Why is the Las Vegas media silent on Judge Melanie Andress-Tobiasson?
LAS VEGAS — Las Vegas Township Judge Melanie Andress-Tobiasson’s future rests with the Nevada Commission on Judicial Discipline.
The court has scheduled oral arguments on April 2, 2019 at 10 a.m. to determine if the judge should answer questions before a formal statement of charges is issued, which could be used to discipline or remove her from the bench.
But if you are watching or reading the local press, you probably wouldn’t even know why she is in trouble.
To catch up you might want to read the March story, “Las Vegas judge’s statement to judicial investigator about KLAS-TV interview conflicts with statement made to the Baltimore Post-Examiner” or this February story Las Vegas Judge Melanie Andress Tobiasson says she threatened suspect in unsolved murders then kicked in his door.
And there are plenty of more stories regarding the troubled judge that we published. It’s a funny thing – the local press is not interested in these stories but apparently, the commission is very interested. The commission has requested all the stories as well as audio recordings that we published.
But strangely the local press is not interested in the trials and tribulations of the embattled judge. The press briefly flirted with the idea of doing real journalism last April when KLAS-TV’s I-Team led by George Knapp aired portions of an interview with Tobiasson.
Then Tobiasson complained about KLAS and the coverage stopped. Dead silence.
And it’s radio silence in the local newspapers as well. How embarrassing will it be when this story breaks on national television some day. When that happens someone should lose their job.
Whether or not you believe anything Tobiasson has said, it is still newsworthy, and it is the responsibility of any news organization to report the news to the community it serves instead of being a public relations machine for tourism.
Since that interview aired locally in Las Vegas last April, the Baltimore Post-Examiner has published several stories concerning Tobiasson that are most definitely worthy of local reporting – that the rest of the media has ignored.
Here’s a sampling of real news reported by the Baltimore Post-Examiner and the follow-up coverage by the local press:
A witness claimed Tobiasson offered her a bribe to implicate Shane Valentine in the unsolved 2016 murders of Sydney Land and Nehemiah Kauffman.
The Las Vegas media has no interest.
Tobiasson told the Baltimore Post-Examiner during our recorded interview with her in May of 2018 that she threatened Shane Valentine through his attorney and then kicked in the door to his residence.
The Las Vegas media has no interest.
Tobiasson admitted multiple times to the Baltimore Post-Examiner that she was receiving confidential information about the Land/Kauffman murders from the original homicide detective in the case, LVMPD Detective Jarrod Grimmett. That homicide detective is still on the force after leaking information about the case. What other cases does he leak information about?
The Las Vegas media has no interest.
The Baltimore Post-Examiner reported in several stories and published text messages that confirmed Tobiasson had told Connie Land, the mother of Sydney Land, to turn over all text messages between LVMPD Homicide Detective Mitchell Dosch, the lead detective in her daughter’s case, to her under the false pretense that the FBI was investigating the death of her daughter.
The Las Vegas media has no interest.
Readers of those stories, many who are Las Vegas residents have consistently asked why it is that they have to rely on an online newspaper that originates from Baltimore, Maryland to find anything on the 2017 Las Vegas Massacre, Las Vegas police corruption, and more recent stories on the plight of Tobiasson.
That question I can’t answer. Those questions should be directed to the Las Vegas media outlets.
Tobiasson has accused Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department vice detectives of failing to investigate her claims of after-hours unlicensed clubs that were being run by local pimps. She said that the information she was providing to the police was never followed-up on. Those clubs she alleged, were promoting prostitution and targeting underage girls, with the clubs frequented by off-duty LVMPD officers.
What was even more shocking was Tobiasson’s admission that she allowed her underage daughter, Sarah, to not only hang-out at those clubs but later gave her daughter permission to go work in one. Totally irresponsible behavior by any parent, let alone a mother who is a sitting judge. By doing so she placed her daughter’s safety in jeopardy notwithstanding the fact that she was contributing to the delinquency of a minor, by allowing her daughter to associate with known criminals.
Tobiasson claimed she was fearful for her and her daughter’s safety, not from the pimps, but from the vice detectives.
