Las Vegas county recorder (Republican!) faces 19 felony counts

[Bluebear]

Clark County Recorder Frances Deane sold 32 years worth of real estate documents for thousands of dollars and used the cash to pay her bills and purchase a plasma television, according to an arrest warrant issued Tuesday.

Deane was charged with 19 felony counts that include misconduct of a public officer, fraudulent appropriation of property, theft and unlawful commissions, personal profit and compensation of public officers, according to a criminal complaint.

On Tuesday afternoon, Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Karen Bennett-Haron set Deane's bail at $20,000, about $37,000 less than the amount prosecutors had requested.

Bennett-Haron gave Deane until Friday to post bail or surrender to authorities.

http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2006/Jun-14-Wed-2006/news/7950698.html

[AnnieBW]

1. What Happens In Vegas

Gets you a plasma TV and arrested. :D

[Bluebear]

3. Good one! nt

[EVDebs]

2. WHY would title co's pay $1.5 M to get these documents ? R ties ?

""According to local title agents, title companies pay $1.5 million to gain access to the information Deane sold.""

Ususally these documents are public documents anyway, you just have to look the info up in person. Why would the title companies do this ? Weird.

[tanyev]

4. At the courthouse I worked at, the co clerk's office was in an exclusive

contract with a service that filmed, scanned, and indexed the documents. Yes, the documents are public, but the company that did all the indexing turned around and sold copies of their film and databases of the indexing. All of the title companies paid $$$$ to buy copies of the film and the databases because the number of documents involved is so enormous.

[EVDebs]

5. Surely that contract was publicly voted on and put out to bid ? nt

[tanyev]

7. Oh, of course, of course.

But this company is like the Halliburton of land records. They are in almost every county in Texas, maybe even the rest of the country, I don't know, and they are the "only ones who have the experience and resources to do a job of this magnitude"...blah, blah, blah. Plus, they retain ownership of their indexing which they allow the county clerk's office to use, who then become completely dependent on it and cannot conceive of how they could break away even if they wanted to. A lot of county clerks get some nice dinners and trips out of their relationships with the company. Sound familiar?

[Gold Metal Flake]

6. When does she get her medal from the decider?

Heckuvajob, Deaney.