Abigail Goldman

Story Archive

There’s gold in them thar groins!: Las Vegas-based Fresh Balls is tackling that pesky problem of male freshness; Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2010; Las Vegas company tackles the important issue of male freshness.
Hometown tourist: What a Vegas local saw when she boarded the bus; Thursday, Jan. 14, 2010; What a Vegas local saw when she boarded the bus.
Not who you think: That’s the conclusion of a new study about Adult Expo attendees: Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2010; But for the past two years, UNLV sociologists have studied and surveyed the porn-convention crowd. In late December, they published their results.
Angel of death: Michael Lane presented himself as a spiritual healer, but to Ginger Candela, he was anything but.; Thursday, Jan. 7, 2010; Allegedly a con man and sex obsessive, Michael Lane presented himself as a spiritual healer. But to Ginger Candela, he was an Angel of Death.
You gonna pay for that?: Police can now charge inmates for any damage incurred at the North Las Vegas jail; Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2009; Police can now charge inmates for any damage incurred at the North Las Vegas jail.
March of the red umbrellas: On the scene as sex workers take to the Strip; Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2009; Abigail Goldman on the scene as sex workers take to the Strip.
Going after ill-gotten gains: If you fancy the notion of cheating a casino, Control Board agent fancies arresting you; Friday, Dec. 11, 2009; It was warm inside, and James Taylor apologized before taking off his suit jacket, folding it next to the lectern and turning back to reveal a heavy holster at the waist of his white dress shirt.
Was a foiled bank heist a cry for help?: Bizarre acts are nothing new for main suspect in robbery attempt; Saturday, Nov. 28, 2009; It wasn’t a secret that Eric Griffin planned to enter a Wells Fargo Bank and demand access to the vault. One day before Griffin and four accomplices did just that — walked into a Henderson branch claiming a fake federal search warrant gave them authority to seize the vault’s contents — Griffin filed a document in federal court announcing his plan.
Sheriff staring down some stark financial reality: City Councilman Steve Wolfson says tax projections dismal, deeper cuts might be needed; Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2009; Metro Sheriff Doug Gillespie is denying himself a raise again this year. And, again, that small cut is hardly enough. For the second year in a row, Gillespie wants Metro to present a “zero-growth” budget — he doesn’t want the department to spend any more during the next fiscal year than was budgeted for this year: $549 million.
Man locked out of work by prison of his past: Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2009; The Nevada Board of Pardons has been told that Conan Pope must prove himself before his voluntary manslaughter charge is pardoned. But Pope can’t prove himself, really, if he can’t get a job. And he can’t get a good job unless he gets pardoned — unless he no longer has to tell potential employers about how, at age 15, he killed his dad.
Inventive Henderson robbery scheme falls flat: Monday, Nov. 16, 2009; Five men are being charged with a bank robbery scheme that was, if not successful, at least inventive. Rather than bust into a Wells Fargo in Henderson with guns drawn, authorities allege a team of men walked into the bank armed with a fake federal search warrant — a document they claimed gave them the authority to seize all the money in the bank’s vault.
On busy road, memorial sprouts for friendly horse: Checkers’ admirers — and her owner — mourn her passing; Monday, Nov. 16, 2009; The Stop N Go sold Icees — slushed cherry, frosted cola. After school, when the urge came, Stacy McNamara rode Checkers, her brown-dapple appaloosa, two miles from her house to the minimart at Eastern and Russell.
Flagged by Interpol, brought down by the EPA: Environmental agency gets tough, lists fugitives from its justice, FBI-style; Sunday, Nov. 15, 2009; Joseph O’Connor was an Irish man with a Nevada business wanted by Interpol for selling ships to drug traffickers out of Spain. So of all the things a guy like O’Connor probably figures he could go down for, polluting must have been a surprise. And yet, in late October, O’Connor found himself in federal court, pleading guilty to environmental crimes.
Elderly, a bit senile, visiting Vegas — man was perfect fraud victim: Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2009; Wilson Smith met a nice woman in Las Vegas. They spent two days together, it seems, before Smith, in town for only a short visit, headed to a high school reunion and then back home to California — and his new friend started calling.
As economy falters, employee theft on the rise: Friday, Nov. 6, 2009; Robert Frimet is a self-proclaimed fraud expert, a businessman who audits other companies’ books, gives lectures on recognizing employee theft, and sits as a civilian member on the Nevada Fight Fraud Task Force.
