2019-2020 Biennial Report Office of the Nevada Attorney General
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2019-2020 BIENNIAL REPORT OFFICE OF THE NEVADA ATTORNEY GENERAL Table of Contents Letter from Attorney General Aaron D. Ford .................................................................................... 1 Upholding Constitutional and Civil Rights ........................................................................................ 3 Multistate and Amicus Lawsuits ...................................................................................................... 3 Helping State Agencies Protect Civil Rights .................................................................................. 4 Protecting Voting Rights ..................................................................................................................... 4 Reforming the Criminal Justice System ............................................................................................. 5 Internal Reform in the AG’s Office ................................................................................................... 5 Working with State and Local Law Enforcement Agencies to Find Opportunities for Reform ..................................................................................................................................................... 6 Protecting Nevada’s Consumers ............................................................................................................ 7 T-Mobile Settlement............................................................................................................................. 7 Additional Multistate Settlements ................................................................................................... 8 Seeking Justice for the Opioid Epidemic ......................................................................................... 8 Payday and Consumer Lending ........................................................................................................ 9 Serving the State ...................................................................................................................................... 9 Saving Taxpayer Dollars ..................................................................................................................... 9 Client Service Successes ................................................................................................................... 10 Establishing the Gold Standard in Cannabis Regulation ......................................................... 14 Serving Veterans and Military Families through the Office of Military Assistance ........... 15 Serving the State by Securing Millions of Dollars of Grant Funding ..................................... 16 Protecting Nevadans From Harm ....................................................................................................... 17 Criminal Investigations .................................................................................................................... 17 Welfare Fraud...................................................................................................................................... 18 Elder Exploitation .............................................................................................................................. 18 Mortgage Fraud .................................................................................................................................. 18 Missing and Exploited Children ...................................................................................................... 19 Workers Compensation and Insurance Fraud ............................................................................. 19 Criminal Prosecutions ....................................................................................................................... 20 Murder .............................................................................................................................................. 20 Sexual Assault and Sex Trafficking ........................................................................................... 21 Fraud and Embezzlement ............................................................................................................. 21 Public Integrity Crimes ................................................................................................................. 21 Other Key Cases ............................................................................................................................. 22 Criminal Appeals ................................................................................................................................ 22 Investigating and Prosecuting Medicaid Fraud .......................................................................... 22 Protecting Our Environment ........................................................................................................... 23 Protecting Nevadans at Work .......................................................................................................... 24 Preventing Youth Smoking .............................................................................................................. 25 Gang Suppression and Youth Intervention .................................................................................. 25 Strengthening Relationships with Law Enforcement and Prosecutors ................................. 26 Protecting Nevadans from Domestic Violence, Sex Trafficking, Sexual Assault and Harassment .............................................................................................................................................. 27 Domestic Violence ............................................................................................................................... 27 Human Trafficking ............................................................................................................................. 28 Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment ....................................................................................... 28 Sponsoring New Laws to Protect Nevadans ..................................................................................... 29 Simulated Legal Process and Money Laundering ....................................................................... 29 Aiding Survivors of Domestic Violence, Trafficking, and Sexual Assault ............................. 29 Strengthening Domestic Violence Laws ........................................................................................ 30 Improving Protective Orders ............................................................................................................ 30 Aiding Prosecutions of Sexual Assault .......................................................................................... 30 Removing Statute of Limitations for Sexual Assault Committed in Murder Cases ............ 30 Strengthening Laws Against Child Predators ............................................................................. 30 Enhancing Lifetime Supervision for Sex Offenders .................................................................... 31 Improving School Safety ................................................................................................................... 31 Community Engagement ...................................................................................................................... 31 Responding to the COVID-19 Pandemic ........................................................................................... 32 Assisting State Agencies Battle the Pandemic and Keep Nevadans Safe ............................. 32 Enforcing Public Health and Eviction Moratorium Directives ................................................ 34 Protecting Consumers and Providing Assistance to Vulnerable Nevadans .......................... 35 Internal Improvements to the Attorney General’s Office .............................................................. 36 AARON D. FORD JESSICA L. ADAIR Attorney General Chief of Staff KYLE E.N. GEORGE RACHEL J. ANDERSON First Assistant Attorney General General Counsel CHRISTINE JONES BRADY STATE OF NEVADA HEIDI PARRY STERN Second Assistant Attorney General Solicitor General OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL 100 North Carson Street Carson City, Nevada 89701 September 1, 2020 Taking the oath of office as your Attorney General is forever burned into my memory. For the rest of my life, I will remember being sworn in as your Attorney General on January 7, 2019. On that cold day, standing on the steps of the Nevada State Capitol, I looked out on the familiar faces of my family and friends who braved the snow to witness the momentous occasion, as well as the faces of Nevadans I have never met. I joined my fellow constitutional officers and Nevada Supreme Court justices, full of hope for the future and feeling the gravity of responsibility that shifted onto our shoulders as we uttered those sacred oath of office. Such is the way we govern – with our eyes towards the future and our hands on the present. As leaders, the decisions we make will be felt by our families, friends, and millions of Nevadans we will never meet. Each decision is as important as the next because every choice will affect our neighbors. The ripples of our decisions may not be felt today and may not be felt by those in our immediate circle, but will nevertheless have a real impact on the State of Nevada. To guide my decision making, I have framed my administration