If Tobiasson was trying to protect her daughter from being recruited in sex-trafficking by pimps, and she was worried about her daughter’s safety, then why did she allow her underage daughter to associate with those same criminals?
It makes no sense.
And why didn’t those vice detectives that Tobiasson was providing information to, shut down those unlicensed clubs?
The only answer to that question is one-word— corruption.
Allegations of some of the LVMPD’s vice detectives being corrupt, on the payroll of a local prostitution kingpin, and targeting rival pimps for their “new boss” surfaced when reports of a now five-year-old FBI federal corruption probe of the LVMPD was made public by Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo more than two years ago.
What is going on with that probe?
To this date, no member of the LVMPD has been charged, even though affidavits from several people allege there were payoffs to former and current members of the LVMPD.
Because of those allegations and other claims that a Clark County assistant district attorney coerced witnesses in the rival pimps cases, are leading to some very bad sex-traffickers being released from prison in the near future.
Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson and Lombardo also took measures to ensure that further corruption would not be divulged in court testimony. They did it by cutting early release plea deals to convicted sex-traffickers who may have talked if they took the stand.
This all happened under the blind and shameful Las Vegas media.
As one Las Vegas media person told me just a few weeks ago they “will not promote stories that bring disrepute to the city.”
That says a lot.
And, of course, this was evident in the Las Vegas Massacre investigation when the Baltimore Post-Examiner was the only media outlet challenging Lombardo’s lies.
The Las Vegas media dropped the ball time and again, maybe in the interest of tourism and failed consistently by having their own “reporters” challenge the sheriff’s lies and inconsistencies, which was discerning to many Baltimore Post-Examiner readers.
The underage daughters of cops, judges and even an FBI agent’s daughter being recruited by local pimps, also appears to be no longer worthy of scrutiny by the Las Vegas media.
And where does the U.S. Attorney for the District of Nevada and the FBI Las Vegas Division stand in all of this corruption?
They stand behind “no comment.”
Maybe there is no longer a federal case, or it could be that it’s one hell of a major RICO/Organized Crime investigation for going on this long. Who knows at this point?
The sad part of all of this is the cops who should be under investigation are no longer employed, and some are retired, but some are still wearing a badge and working the streets of Clark County. So their crimes go unpunished and citizens of Clark County pay their salary and or retirement benefits.
That just does not sit right with a lot of people including current and former members of the LVMPD who have spoken to the Baltimore Post-Examiner.
When a cop disgraces the badge and turns to the other side, they are no longer cops, but criminals carrying a badge, or simply put, scumbags, just like the criminals they protect.
Police corruption exists because other cops, regardless of rank, allow it to spread like cancer because they remain silent.
Administrators cover up corruption and misconduct to protect the image of their departments and in doing so, condone the behavior, disgrace the badge, and destroy their own integrity and honor, if they ever had it at all.
And yes, that goes for the certain officers and those in leadership at the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department as well.
Tobiasson claimed that she was providing information to FBI Special Agent Kevin White about police corruption. I cannot corroborate that, but what I can say is that the Baltimore Post-Examiner knows for a fact that several other individuals, civilians, and police officers, also spoke to White and he was interested in police corruption.
One retired LVMPD officer said White asked him if he knew about the casino industry facilitating sex-trafficking.
Are they really going to open up that can of worms?
With all the corruption and misconduct that has been going on for decades in Las Vegas, I would really be impressed if such an investigation would ever take place.
Tobiasson said that White told her that he could not trust the agents at the FBI Las Vegas Division. She also said she learned that LVMPD Assistant Sheriff Todd Fasulo in 2017 told White’s boss, then Assistant Special Agent-in-Charge, Patrick Brodsky, to have him stop talking to Tobiasson.
Tobiasson said White claimed that Brodsky told him to stop talking to her.
That statement alone should have been plastered throughout the Vegas media, but once again — dead silence.
Fasulo, when contacted by the Baltimore Post-Examiner stated that we were “going down the rabbit hole” and had no further comment. Brodsky did not return our calls.
Not to make anything out of this, but Fasulo retired in 2017 and went to work for Wynn Resorts in Las Vegas. Brodsky retired in 2018 and take a guess where he went to work? You guessed it, Wynn Resorts.
