to continuing to demonstrate that his appeal was meritorious. And he’s looking forward to hopefully prevailing at the end.”

Gilbert's case was spurred by a Sun investigation four years ago, when he was suspected of using his position as CSN's construction chief to develop an 8,200-square-foot house, a 2,500-square-foot guesthouse, stables and a lighted basketball court on his property of more than four acres in Kyle Canyon.

Gilbert had told the Sun that the allegations of misconduct were spurred by disgruntled employees who didn't like his management decisions. He said he was a tough manager and not everyone liked him.

In August 2010, a Clark County jury found Gilbert guilty on all 11 counts of theft of materials from CSN. The case was prosecuted by the Nevada attorney general’s office.

Gilbert also was ordered to pay more than $6,000 in restitution and $10,000 in fines.

Gilbert’s co-defendants — Matthew Goins, George Casal and Thad Skinner, all of whom worked under him in CSN’s facilities management department — pleaded guilty Aug. 5, 2010, to two gross misdemeanor counts of conspiracy to commit theft. Each received a sentence that amounts to a year of informal probation.

The same plea agreement was offered to Gilbert, who refused to take it. Throughout his trial and at his sentencing, Gilbert maintained his innocence.

During his trial, Ron Remington, CSN president from 2001 to 2004, told the jury Gilbert had permission to have the building material and equipment on his property and that some college work was done there, including welding.

"Everything I did, I did with the knowledge of the president of the college," Gilbert said at his sentencing.

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