Wednesday, March 26, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.
Las Vegas resident Paul Dottore, accused of assisting a former District Court judge in accepting bribes, has been jailed after allegedly plotting the death of a crucial government informant.
Based on sealed reports from two confidential witnesses, U.S. District Judge Lloyd George ordered Tuesday that Dottore be held without bond at the North Las Vegas Detention Center.
Dottore was taken into custody Saturday, following his conviction of stealing about $170,000 from a dead man's bank account. He faces about three years in prison for the bank fraud charges and could receive additional time if convicted in connection with allegations that he accepted bribes on behalf of Judge Gerard Bongiovanni.
The judicial corruption trial is set for April 7.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Johnson alleged that 10 months ago Dottore offered to pay $15,000 to $25,000 for the death of government informant Terry Salem.
The testimony of Salem, a Phoenix resident with a criminal record and ties to organized crime, helped convict Dottore in the bank fraud case and is expected to be used in the upcoming trial.
Johnson alleged that Dottore said there were "a couple rats in the case (who) needed to be poisoned and the case would go away." Ultimately, the hit man decided not to accept the offer, Johnson said.
Dottore's attorney, Jim Erbeck, has argued that Dottore, a former car salesman and casino employee who has not held steady employment for the past few years, would not be able to afford a hit man.
He contended the government was asking that Dottore be held in jail until the second trial to "squeeze" him into testifying against Bongiovanni.
Dottore's wife and daughter share that belief and were angered that the government asked for Dottore's detention months after the alleged threats were made.
"My husband is innocent," Rose Dottore said. "We've believed that from the get-go. My husband has always been a stand-up guy with all of his friends. ... This is mean-spirited."
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