LAS VEGAS, Nev. (KOLO) – A Nevada man has been convicted of defrauding three banks of more than $11 million worth of COVID-19 pandemic relief funds.

30-year-old Meelad Dezfooli of Henderson was convicted of engaging in a scheme to submit fraudulent loan applications under the PPP.

The court found that Dezfooli submitted three fraudulent PPP loan applications to federally insured banks, supposedly to benefit companies he controlled. Evidence showed that Dezfooli falsely represented certain material information in those applications, including information about payroll, employees, and use of loan proceeds.

After obtaining the $11.2 million, Dezfooli then laundered and/or spent the money by doing things like buying around 25 residences and two luxury cars, funding a personal investment account, and gambling extensively. The DOJ says after being originally charged, Dezfooli continued to launder criminal proceeds by selling five of the twenty-five residences.

Dezfooli was convicted of three counts of bank fraud, three counts of money laundering, and four counts of engaging in monetary transactions in criminally derived property.

He will be sentenced on Dec. 5 and faces a maximum of 30 years in prison on each of the bank fraud counts, 20 years for each of the money laundering counts, and 10 years for each of the counts of engaging in monetary transactions in criminally derived property.

Copyright 2024 KOLO. All rights reserved.

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Nevada Supreme Court on Thursday ended a defamation lawsuit brought by casino mogul Steve Wynn against The Associated Press in 2018, rejecting his bid for a jury to hear his claim that he was defamed by an AP story about two women who alleged Wynn committed sexual misconduct.

The seven-member court upheld a February ruling by a three-judge panel that cited the state’s anti-SLAPP law, or “strategic lawsuits against public participation, that blocks lawsuits filed to intimidate or silence critics.

That ruling said anti-SLAPP statutes “were designed to limit precisely the type of claim at issue here, which involves a news organization publishing an article in a good faith effort to inform their readers regarding an issue of clear public interest.”

In what the unanimous full court said was an effort to clarify the law, Justice Ron Parraguirre wrote that Wynn, as a public figure, needed to show “clear and convincing evidence to reasonably infer that the publication was made with actual malice.”

“The public had an interest in understanding the history of misconduct alleged to have been committed by one of the most recognized figures in Nevada,” the opinion said, “and the article directly relates to that interest.”

Attorneys who represent Wynn personally and those who handled the case did not respond to email and telephone messages seeking comment.

“The Associated Press is very pleased with the Nevada Supreme Court’s decision,” Lauren Easton, AP vice president of corporate communications, said in a statement.

The AP plans to seek reimbursement for legal costs through a lower court.

Dominic Gentile, a veteran Nevada lawyer well-known for his work in First Amendment law, said the ruling “will make it even more difficult for a public figure to bring an action over expressive conduct.”

“In most cases, the standard is ‘a preponderance of evidence’ that a lawsuit is being brought to stifle speech,” he said. “This case has taken that and raised the bar for someone who is a public figure to not get thrown out of court.”

Gentile has been an attorney in the state since 1979 and has taught at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Boyd School of Law. Malice, he said, means “you know it’s false or you didn’t do enough to determine that it was.”

Wynn, now 82 and living in Florida, is the billionaire developer of a luxury casino empire in the U.S. and the Chinese gambling enclave of Macao. He has consistently denied sexual misconduct allegations, which were first reported in January 2018 by the Wall Street Journal.

He resigned as CEO of Wynn Resorts Ltd. after the reports became public, divested company shares and quit the corporate board. Last year, he cut ties to the industry he helped shape in Las Vegas, agreeing with Nevada gambling regulators to pay a $10 million fine, with no admission of wrongdoing.

In a flurry of settlements in 2019, the Nevada Gaming Commission fined Wynn’s former company a record $20 million for failing to investigate claims of sexual misconduct made against him before he resigned. Massachusetts gambling regulators fined the company and a top executive $35.5 million for failing to disclose while applying for a license for a Boston-area resort that there had been sexual misconduct allegations against Wynn.

