STATE OF NEVADA OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL Protecting Citizens, Solving Problems, Making Government Work FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 31, 2000 CONTACT: Matthew Gabe (702) 486-3793 INCLINE VILLAGE MAN ARRESTED FOR LAS VEGAS INVESTMENT SCAM Las Vegas - Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa has announced that Todd A. Surgeon, age 29, of Incline Village, Nevada, has been arrested on charges related to his involvement in a scheme that allegedly defrauded Las Vegas residents out of more than $425,000 in investments. Surgeon was taken into custody this past weekend by investigators from the Nevada Attorney General's Office and the Nevada Secretary of State, Securities Division. According to a seven-count felony Criminal Complaint filed by the Attorney General's Bureau of Consumer of Protection, Surgeon sold investors a limited number of common stock shares in Americana Corporation, a company that was purported to be a leisure equipment and spa distribution company. Surgeon allegedly falsely informed potential investors that he would personally buy back their shares of common stock for three times the purchase price within one year of the purchase date. The Criminal Complaint alleges the Defendant committed securities fraud by misrepresenting to investors that their investments in Americana Corporation were risk free and guaranteed. In addition, it is alleged that Surgeon failed to disclose to investors that the Vice President of Operations for Americana Corporation had previously been indicted in U.S. District Court for Conspiracy, Wire Fraud, and Aiding and Abetting. In convicted, Surgeon faces up to 35 years in state prison and a fine. He would also be ordered to pay restitution to the investors. A Criminal Complaint is merely an accusation. The Defendant should be presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in a court of law. If you believe you have been have been a victim of Securities fraud, call the Nevada Securities Division in Las Vegas at (702) 486-2440, or in Reno at (775) 688-1855. Consumer protection information is always available on the Attorney General's Web site. STATE OF NEVADA OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL Protecting Citizens, Solving Problems, Making Government Work FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 31, 2000 CONTACT: Victoria Oldenburg (775) 684-1100 ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OFFICE WILL CONDUCT STATEWIDE PRESENTATIONS ON NEVADA OPEN MEETING LAW Carson City---Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa announced today that her office will be conducting presentations across the state on Nevada's Open Meeting Law. The presentations will focus on how elected and appointed public officials are required to comply with the letter, spirit and intent of Nevada Open Meeting Law. The first presentation will take place in Las Vegas on February 3rd (from 1:00-4:0pm) and 4th (9:00am- 12:00pm), at the Grant Sawyer Building, located at 555 E. Washington Avenue. The presentation is free. Anyone interested in attending the presentation must pre-register with the Attorney General's office by calling (775) 684-1221. In addition to hearing an informative presentation on the subject, attendees will receive a newly created brochure outlining the Nevada Open Meeting Law, the Open Meeting Law Compliance Checklist, and the Nevada Open Meeting Law Manual. These publications will soon be available on the Attorney General's Web site at: http://ag.state.nv.us/. Open Meeting Law presentations will be conducted throughout the state during 2000. Forthcoming announcements will be made when a presentation will be taking place in a specific community. "Compliance with the Open Meeting Law is critical to open government," Del Papa said. "Through these presentations, we hope to better educate public officials on the fine points of the law, thereby reducing, if not eliminating, violations of the Nevada Open Meeting Law." The Nevada Open Meeting Law is considered one of the most stringent open meeting laws in the United States. When it was first enacted in 1960, it consisted of only four sections. It has since been amended sixteen times, and presently consists of eleven sections. Over the years, there have been eleven significant decisions by the Nevada Supreme Court or federal courts interpreting and applying the law. Two significant decisions are forthcoming from the Nevada Supreme Court. The Nevada Attorney General's office, which has jurisdiction to enforce the Nevada Open Meeting Law, has also issued several interpretive opinions regarding the statute. For more information on the presentations, or to pre-register for the Las Vegas presentation, please call Linda Deming (775) 684-1221. NOTE: Attorneys who attend one of the Nevada Open Meeting Law presentations may be eligible for CLE credit. STATE OF NEVADA OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL Protecting Citizens, Solving Problems, Making Government Work FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 27, 2000 CONTACT: Grenville Pridham (702) 486-3788 