Their valuables gone, like their ladies of the night: More than $2 million is likely be stolen in ’09 in ‘trick rolls’ in which a prostitute robs a client; Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2009; People in the company of Clark County prostitutes collectively reported having $1.4 million in cash and goods stolen from them during the first nine months of this year — dupes of a larceny genre better known to police as the “trick roll.” By year’s end, it’s estimated the total reported losses will exceed $2 million — almost double last year’s total, and probably a fraction of the real amount. How many people file police reports, after all, when their prostitutes disappoint?
Should the jury know that he was acquitted of murder?: Accused of killing his wife, one man's trial may hinge on the death of a previous spouse; Sunday, Nov. 1, 2009; Thomas Randolph was nonchalant for a handcuffed man charged with murder, again. "Nice to see you!” he said, shuffling into Utah Judge Rodney Page’s courtroom. Randolph was being extradited to Las Vegas, where police blame him for two homicides — of his wife, and the guy he persuaded to kill her. Page presided over Randolph’s past murder trial, in 1989, when he was accused of killing a previous wife.
Web site aims to settle legal disputes away from public eye: Friday, Oct. 30, 2009; It’s a new courtroom, like any other: There’s a jury box and deliberation room, a bailiff and a clerk, a place for witnesses to testify and attorneys to argue.
Regulation in need of a checkup: Public missteps, sluggish response to complaints, crises continue to bring criticism on Nevada’s medical board; Sunday, Oct. 25, 2009; The Nevada State Board of Medical Examiners is required by law to protect patients. But critics — doctors and lawmakers among them — say the board is hampered by conflicts of interest, lacks the will to discipline physicians and is accountable to no one.
Black Book, Vegas’ bad guys aren’t what they used to be: Sunday, Oct. 11, 2009; The list of people banned from Nevada casinos includes 21 names added between 1990 and 2000 — all men, most with alleged mob connections, many with monikers: The Fixer, Moose, Dicky Boy, The Pope. In the near decade that has followed, however, between 2001 and today, the Gaming Control Board added a mere seven names to the list — men who, with one exception, were all casino cheats, crooks more likely to use aliases than earn nicknames.
Metro uses scare tactic on careless parents: Officers point to sex offender stats when they find a child left in a car; Thursday, Oct. 8, 2009; Metro Police investigate enough cases of children left in hot cars to have the process down pat — it’s your basic grim abuse and neglect assessment, except for one step:
Who’s behind the jabs at local TV news anchor Nina Radetich: Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2009; The “NINA LIES” signs came down quickly. What won’t be cleaned up by highway crews, however, is a Web site launched last week: ninaradetich.com. Enter that Internet address and you’re directed to the Wikipedia page on journalism ethics and standards — a caustic poke at KTNV-TV, Channel 13’s Nina Radetich.
Making sense of the county’s tragic month of murder-suicides: Data on phenomenon is thin, but factors are well-known; Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2009; September has seen three murder-suicides in Clark County, and two homicides with failed suicides — a rash almost anybody would agree is unusual. In a town that has averaged about six murder-suicides a year since 2003, according to Metro Police, there is no definitive answer to why detectives would suddenly find themselves investigating five such cases in the space of 19 days.
Jack Finn resigns from NV Energy position: Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2009; Jack Finn resigned as special projects manager at NV Energy last week. The Sept. 21 resignation follows a series of Las Vegas Sun articles about Finn's girlfriend, KTNV-TV, Channel 13 anchor Nina Radetich. Prior to working at NV Energy, Finn was a spokesman for Sen. John Ensign and former Gov. Kenny Guinn.
Christopher Gandy, president of the International Association of Financial Crimes Investigators' Nevada chapter: Thursday, Sept. 24, 2009; Christopher Gandy shudders when he thinks of how easily people become victims of financial crime. The former North Las Vegas police detective is president of the Nevada chapter of the International Association of Financial Crimes Investigators.