If true, then the integrity of the FBI Las Vegas Division was compromised by the LVMPD and that is more than troubling.
An FBI agent can’t trust his own people, worse than troubling, it’s dangerous.
Does the LVMPD have something on the FBI that the third highest police official can simply make a request to the second in command of the local FBI office and have an agent stopped from talking to a judge about corruption?
Did Brodsky’s boss, Special Agent-in-Charge Aaron Rouse, know about what White claimed to Tobiasson about Fasulo and Brodsky?
Because of secrecy and “no comment” policies we may never know the truth.
Tobiasson did some things right in exposing what she believed to be police corruption.
But Tobiasson did many more things wrong.
Tobiasson is a sitting judge who took an oath to uphold the law.
By her own admission, she told the Baltimore Post-Examiner that she threatened a suspect in a double homicide and kicked in the door to his residence.
Tobiasson used her position as a judge to influence Connie Land, the grieving mother whose daughter was murdered. She used her position as a judge to obtain information from a detective involved in the murder investigation, that never would have been disseminated to a private citizen.
She poisoned Land’s mind by accusing the lead detective investigating her daughter’s murder of being corrupt when there was no basis in fact for that assertion.
Tobiasson’s motive for inserting herself into a double homicide investigation that she had no business in meddling into remains unclear.
At the very least, it most likely has to do with her own daughter’s involvement with certain persons that may have been involved in the murders in one aspect or another.
Remember, Tobiasson was on the record with the Baltimore Post-Examiner when she accused three people of executing Sydney Land and Nehemiah Kauffman.
As far as Tobiasson telling Land that the FBI was investigating the murders.
The Baltimore Post-Examiner has obtained a text message that was sent to Land on January 16, 2019 from Richard C. A. Smith, Special Agent – FBI Las Vegas. You be the judge if Tobiasson told Land the truth.
While the local media will likely continue to ignore Tobiasson, the Baltimore Post-Examiner will be publishing more explosive stories on the judge. But we don’t plan to stop there. Stay tuned for the motives behind the unsolved 2016 Land/Kaufman murders, more police corruption, and updates on the mediation process in the civil cases against MGM Resorts International relating to the October 1, 2017 Las Vegas Massacre.
All this news is worth reporting. As one Las Vegas reader put it, if you want to know what’s going on in Vegas, you have to go to Baltimore.
Oh, by the way here’s the new slogan for the Las Vegas media to promote since they are party to it; What goes on in Vegas, gets covered-up in Vegas. That’s kind of catchy. What do you think George Knapp? Do you like it?
Doug authored over 135 articles on the October 1, 2017 Las Vegas Massacre, more than any other single journalist in the country. He investigates stories on corruption, law enforcement and crime. Doug is a US Army Military Police Veteran, former police officer, deputy sheriff and criminal investigator. Doug spent 20 years in the hotel/casino industry as an investigator and then as Director of Security and Surveillance. He also spent a short time with the US Dept. of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration. In 1986 Doug was awarded Criminal Investigator of the Year by the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office in Virginia for his undercover work in narcotics enforcement. In 1992 and 1993 Doug testified in court that a sheriff’s office official and the county prosecutor withheld exculpatory evidence during the 1988 trial of a man accused of the attempted murder of his wife. Doug’s testimony led to a judge’s decision to order the release of the man from prison in 1992 and awarded him a new trial, in which he was later acquitted. As a result of Doug breaking the police “blue wall of silence,” he was fired by the county sheriff. His story was featured on Inside Edition, Current Affair and CBS News’ “Street Stories with Ed Bradley”. In 1992 after losing his job, at the request of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Doug infiltrated a group of men who were plotting the kidnapping of a Dupont fortune heir and his wife. Doug has been a guest on national television and radio programs speaking on the stories he now writes as an investigative journalist. Catch Doug’s Podcast: @dougpoppa1
A better question is why is Doug Poppa not speaking to Jody Williams of Sex Workers Anonymous who tried to expose this ring back in 2007 with Operation Dollhouse? I’ve reached out to you directly Mr. Poppa. I even showed you the lawsuit I filed against Sheldon Adelson with respect to his declared “media blackout” with respect to what I know about this whole operation, that ties into the Florida case by the way going on right now with Kraft even, I have up at http://www.williamsvsusa.com and I have yet to receive any contact from you about this matter. You want to hear about “constant harassment by Metro” then why aren’t you talking to me about the two hours they spent trying to tear down my door to get at me on November 12, 2018 without a warrant? I was only saved by a reporter who called dispatch wanting to know why they were there. How about the fact that the San Mateo prosecutor illegally seized my emails to FIND out where my home was for that attack to take place? There’s a lot more to this story Mr. Poppa so why aren’t you talking to me is a better question?
