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March 8, 2006
BRIBERY, WIRE FRAUD CHARGES Joe Richards stung by FBICANDICE TRUMMELL WORKS WITH SPECIAL AGENTS; INVESTIGATION COULD SNOWBALL
By GINA B. GOOD
In Richards' case, it's the FBI who apparently hustled the long-term brothel owner, aided by Nye County Commissioner Candice Trummell, who surreptitiously recorded Richards during several conversations. The commissioner was wired for sound and video during her conversations with Richards. According to documents filed with the U.S. District Court of Nevada, charges against the 72-year old Richards include wire fraud for telephone calls made "to devise and execute a scheme" to bribe Trummell into helping revise laws affecting his business ventures in Pahrump. Richards, who had been indicted by a federal grand jury, was taken into custody on Saturday, appeared in federal district court in Las Vegas Monday and entered a plea of not guilty. At Tuesday's Board of County Commissioners' meeting, Trummell said she couldn't comment on whether she was drafted by the FBI or initially approached them with the idea to record conversations with Richards. "I'm not sure what I'm allowed to say," she said. The County Commissioners license the operation of brothels and enact ordinances that restrict the use of land within the county. Allegedly, Richards offered Trummell $5,000 for law school to sway her vote on his liquor license for The Kingdom, a strip club located at the corner of Highway 160 and Homestead Road in Pahrump, and to help him realize his 15-year quest to build a brothel on land he owns across the street from the Chicken Ranch brothel in southern Pahrump. Late last month, the commissioners in a 4-1 vote, decided to terminate a scheduled hearing regarding Richards' privilege license to run the Kingdom; Commissioner Joni Eastley's rationale to do so was based on the fact the case had "lingered" for too long. Commissioner Patricia Cox cast the nay vote. Richards, in one of his recorded conversations with Trummell, said the Pahrump Valley Times "lied" when the newspaper reported Richards intended to open a family restaurant and lounge at the white castle on Highway 160 and Homestead Road. The Pahrump Valley Times stands by its published reports on the subject. The Chicken Ranch and Sheri's Ranch sit on an island of county land, while Richards' property was incorporated into the town. The infamous Calvada Unit 14 has been a point of contention between Richards and the Town of Pahrump for many years. Judge John Davis on Jan. 9 ordered the town to pay for a survey map. It is important to note the current board had no role in the annexation; that occurred in the 1980s. Richards also owns and operates three of the seven brothels authorized for operation in Nye County: Mabel's Ranch, the Cherry Patch Ranch in Crystal and the Cherry Patch II Ranch in Lathrop Wells. Madame Butterfly Bath and Massage Salon in Crystal are also owned by Richards. There are indications this development is just the tip of the iceberg. According to a source close to the case, FBI special agents have spoken with at least two other county commissioners and one town board member and his wife. There is a strong possibility the FBI - which began its investigation into alleged Nye County corruption more than three years ago after a group of citizens believed voter fraud had occurred - could expand its investigation beyond Richards. More details will appear in Friday's edition of the Pahrump Valley Times. Doug McMurdo contributed to this story. |
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