Inside look to stir critics of gun shows — and laws: Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2009; Readers of the recently released report “Inside Gun Shows: What Goes on When Everybody Thinks Nobody’s Looking” will likely fall into two main camps:
State sells a key piece of evidence in Tire Works fraud sting: Gone: Car at center of lawsuit against Tire Works shops; Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2009; The undercover agent was a 2000 Chevy Malibu pulled from the Nevada state motor pool — a dark blue decoy car investigators from the state’s Consumer Affairs Division said was in tip-top shape when they dropped it off at three Tire Works auto repair locations in November. TV cameras were not rolling, however, when the Malibu was sold at auction in April.
Wrestling demons of abuse: Rape Crisis Center helps inmates become survivors; Sunday, Sept. 13, 2009; Female inmates routinely report high rates of rape or childhood sexual abuse before incarceration — depending on what research you read, from 40 to 80 percent of imprisoned women report histories of sexual assault, percentages that greatly exceed those reported by women who aren’t behind bars.
News anchor’s ‘heads up’ called judgment lapse: In recorded calls, broadcaster offers aid to target of stories; Saturday, Sept. 12, 2009; In March, KTNV-TV, Channel 13 news aired a series of undercover exposes on a local auto repair chain. Before it aired, recorded phone calls obtained by the Sun reveal anchor Nina Radetich told the owner her boyfriend could help the company handle media relations to counter the negative coverage.
Former Mrs. Nevada Juliette Kimoto accused in scam: Authorities say her husband also scammed nearly 300,000 people; Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2009; Juliette Kimoto was crowned Mrs. Nevada in 2006. Her spouse, Kyle, also took home an award: Husband of the Year. They were a happy, church-going couple with six kids. They were also a couple in deep trouble with the law, and falling deeper by fathoms.
Silence a frustrating enemy of justice: Witnesses of gang-related violence reluctant to speak; Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2009; Teenagers poured off the bus that afternoon. Afterward, from their hospital beds, shooting victims estimated 50 people were standing at the school bus stop when someone shouted “gun!” Six people were hit. Four were high school students.
Elisabeth Daniels, Nevada Fight Fraud Task Force chairwoman: Monday, Aug. 31, 2009; Elisabeth Daniels has spoken at foreclosure seminars for groups of 600.
Doctor who hosted party faces charges: Minors were drinking, and two of them left house in a car, police report says; Monday, Aug. 31, 2009; A well-known Nevada doctor has been charged with contributing to the delinquency of two minors who were allegedly provided alcohol at his home.
If model’s killing has a familiar ring to it ...: Maybe it’s because you saw similarly grim details on ‘CSI’ or ‘Law and Order’; Friday, Aug. 28, 2009; Here’s the script synopsis: A woman is found dead in a suitcase, her fingers and teeth removed, leaving investigators to identity her by breast implant serial number. If the early August murder of Las Vegas resident Jasmine Fiore reads like a prime-time plot, it’s in part because her mutilation seems like the work of someone worried about fingerprints, dental records and bite marks, the kind of evidence TV investigators collect nightly for audiences of millions.
DMV making identity thieves’ faces their own worst enemies: Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2009; Armed investigators wearing brass badges at the Department of Motor Vehicles building on West Flamingo Road scan the thousands of driver’s license photos Nevadans smile for every day, looking for fraud. Every week, with help from a computerized facial recognition program, they catch dozens of people attempting to get licenses in someone else’s name.
Don’t pay disposal fee on old AC compressor units: Saturday, Aug. 22, 2009; In August Clark County residents can’t afford to ignore air-conditioning repairs, no matter what they cost -- even when local air-conditioning repair companies are collecting fees to specially dispose of one critical component for which Nevada has no such disposal regulation.
Metro sees dramatic rise in heroin seizures: Experts: Young people are switching from pills for cheaper fix; Monday, Aug. 17, 2009; Metro Police have seized 75 percent more heroin this year than they did in the same period of last year.
Metro to mini-marts: Together we can kick crime: Pilot program stresses partnership, small changes at stores; Friday, Aug. 14, 2009; The start of Metro’s five-year robbery research and prevention project was, at least on the surface, pretty unremarkable: About 20 convenience store owners and employees were sitting in a room for two hours with police specialists, listening to a lecture.
Unusual deaths have clear King: What grips most of us fascinates coroners at Vegas convention; Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2009; Brian Elias finished his slide-show presentation on people asphyxiating in palm trees and was moving onto another segment of his “Death in Unusual Locations” lecture when the Los Angeles County coroner’s investigator had to cut the talk short.