See today’s news at LasVegasNow.com on Liz Mercer.
Surprise Surprise, NOT AT ALL. Mercer should be in jail by now!
And here we go again with DA Wolfson trying to defend the criminal Deputy DA Mercer.
Doug Poppa,
See today’s news on Liz Mercer. She should go to jail.
I’m just going to say one thing. Like a FBI agent said one day, they can’t allow corruption in the Justice System like we have seen with Deputy DA Mercer and Baughman and the other few Vice Officers that were involved. Not condoning the pimps involved, but we would all want to know we had a chance for a fair trial if we were brought up on charges. I take my hat off to the defense team who shed some light for their effort in making a injustice right. I also take my hat off to Judge Melanie for her efforts in attempting to try and stop the corruption. It restores a little faith in me to know that there are some people with the Justice System that wont tolerate it. I was to interviewed by FBI. I found them to be professional, eithical, respectful and just attempting to get to the truth. At no time did they ever put words in my mouth.
And…they identified themselves with their real names along with showing badges.
This story infuriates me that the Judge is being attacked. As a mother of a victim I would have gave anything to have the Judges help to save my daughter.
Hopefully by not letting your under-aged daughter hang out in and then work in an unlicensed after-hours strip club run by convicted pimps frequented by criminals and police officers looking for underage prostitutes.
Mother of the year award she will never get.
Do you walk in the light of perfection? These pimps are masters at luring and brainwashing young people. To keep from losing your daughter to one of these predators sometimes parents have to use different techniques to make them see the light and keep from losing them totally to the predator. The business would have been totally shut down and short lived had someone listened. I’m sure if Connie Land would have went ballistic on her daughter about living with a pimp she would have totally lost her to the world of these predators, and I’m sure there are a lot of parents fighting that battle on what to do so they don’t lose their daughters. Seen it many times. Actually, I could tell you about a 17 year old who was adamant about staying at her pimps house against her parents will. When the parents went ballistic the pimp packed her up and took off and then there was no contact for months. The minute she wasn’t in sight of her parents she would go right back to the pimps house. Don’t blame the parents! The blame should go to the predators committing these acts.
Totally irresponsible conduct by Judge Melanie Andress-Tobiasson on many levels.
I live in las vegas and I only heard about this just now.
In my opinion, what is happening here is the wrong people are being attacked. You had Vice officers who went bad. That has been proven. You had a Deputy DA who was in with bad officers who should have been held more accountable since she was the prosecutor and destroyed the faith in our Justice system. The victims were revictimized again. Then these same officers made the whole Dept. look bad including the DA office. These few officers who were bad went bad for several years prior to Land case. Baughman was allowed to write books, run a his BS long before Lombardo took office. Until the FBI got wind of bad officers taking bribes. It began in the Gillespie administration. You had certain pimps competing for power due to the amount of money involved with prostitution. Some of these same pimps were involved with Molly and/or protected by the officers who went bad. There has been no accountability of these few officers who went bad or Deputy DA Mercer’s actions. Why all of these officers weren’t fired including DA Deputy Mercer is beyond belief. The public expects more from our DA and Sheriff since they work for them. Judge Melanie attempted to get LVMPD to listen, but soon realized that the same people were involved in the FBI investigation for going bad and realized that is why her concerns were being ignored. She could have turned her head on corruption, but she didn’t. She should be applauded for that!!!! There was no gain for her, but to get continuous BS for trying to stop the corruption. This involved her daughter along with many people’s kids that were all victims. If the system won’t help no caring parent would allow it to continue without a fight to protect their child. It would be in the best interest of LVMPD and the public for the few bad officers who are on the Dept. to resign. It would also be in the best interest if Deputy DA Mercer resigned. They have brought shame to their employers and the citizens of Las Vegas. Not only have they brought shame the public now has trust issues with the DA’s office and LVMPD Vice. That’s very unfair to all victims in the past and any in the future. I’m sure this has also cost the taxpayers of Las Vegas a lot of money. If someone wanted to come forward in the Land case I’m sure they would be hesitant about it knowing a few bad officers are still on the force.
