Knappster: While G-Sting simmers, other scandals are about to boil

By George Knapp

All is quiet on the G-Sting front. Too quiet, you might say. After months and months of sensational developments, this story has nearly dropped off our collective radar screen. The feds aren't saying squat about the corruption probe or whether it really is expanding into an investigation of the local development hierarchy.

More surprising, the normally locquacious defense attorneys for Mary Kincaid Chauncey, Dario Herrera and Lance Malone are equally tight-lipped as those three G-Sting targets prepare for their knockdown, drag-out court battles to come. It now appears all but inevitable that all three will go to trial rather than cut a deal with the government.

While G-Sting junkies like yours truly have been going through withdrawals awaiting some word about the scandal, there are other stories on the horizon that show some potential for explosive revelations. Here are a few of the contenders:

The secret owners: Expect to hear soon about turmoil within the topless nightclub industry. The owner of one local establishment has discovered, to his horror, that he has hidden partners he didn't know about. Some of these new partners have unsavory reputations and checkered pasts, and it's unclear exactly how they slipped into the jiggle joint industry without someone in law enforcement noticing.

Outcall price war: Sources familiar with the Las Vegas outcall entertainment scene say a price war is under way, and that many of these "entertainers" now offer their services for as little as $40. The same services cost as much as $250-$300 as recently as last year. The whisper within the industry is that the Mexican Mafia has entered the local outcall scene in a major way and that it is determined to drive some of its competitors out of business. It's unclear whether the Hispanic hoods have yet made their presence known to law enforcement.

Are legal brothels doomed?: The brothel industry is deeply concerned that its days as a legal industry are numbered. Southern Nevada's legal bordellos have suffered in recent years as prostitution in Las Vegas has been all but legalized in the form of outcall companies, swingers clubs that operate openly as whorehouses and many other versions of the world's oldest profession.

The real threat to legal brothels may be political. Up in Churchill County, a ballot measure to ban brothels has qualified for the ballot and has the backing of the Mormon Church. If Churchill closes the doors of its modest little bordello, brothel opponents wll likely be emboldened and may take heir act on the road. Already in Lyon County, local officials have said on the record that they are growing tired of slapping the wrists of high-profile owner Dennis Hof, a publicity hound whose assorted stunts have resulted in considerable embarrassment for Lyon County. Some regulators have threatened that if Hof and his competitors don't tone things down, the county stands ready to eliminate the brothels.

Nye County probably would be the last local government to ban brothels, but even there it isn't out of the question. Nye commissioners are mighty steamed at the Chicken Ranch over its threats to sue the county. And reformers in that fast-changing county are suspicious of the political power enjoyed by certain bordello owners.

Wynn vs. the limos: Informed sources say casino giant Steve Wynn has made it clear that he doesn't want any private limousine companies to operate on his Wynn Las Vegas property when it opens next year. Wynn reportedly wants the only limos at his resort to be his own. (And in light of the many horror stories floating around about the limo biz, Wynn has plenty of good reasons for being concerned.) Insiders say Wynn has touched off a nasty, behind-the-scenes battle with local limo owners, who aren't exactly pushovers when it comes to political influence. This tussle has considerable potential to evolve into a high-profile, all-out war.

Nevada Power vs. CRC: Readers have already seen plenty in this space about the allegations leveled by Nevada Power Co. against the Colorado River Commission. A two-year federal investigation of CRC's involvement with Enron in manipulating the electricity market has explored some of the same charges. But there is much more to come.

For one thing, we can expect to hear very soon about other disturbing revelations likely to emerge from the "trader tapes" of the CRC. These are audio recordings made of CRC's wheeler-dealer electricity traders as they dealt with Enron, the Southern Nevada Water Authority and other entities. Wait until you hear the conversations about CRC's hiring practices and its method for obtaining insider info from Nevada Power. Yikes!

The other side will certainly try to stir things up and will look for anything it can find to slime Nevada Power. CRC likely will be allowed to go through NP's files as part of a discovery process related to the federal investigation. We've also heard that some local public officials are talking about filing lawsuits against individual power company executives because of statements made to media types about the CRC-Enron scandal.

As a side note, Knappster doesn't want to be perceived as a perpetual defender of Nevada Power, since that company certainly has made its share of mistakes. However, a simplistic diatribe we read the other day begs for some sort of comment. The writer laments the fact that we all have to pay for electricity, and that the price of electricity, like everything else, keeps going up. Yes, it is a real shame, and no, no one enjoys paying their electric bill. Perhaps we can all fly over the rainbow and live happily ever after in Fairy Tale Land, where electricity grows on trees and vodka martinis flow from the kitchen spigot. Jeez.

Car dealers police themselves: Local car dealers are a bit nervous since learning that the state attorney general, the DMV, the Federal Trade Commission and even "60 Minutes" have been looking at allegations about the local auto sales industry. The Nevada Car Dealers Association sent a letter to its members warning that they had better make sure their houses are in order when it comes to advertising claims and auto finance deals.

Most local dealers (new cars, anyway) are deeply concerned about their images and are taking hard looks at their own operations. But they admit--off the record--that a very few of their competitors are sleazoids who risk giving everyone a bad name. The president of the Dealers Association, Gary Ackerman, is reportedly ready to invite former car salesman Duane Overholt to address the association about what members might be doing wrong. Overholt has gained a national reputation for helping to produce media exposes about shady car dealers in various cities, and he is involved in a class-action lawsuit that is in the works concerning a major Las Vegas auto dealer.

Yes, we are all anxious to hear something about G-Sting. In the meantime, keep your eye on these stories. You will see more in this space about each of them as events warrant.

Names and faces

Knappster spent three hours at the home of Sandy Murphy the other night. The conversation covered all aspects of Murphy's life since being released from prison and about prepartions for the October retrial of Murphy and Rick Tabish in the Ted Binion murder case. At this time, sadly, everything that was discussed is strictly off the record, but, suffice to say, Murphy certainly doesn't mince words about the case or anything else. ... The choice of District Judge Michael Douglas for the Nevada Supreme Court was a great one on the part of Gov. Kenny Guinn. Judge Douglas is not only a fair and intelligent jurist, but he has plenty of guts, as witnessed by his decision to grant a new trial to Jessica Williams, who is serving 48 years for her role in the deaths of six teens killed on I-15 four years ago. ... The History Channel is working on yet another documentary about the Area 51 military base. ... The Nye County DA's office has finally decided to pursue criminal charges against several men arrested back in December for participating in a cockfighting ring out in Pahrump. The real question is, what wil become of the dozens of fighting birds that were seized during a police raid on the cockfighting operation? I hope to hell these birds aren't going to be returned to their despicable owners. ... An ongoing investigation of sexual harrassment at Nellis Air Force Base has been transferred to the Department of Defense in Washington. ... As a believer in the whole vox populi thing, Knappster doesn't want to be too critical of the R-J's Best of Las Vegas poll. However, anyone who believes the best pizza in town comes from Pizza Hut and that the best Italian food can be found at Olive Garden needs to get out more. This writer has enjoyed meals from both of those fine businesses, but would suggest that pizza fans take a chance on the pies from Boston Pizza or Metro Pizza. As for Italian cuisine, Ferraro's, Fellini's or Casa Di Amore are, at a minimum, worthy challengers to Olive Garden's crown.