Chattah announces public corruption task force

LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Sigal Chattah, who is serving as the acting U.S. attorney for Nevada despite a judge's ruling that her appointment was unlawful, announced on Wednesday a new public corruption strike force for Nevada.

The unit — within the U.S. attorney's criminal division — will investigate and prosecute federal crimes, including bribery of public officials, election crimes and related offenses, according to a news release from the U.S. attorney's office.

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"For far too long, public corruption in the state of Nevada has been a scourge on Nevada's residents and business owners," said Chattah in a statement. "Public corruption affects everything from a competitive and untainted business environment with minimal barriers to market entry, labor industries and overall standard of living for Nevadans.

"The Public Corruption Strike Force will ensure that all Federal, State and Municipal agencies coordinate and work together to pool criminal intelligence and data; and ensure the vigorous prosecution of bad actors violating the public's trust. No stone will be left unturned to protect Nevadans from corruption and no public official and/or agency is above the law."

Chattah has hinted in previous interviews of corruption in Nevada, but hasn't listed specific crimes she intends to investigate. Channel 13 has repeatedly requested an in-person interview with her, but she declined and said through a spokeswoman that she'd only answer written questions.

But in one of her first posts on X after he appointment was announced, Chattah mentioned her intent to take on corruption.

Unusual appointment(s)

Chattah was appointed in late March as interim U.S. attorney, a posting that is limited under federal law to 120 days.

The day before her interim appointment was to expire, Chattah resigned, was hired as a special attorney in the Justice Department, was designated as the first assistant U.S. attorney for Nevada, and in that post was appointed as acting U.S. attorney. (The previous first assistant U.S. attorney was promoted.)

Senior federal Judge David Campbell ruled in September that Chattah's appointment was improper and that she couldn't oversee four criminal cases. However, Campbell agreed to pause his ruling while the government appeals to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Campbell cited respect for the separation of powers doctrine as the reason for the delay.

Chattah has never been formally nominated for the U.S. attorney's job, a process that would require Senate confirmation. Both Nevada's Democratic U.S. senators have said they would oppose her nomination.

History of corruption

Southern Nevada has seen its share of corruption scandals in recent years. Three members of the Clark County Commission were convicted of taking bribes from strip-club owners in the infamous Operation G-sting 20 years ago. (A fourth former member was convicted of proffering those bribes.)

Several members of the Nevada Legislature have resigned after improperly taking campaign funds for personal use, including then-Senate Majority Leader Kelvin Atkinson, D-Clark County. His 2019 resignation paved the way for state Sen. Nicole Cannizzaro, D-Clark County, to become the first female majority leader.

In 2018, another campaign fundraising scandal felled former Las Vegas Councilman Ricki Y. Barlow, who served a brief stint in federal prison and later went back to work as a lobbyist at City Hall.

And back in 2011, then-U.S. Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., stepped down after revelations that he'd had an affair with the wife of a top aide, a man who Ensign allegedly set up as a lobbyist despite cooling-off laws.

Focus on 2020

But Chattah tried to launch an investigation of a debunked corruption claim.

In July, she asked the FBI to investigate allegations of election fraud in the 2020 election in Nevada, in which Joe Biden defeated Donald Trump. Republican lawsuits to overturn the election were rejected by courts in Nevada, and evidence supplied to the then-Republican secretary of state was investigated and found to be lacking.

Chattah has also said on X that Las Vegas's recent downturn in tourism was caused by corruption.

She's also criticized the Nevada Legislature for entertaining a proposal to offer Hollywood studios renewable tax credits in order to build facilities and shoot movies in Nevada as potentially corrupt.

Do you have a question about politics in Nevada? Reach out to Steve Sebelius at Steve.Sebelius@ktnv.com.