Agree. This having to go to outside media to learn about local corruption is why noone resigns, its all a big circle jerk and noone is held accountable.
Strength in numbers, when they all have dirt on each other, while the people are left in the dark. The media isnt doing their jobs because its all being controlled by large corporations with money.
I really hope there is a huge RICO case going on. It should take down alot of people and even a major corporation, which is why they are CYA and trying to make themselves larger and more influential. Too big to fail or the city halts, seems to be their plan. The people of Nevada need to speak up, rise up, or nothing will change. Its very embarrassing for the good people there and the country. SHERIFF LOMBARDO SHOULD RESIGN IMMEDIATELY ALONG WITH THE OTHERS.
These few officers had went bad going back to 2011. I am surprised they didn’t get busted long before they did.
Baughman manipulated the minds of these victims. He knew they were vulnerable and he preyed on them for his own gain, which was to become a millionaire off book writing and using victims to do it etc. He downright took advantage. He fooled his own coworkers even. He thought he was untouchable and as of to date he has been.
The victims who testified in the Ocean Fleming case are not the only victims of Baughman and his crooked friends.
Aryanne Zappia has a YouTube out of her fighting with another female with a minor child in backseat of vehicle seeing it all. This is who you are dealing with. The YouTube is dated January 15, 2019.
Doug, it’s “why are” not “why is”. Media. Plural.
Dana,
Doug doesn’t write headlines and times have changed. Here’s a recent Boston Globe headliine: “Trump says the media is trying to blame him for the attacks in New Zealand” and that’s an AP report.
And from a grammar site:
“The traditional treatment of media is that it is a plural, which means that it must be the media are and the media listen etc instead of the ‘media is’ and ‘the media listens’ etc.
However, the idea here is that media is the plural of medium. The modern interpretation is that media is now a collective singular, similar to ‘team’, ‘group’ etc. Therefore the singular use of the media is and the media listens is perfectly acceptable in 2013. Academic discourse is just about the only exception to this new rule.
Some Old School thinkers will disagree. But that’s just the way it is. And this means that the medias is also being used as a plural. But don’t just take my word for it, try the Oxford English Dictionary for their take.”
Wait, in Nevada a judge has the final discretion to accept or reject the plea deal. In the end, Melanie was disqualified due to bias and should not have sat on the case. I find when legal professionals purge their dirty deeds like this, it’s to atone for their mistakes and hope no one calls them out on it. This criminal can now obtain a redo at tax payers cost due to her failure to voluntarily recuse.
Why doesn’t someone question Aryanna on the murder she confessed to in Oakland to Det. Greg Flores and Det. Grimmett?
The DA’s office is notorious for giving pimps plea deals, except if your name is DEPUTY DA LIZ MERCER who was wrongfully giving pimps a unfair trial and getting them convicted with life sentences. Public is more interested in how much that has cost taxpayers and why is she still working at the DA’s office.
Correct!
Tobiasson is as corrupt as they get. Sick sick woman for letting her daughter WORK WITH PIMPS and then complain about the pimps?? In the last article I read it appeared ALSO that she ABSOLUTELY A) had the chance to imprison this pimp Shane(?) for DAMN NEAR MURDERING TWO women, but INSTEAD served him up a plea bargain on a platter, and B) she exhibited COMPLETE impropriety when she sat as a judge at that hearing due to her personal knowledge of him.
She is a wretched, lying, deluded, despicable, dirty old bag who deserves nothing LESS than to get THROWN off the bench, fined, jailed and additionally penalized. She can go back to pimping out her OWN DAUGHTER, that’d be a better service to this city.