TWO MEN SENTENCED FOR CRIMES COMMITTED WHILE TELEMARKETING Las Vegas - Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa announced that two men, who drove into two police officers while attempting to avoid arrest, were today sentenced by Clark County District Court Judge Kathy A. Hardcastle. John L. Campe, age 46, of Las Vegas, and Terry L. Ford, age 48, from Ukiah, California, were trying to evade officers who confronted them in the parking lot of a Las Vegas Supermarket because of their participation in a fraudulent telemarketing scheme. Campe was given five years probation with an underlying sentence of a maximum term of thirty-four (34) months in the Nevada State Prison. As a condition of probation, Campe must serve 120 days in the Clark County Detention Center; pay $2,450 in restitution and a $5,000 fine. Ford was also given probation with an underlying term of one year in the Clark County Detention Center for his role in the telemarketing scheme and subsequent vehicle pursuit. As a condition of his probation, Ford was ordered to spend 90 days on house arrest and pay a fine in the amount of $2,000. Campe pled guilty to a felony Resisting Public Officer with a Deadly Weapon, the vehicle. Ford pled guilty to a Gross Misdemeanor Offense of Conspiracy to Commit Battery with the Use of a Deadly Weapon, the vehicle. Their pleas arose out of their involvement in a fraudulent telemarketing scheme that defrauded elderly victims in October, 1996. On October 17, 1996, Campe drove Ford to a Lucky's Grocery Store at Bonanza Ave. and Lamb Blvd. Campe had recruited Ford to make phone calls to elderly victims, telling them they had won a sweepstakes. Ford would then tell the victim they needed to first send several thousand dollars to a woman in Las Vegas before collecting the prize money. Campe had also recruited a woman to collect the money from a Western Union office located in the Lucky's. The defendants then sent the woman into the store to collect a wire transfer from an elderly victim who had been targeted by Campe and Ford. After the woman was unsuccessful in collecting the money, she went out to a vehicle where Campe and Ford were waiting for her. When the investigators determined who the woman was meeting, they approached the defendants. When the agents identified themselves as police officers, Campe quickly accelerated, driving his Suzuki Sidekick automobile into two members of the Telemarketing Task Force, dragging one and knocking him down to the pavement. Campe then led officers on a high-speed chase east on Bonanza Road, speeding through school zones and running a red light at Nellis Ave. During the chase, the defendants threw large amounts of paper out of the car, which were subsequently retrieved and determined to be evidence of illegal telemarketing. Campe did not pull his vehicle over until he realized that Bonanza Road was going to stop and his car could not climb the mountain terrain. The convictions in this case are part of the Attorney General's ongoing effort to stop fraudulent telemarketers in the State of Nevada. The joint investigation was conducted by the Southern Nevada Telemarketing Task Force, which is comprised of the Office of the Nevada Attorney General, U.S. Attorney's Office, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the United States Postal Inspectors. "Someone should never send money to a telephone salesperson who claims you have won a prize, but tells you must first send money to cover shipping, taxes, or any other kind fee before you can collect your prize," Del Papa said. "You should immediately report the call to the Federal Bureau of Investigation or the Nevada Attorney General's Bureau of Consumer Protection. Legitimate businesses do not require up-front payments when a person has won a legitimate contest." For further information on this and other consumer matters, contact the Bureau of Consumer Protection Division at (702) 486-3786, or contact the Attorney General's office statewide by calling Nevada's toll free switchboard at 1-800-992-0900. Consumer protection information can be found on the Attorney General's Web site at: http://ag.state.nv.us/ STATE OF NEVADA OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL Protecting Citizens, Solving Problems, Making Government Work FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 26, 2000 CONTACT: Leslie Nielsen (702) 486-3102 LAS VEGAS UNLICENSED REAL ESTATE APPRAISER ARRESTED Las Vegas---Joseph Saint Clair, age 53, of Las Vegas, was arrested today by investigators from the Attorney General's office on gross misdemeanor charges that he has continued to act as a real estate appraiser despite revocation of his license in July of 1999 by the Commission of Appraisers of Real Estate for unethical conduct and incompetence. In addition to the criminal charges, which have been referred to the Clark County District Attorney's office, the Attorney General's office filed a civil lawsuit late last week, on behalf of the Real Estate Division of the Department of Business and Industry, seeking an injunction to prohibit Saint Clair from further acting as a real estate appraiser.