The Weiss brothers stood with heads bowed before the judge. Both are from Southern California. Both committed their crimes in Las Vegas. And now both were before U.S. District Judge Philip Pro and pleading guilty in a long-running scheme ferrying Las Vegas firearms to California and then to violent drug cartels in Mexico.
Because this is their idea of a good time, the Trajano brothers and their father crowded into the family’s silver GMC Sierra pickup recently and drove six hours from North Las Vegas to the Naval Air Facility at El Centro, Calif. They set up along the runway fence and breathed the jet exhaust.
To measure the depth of the mortgage fraud crisis in Las Vegas, look no further than FBI agent Michael Rawlins’ desk. He moved here in March 2008 and has generated 40 criminal cases, all but one of which are ending in guilty pleas.
The FBI said Friday that it has begun "evaluating" the unauthorized release of confidential patient records after officials at University Medical Center met with them in an attempt to determine how the materials have been compromised.
This month the local office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, long a fixture downtown, moves to new quarters across the city. New digs will bring new challenges and opportunities for the agency that tackles everything from firearms trafficking to illegal liquor sales.
Federal law enforcement officials in Nevada are launching a major offensive against mortgage fraud, with the FBI preparing hundreds of complex cases for prosecution against operators who have preyed on Las Vegas’ still-staggering boom-and-bust real estate market.
One of Steve Martinez’s first experiences as the head of the FBI office in Las Vegas played out at a carwash. Killing time, he watched a woman who had just won a jackpot at the poker game inside the lobby. Next he saw her step into the ladies room. When she came out, a man lunged forward, pushed her back in and locked the door. Martinez drew his firearm. He yelled “FBI!”
It is possible none of the 16,000 residents of Boulder City knew anything about it, except for some of the young boys. Certainly, for years, no one in town tried to do anything about it. Then, in the spring, someone dropped an anonymous package in the mail. Only then was Rick Rogers arrested; only then did the police search his home.
Many people wanted by authorities come to Las Vegas to hide. Abdullah al-Kidd came here so the federal government could keep an eye on him. For about three years he lived here, much of it under house arrest, while federal lawyers in Idaho prosecuted a suspected Islamic terrorist. Al-Kidd was supposed to be a star witness.
The man known as “Zorra” is the latest catch for federal Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agents in Las Vegas. Five days ago he pleaded guilty in federal court and will be sentenced in January. His case is a capstone to a burgeoning effort by local ATF agents.