Why don’t you talk to the prosecutor who gave him the plea and is the person who does that, not the Judges. Get your facts straight! Nor did she let her daughter work with pimps!
Get YOUR facts straight. She did allow her daughter to work with pimps. By her own admission she knew Top Notch was run by convicted pimps. She allowed her underage daughter to work there and associate with convicted criminals and dirt bags.
You are reporting half stories.
Answer to Dana’s comment. She never provided the texts she claimed she had. You are very defensive, and there is another side of the story. Bits and pieces of conversations doesn’t mean that was the entire action and/or conversation that took place.
And Aryanne also said in your interview you are the only media she has spoken with. And she never provided texts to local media she said she had, so obvious she was talking to them too!
Absolutely correct, no judge has to accept a plea deal from a prosecutor. They have judicial discretion in those matters. And yes, she should have excused herself immediately when his name showed up on her docket.
Since everyone seems to be going there I thought I would too. Why doesn’t someone question Aryanna on the murder she confessed to in Oakland to Det. Greg Flores and Det. Grimmett.
Her name is not Aryanna and she did not CONFESS to any murder.
Really? You may want to ask detectives about that.
Aryanne Zappia
Oh yes she did!
I have never confessed to a murder considering I have never committed one. I have NEVER partook in the activities of killing another individual nor would I ever.
Why did Lt Karen Hughes anytime a victim came to Vice for help remove the detective assigned and always put Baughman on them? This goes deeper than even Lombardo may know. Nobody questioned it because if they did they would take the heat.
I have the upmost respect for the Judge for doing what she had to do to protect victims.
For what it’s worth, much of what is reported here has been investigated and discarded by other reporters. For instance, Aryanne Zapia alleged bribery almost a year ago and promised text messages to back up the allegations. Suffice to say she never produced them. Responsible journalists corroborate. They don’t regurgitate.
Thank you Dana Gentry and that is why Las Vegas loves you too! Great reporter.
And that is exactly why I will come to you when it is time to come forward! Thank you Dana for having integrity.
So I dont know you but since you are a reporter that wants to report the truth… I can back it up with video evidence and will testify to it all. Why dont you get together with your media reps and ask them why they will not air my video showing the 32-135 window being shot out at 9:49 on 1 Oct 2017 at Route91? Ive contaced every media outlet possible and not one will respond. It is real and legit. Since we are in the times of calling people out.
For what it’s worth, the judge did say she called a suspect’s attorney to launch a threat, then kicked in suspect’s door to his home. Audio of the judge saying this is posted. Straight from Tobiasson’s mouth, regurgitated and direct. What more is needed? Sometimes regurgitation is the best way to corroborate. The judge also said, “We probably don’t want to report that.” So, do you think that maybe sounds like she wanted the story to get out in a manner that makes her sound as credible as possible? Melanie (lets leave my bad behavior out) Tobiasson. Interesting the judge wants to edit her own tales of misdeeds. Dana, why would you attempt to call out someone for attempting to tell the whole story? It’s more than you have done. Doug provides more back up than you do.
Dana will get her story right out of the mouth of victims. She is a honorable reporter and also a trusted member of the media. The string of victims are waiting to see if the DOJ or US Atty does anything first before it is played out in the media. As far as the Judge and what she did to stop corruption or not do we stand behind her.
None of this would have happened had cops not went bad along with Deputy DA Mercer. They are the ones who need to be held accountable.
Not to mention, Sydney and Neo are dead. They were murdered. They need someone to come forward that has information. Victims also want that. All this other stuff means nothing if the family of Sydney and Neo don’t get justice, but has a tendency to scare away any potential witness who may have information. The people who are responsible for this murder will continue to run the streets and that puts others at risk. Attacking Judge Melanie is despicable because all she was doing is attempting to stop the corruption and protect people’s children along with her own child from being lured into prostitution if it continued the way it was going. Once these victims get lured into it alot of times there is no turning back. Time is the essence. Unfortunately, the bad cops made it harder for victims to ask for help and it is out on the streets about Baughman and the “few” officers who went bad.