Wynn Resorts agreed in November 2019 to accept $20 million in damages from Wynn and $21 million more from insurance carriers on behalf of current and former employees of Wynn Resorts to settle shareholder lawsuits accusing company directors of failing to disclose misconduct allegations.

Those agreements also included no admission of wrongdoing.

Wynn filed his defamation lawsuit in April 2018 against AP, one of its reporters and one of the women, Halina Kuta. Kuta filed claims to police that Wynn raped her in the 1970s in Chicago and that she gave birth to their daughter in a gas station restroom.

Neither accuser was identified in the AP report. Their names and other identifying information were blacked out in documents obtained by AP under a public records request. Las Vegas police refused to provide additional details and said too much time had elapsed since Kuta said the events occurred in 1973 or 1974. No charges were ever filed against Wynn.

The AP typically does not publish names of people who say they are victims of sexual assault, but Kuta agreed to be named in later news reports.

Wynn attorneys argued that the article, which cited police documents, failed to fully describe elements of Kuta’s account that would have cast doubt on her allegation.

A trial court judge later ruled that Kuta defamed Wynn with her claims, which the judge termed “totally fanciful,” and awarded Wynn a nominal $1 in damages.

Copyright 2024 Associated Press. All rights reserved.

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – Nevada State University opened 22 years ago with just 144 students. Last week, they welcomed 7,200 students. In 20 years, they expected to serve 20,000. Plans are being made now to prepare for that massive growth.

A map showing the projected growth over the next couple decades, showing a lot of building around the current school, from the new “University Area Livable Centers Study,” was shared with the Henderson City Council this week.

“It is the city of Henderson’s vision that has continued to propel us forward,” contended Nevada State University President Dr. Derionne Pollard. Dr. Pollard thanking the council this week for acting now to address the schools future needs.

“Our faculty, our students, and our neighbors will have dedicated spaces to live, work, play and thrive,” Dr. Pollard explained.

The City of Henderson, RTC, and the school are all coming together to strategize for future growth of the college area, the heart of Southeast Henderson.

About 1,000 people on campus and in the general area responded to a survey on what they’d like to see happen with more than 450 acres of vacant land. The big goal: a more walkable, bikeable, connected community.

FOX5 went to the campus and asked students who live in student housing what they would like to see.

“Being that it is so like desert-y there are not a lot of shops around like very close to school it would be very nice if there were more…The closest thing is our student cafe…There is nothing in walking distance,” shared LeAsha Bryant, a freshman in the pre-nursing program.

Students agree the roadmap for future development needs to include a much shorter drive to get food.

“Fast food is 15-20 minutes away… To be able to get to the closest store, I’ve got to drive about 15 minutes so it is a bit of a hassle especially on gas,” described Adrianne Almaraz, a sophomore studying English.

There has been push back against development in the general area before. Back in 2022, FOX5 told you about a proposal to open a road between the school and the Mission Hills neighborhood. Neighbors there, especially those with horses, fought against opening the road and more traffic. The road remains blocked off.

The school will hold an event next month on plans for its growth and the growth of the area. Here is what they’ve shared:

We are excited to announce our Nevada State SMART Growth Launch Event that will take place on Thursday, October 24th at 9am.

With more than 450 acres of vacant land in southeast Henderson, Nevada State is poised for transformative development that will enrich our campus, the university community, and the entire state. Our ambitious plan aims to leverage innovative collaborations with the private sector to construct state-of-the-art buildings and other facilities that will support the next generation of Nevada educators, health care professionals, scientists, and other critical workforce roles.

Come join developers, investors, and regional stakeholders for an insightful look at Nevada State and our vision for the future.

RSVP here: https://lnkd.in/gfH7J7pH

hashtag#NSUSMARTGrowth hashtag#HigherEducation hashtag#WorkforceDevelopment

Copyright 2024 KVVU. All rights reserved.