Metro lieutenant suspended with pay during investigation: Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2009; Metro Lt. Robert Sebby has been placed on administrative leave pending an internal affairs investigation. Assistant Sheriff Ray Flynn, who oversees Internal Affairs, would not comment further on the pending investigation.
Facing possible life sentence, troubles worsen for alleged pimp: Saturday, Aug. 8, 2009; Things are not getting any better for Derrick Avery. Two days after Avery was the subject of a Sun article examining Avery’s insistence he’s not a pimp despite years of appearing in documentaries and TV shows as “Pimp Snooky,” authorities filed a criminal complaint against him federal court accusing Avery of beating prostitutes and transporting minors across state lines to sell sex.
Once rock-solid child abuse signs now uncertain: Friday, Aug. 7, 2009; Audrey Edmunds was charged with murdering an infant in her Wisconsin day care center in 1995. At trial, medical experts testified the child’s injuries were pathognomonic — meaning exclusively characteristic — of shaken baby syndrome: retinal bleeding, brain bleeding and brain swelling, conditions sometimes called “the triad.”
Taking money out of their own graves: Nevadans down on their luck are selling what they don’t immediately need: Burial plots; Thursday, Aug. 6, 2009; This real estate calls for careful advertising: “Prestigious and matured garden,” “near water feature and tree,” “includes vault and headstone.” In Clark County and across the country, a tough economy is prompting people to sell burial plots intended for later use or inherited from family. The plots have been stacking up in Internet classifieds (those quotes were taken from Las Vegas Craigslist postings) and on Web sites where online brokers keep databases of plots for sale by owner, a multiple listing service for cemeteries.
The pimp: Was it a role or was it a reality?: Man accused of attempted pandering offers a novel defense: My persona is so outlandish, the whole thing has to be an act; Saturday, Aug. 1, 2009; Snooky first appears in the 1999 documentary “Pimps Up, Ho’s Down” walking and wearing a neon blue three-piece suit and carrying a white handkerchief that he regularly dabs his mouth with, calling attention to a golden ring that spans three fingers on his left hand: A statuette of a king at least four inches tall, with two women kneeling on each side, one kept on collar and chain.
The afterlife of Clark County’s poor: Unmarked crypts, grave sites in valley hold their remains; Friday, July 24, 2009; The number of Clark County residents who died too poor to pay for their own burials or cremations jumped by 22 percent in the past fiscal year — unprecedented growth that county officials say is yet another sign of the economic times.
Clark County’s Social Service Department covers burial and cremation expenses of the indigent.
Newest Taser wants to be your Web friend: Company gives weapon a personality, accounts on Facebook, Twitter to attract young customers; Wednesday, July 22, 2009; After a week of endurance tests and press briefings, the Taser X3 decided to spend the Fourth of July in Mexico. The stun gun announced the decision to friends on Facebook with a blurb and photo: the black Taser X3 trademark superimposed on a beach chair — a logo, lounging. This Taser is not just another weapon catching up with friends on social networking sites, however. The new X3 model is to be officially unveiled to the world in one week. The chummy electronic control device is a mixed marketing and public relations stunt.
No cell phone bars behind bars: Officials can’t keep all cell phones from inmates, so they want to be allowed to jam signals instead; Monday, July 20, 2009; Inmate Jody Thompson struck up a romantic relationship with a prison dental assistant, who in turn gave him a token of her love — a cell phone. Two weeks later, Thompson used that smuggled cell phone in his escape from the state prison in Carson City. It was three months, two robberies and a few high speed chases later before he was back behind bars.
Mortgage fraud is expected to escalate: FBI report predicts more cases this year, warns of abuse of recovery money; Friday, July 17, 2009; The FBI’s 2008 Mortgage Fraud Report is not this summer’s feel-good beach read.
Six questions for Lu Torres: Thursday, July 16, 2009; The ribbon-cutting for the Rape Crisis Center’s Signs of Hope Counseling Services office was July 1. The appointment calendar began filling up the next day.
'Fabulous' once again, and no need for surveillance cameras: Wednesday, July 15, 2009; By Tuesday morning, the icon was restored. Well, sort of. As it turns out, the red ink that vandals used to tag the Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign had seeped into hairline cracks in the sign’s translucent Plexiglas backing, so that even after a good wipe, a red smear remained, Clark County public works spokesman Russell Davis said.