Hey Sheriff Lombardo and DA Wolfson,
Why don’t you clean up your Department and DA’s office instead of concerning yourself with what Judge Melanie or anybody else is doing on their own time. And why would you even allow the officers that were involved to stay on the Department and make the good cops have to suffer with their cases putting up with BS created from bad cops including the Homicide Division who’s job just got harder due to the crap the bad ones created. And DA Wolfson why is Deputy DA Mercer still working for your office?
What you all dont know is that I lost my sister to sex trafficking and my mother too, who later died because of it all. I was getting phone calls from SDPD sex crimes while I was active duty, because my sister was beaten by her pimp. Guess where they were operating out of? San Diego to Las Vegas, so this is alot deeper for me than just inserting myself into things that arent my business. It is my business now, you all made it my business. Route91 brought me here, sex trafficking destroyed my family, and it also created me. I’ll be damned, if I dont stand up so other families dont have to go thru it. So you all need to unscrew yourselves and put a stop to this garbage.
Roger,
Sorry about your sister and mother. People don’t understand until it hits home or to close to home. That’s what Judge Melanie was trying to do put a stop to it when a few politicians didn’t like her calling BS on the bad cops who went to the dark side that were ignoring her concerns. Ever since she has gotten nothing but BS, but nobody is backing down.
Judge Melanie is a good person and a good mother who was protecting her daughter along with other people’s kids. It took a lot of courage to call out BS. Had the few bad cops not went to the dark side we wouldn’t even be having this conversation.
This story goes a lot deeper than people are aware. And why would Detective A. Beas show up in Judge Melanie’s office? He was also part of the bad cop scenario that went on.
While there are plenty of people who support the judge in her meddling, know that there are just as many people who support her removal from the bench.
Yep, Judge Melanie has a whole lot of support.
Mr. Doug Poppa,
Oh how I would love to speak with you, but people do not want their names thrown out to the public where they put their families and loved ones in danger. I respect George Knapp for not just throwing things out in the media that could endanger people,or their families or defam any person/entity without due process. Everyone knows George Knapp has integrity and doesn’t just throw stories out there to hurt people without having all the facts from all sides. He is a very trusted member of the media and is a damn good reporter. And has always been compassionate about victims. I can rest assure you George is compassionate towards victims and wrong doings and keeping the confidentiality of people when asked too! In all due respect, you have a few things wrong, and there is more to the story than mabey you have received coming from more than one side. Some things you do have right, but some you don’t have the whole story. This problem started long before Judge Melanie spoke out. She just helped to bring a few things to light!
PS.. What happens in Vegas, doesn’t stay in Vegas. Possibly in Washington by now.
Stop using an alias and identify yourself and go on the record if you are going to make accusations.
I wish people had the courage to stand up for the right reasons, not be afraid, and speak up. Being afraid, is exactly why this stuff goes on. Screw fear. The only thing in life we are guaranteed is death. I dont have a death wish per se, but not going to cower either. If more people stood up to right these wrongs when we see it, then maybe the bad guys would get the memo, that the good guys arent going to take their shit anymore. Either straighten up, or go to prison.
You’re right a person has to use a alias because of retaliation against anyone who speaks out. Just like we have seen when Judge Melanie spoke out against wrong doings. The first thing that the Sheriff and DA did was to have a secret meeting to ruin her. When in fact she stood up to what is wrong with the system. Thank God Judge Bonaventure didn’t buy the BS. Secondly, the group of people in Vice that went bad should have been indicted, period! That hasn’t happened to date. And why a few of them are still officers with LVMPD is beyond anyone’s comprehension. They all should have been terminated and indicted including the DA who assisted in sending people to prison for life and conspiring with Baughman. The FBI investigated and they then supposedly turn the file over to the US Attorney’s office. As of date, its been quite. This all started when Sheriff Gillespie was Sheriff. Lombardo just got stuck cleaning up the mess. Why everyone involved wasn’t termininated is a good question for Lombardo, but good luck getting him to answer to that since bad cops created a big liability for LVMPD. A lot of people including officers were questioned by the FBI and Kevin was the contact person. We found Kevin very credible and professional in our interviews. We believe there was NO bad intent with Kevin or Judge Melanie. And because a few of these officers were not terminated nobody trust LVMPD when it comes to this situation. The victims lives have been turned upside down and everyone is pointing the fingers at the wrong people instead of holding the DA and Sheriff accountable for why people haven’t been terminated and asking the US Atty why this case hasn’t went forward. Everything else that has happened in between has only been the fallout from bad cops to begin with.
