Indictment: Now-deceased lawyer helped funnel $8M through secret accounts to win HOA contracts
As two lawyers among the latest 11 defendants federally indicted in a massive Nevada homeowner association corruption case pleaded not guilty in a Las Vegas courtroom on Wednesday, a news report described another local attorney, who died last year, as a key figure in the alleged funneling of $8 million through secret bank accounts to win lucrative construction and legal contracts.
Construction defect attorney Nancy Quon was found dead in March 2012 in the bathtub of her Henderson home. Her death was determined by a coroner to have been caused by ingesting drugs and alcohol, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports.
Quon was never charged in the HOA case but had denied wrongdoing in related civil litigation filed before her death.
Previously, 28 other defendants have pleaded guilty in the HOA case, and the federal investigation, which dates back at least to 2008, is reportedly still ongoing. Authorities say the scheme, which victimized at least 11 homeowner associations, involved election-rigging to put desired individuals in the majority on HOA boards, where they allegedly voted to approve lucrative construction, management and legal contracts that favored other participants.
A KTNV story and an earlier Las Vegas Review-Journal article provide additional details about the case.
Related coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “Federal Construction-Defect Probe Looks at Allegedly Rigged HOA Elections at Las Vegas Condo Complex”
ABAJournal.com: “2 Lawyers Targeted in Nev. Homeowner Association Fraud Probe Are Found Dead Within a Week”