And…if the US Atty. decides to move forward with prosecuting the people that should be brought up on charges people will talk to them. Nobody has made contact as of this date.
I applaud you for keeping it out in the public so please don’t get me wrong. But you would be more effective getting the US Attorney or DOJ to push forward on all this. The same officers involved with all of it that are still working for LVMPD also still have contact with the ones who are no longer with LVMPD. Why would anyone including victims, and there are a string of victims who haven’t been mentioned, ever trust LVMPD to go forward when the people running LVMPD have allowed officers involved to stay on the force, they wouldn’t and don’t!!!!!
We believe there is a high probability the Land case would be solved if the US Atty. and/or DOJ got to the bottom of all this and took over. Nothing personal towards the Homicide Detective who has the case, but he is having to put up with the fallout of the BS created from bad cops that were in Vice. It sickens everyone that hasn’t happened.
It comes across to me as someone from the outside, looking in that you may either be a police officer or a reporter, since you have done “interviews”, according to your statement. Why haven’t you contacted the DA or DOJ?
It seems everyone is waiting on someone else to do it for them. The only way to bring this all to light, in my opinion is by people coming out of the shadows, speaking up, and going on the record.
If enough people do it, instead of being afraid of retaliation, then they will be forced publically to take notice. Im pretty sure they are all reading this already, and the retaliation surrounding it is only worse, because its not being put out for everyone to see. Hiding in the shadows, gets more of the same. Bring the figure out into daylight so everyone can see them and know where they stand, and noone else gets mugged alone in the dark. That takes real courage.
There needs to be a very vocal protest with the media, to force Lombardo to respond or step down. Obviously, this is going down on his watch and unacceptable.
There is no way anybody would go to the DA that knows anything. First of all, DA Wolfson did nothing about Deputy DA Mercer and her unethical behavior as a prosecutor in the case of Ocean Fleming who is now getting a earlier release due to the corruption. Secondly, Lombardo and DA Wolfson had a “secret” meeting regarding Judge Melanie in an attempt to ruin her for speaking out, and that’s wrong!! Thank God Judge Bonvenature didn’t allow it! We all know Judge Bovenauture needs to stay on the bench now and he is a honest man. Lombardo was pissed Judge Melanie spoke out against corruption going on! That’s what it comes down too! And good for her for doing so, that took a lot of courage. The US Attorney and DOJ is well aware of what has went on. Why Lombardo allowed certain people involved to stay on the Department when he shouldn’t have only he can answer that.
And…why is Deputy DA Mercer still employed at the District Attorney’s office? Reassignment of duties isn’t good enough. She was part of the corruption in the Judicial system. And I’m sure Ocean Fleming signed a confidentially agreement along with his early release. And if he didn’t he should file a bar complaint when he gets out against Deputy DA Mercer and make her have to answer for her part. Why are the officers that were involved still employed at LVMPD and were only reassigned, not acceptable! Why did Lombardo and DA Wolfson not use proper procedures in regard to going to Judge Bonaventure regarding Judge Melanie? And why did Lombardo go to lengths to make Judge Melanie look bad and shut her up when in fact she was calling out corruption? Why did Lombardo put Intel on Judge Melanie, but never on his own officers who are still employed? And if Molly Mall in fact was involved in illegal activities why hasn’t his properties been seized or is it Molly Mall could blow the lid off LVMPD and shed some light? They sure had no problem seizing other pimps assets.
Thanks for telling the truth. They are just as guilty in the media because tourism is more important to them than the truth and the damage to others lives. But what dud we expect when a casino mogul owns one of the media outlets and it effects his other business, and then MGMRI controlling the rest of the media. Its all corrupted.
It appears that whoever controls the LVMPD, also controls the local FBI office. Follow the money.