LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — The ringleader of a scheme to take management of Las Vegas householders associations from 2003 to 2009 is among the many 1,499 individuals who had their sentences commuted by President Joe Biden on Thursday.
Leon Benzer, 57, was serving a 188-month jail sentence for one rely of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, 14 counts of wire fraud, two counts of mail fraud, and two counts of tax evasion. He’s listed as assigned to RRM Phoenix — a residential reentry workplace in Maricopa County.
When he was sentenced in Nevada in August 2015, Benzer was ordered to pay about $13.3 million in restitution for his function within the $58.1 million scheme to fraudulently acquire management of condominium HOAs within the Las Vegas space to safe development and different contracts for himself and others. The Justice Division mentioned 42 people have been convicted of crimes in reference to the scheme.
No Nevada residents have been listed among the many 39 individuals who obtained pardons from Biden on Thursday.
“America was built on the promise of possibility and second chances. As President, I have the great privilege of extending mercy to people who have demonstrated remorse and rehabilitation, restoring opportunity for Americans to participate in daily life and contribute to their communities, and taking steps to remove sentencing disparities for non-violent offenders, especially those convicted of drug offenses,” in response to a Biden assertion offered by the White Home.
“That is why, today, I am pardoning 39 people who have shown successful rehabilitation and have shown commitment to making their communities stronger and safer. I am also commuting the sentences of nearly 1,500 people who are serving long prison sentences – many of whom would receive lower sentences if charged under today’s laws, policies, and practices. These commutation recipients, who were placed on home confinement during the COVID pandemic, have successfully reintegrated into their families and communities and have shown that they deserve a second chance,” Biden mentioned.
He indicated he would take extra steps within the week forward as clemency petitions are reviewed.
Benzer was the final to be sentenced in “Operation Mastermind,” the identify give to a multi-agency investigation that began in 2007.
4 targets of the investigation dedicated suicide earlier than trials started.
In keeping with an Aug. 17, 2018, report by 8 Information Now Investigator George Knapp and Matt Adams, “Friday, federal Judge James Mahan heard a sobbing Benzer apologize for his misdeeds and heard an emotional plea on video from Benzer’s struggling wife and children, but prosecutors reminded the court of the thousands of homeowners who were victimized, many of them frail, elderly, and now destitute.” The crimes have been first reported by the 8 Information Now I-Crew.
The report described the HOA takeover scheme as the most important political corruption case in Southern Nevada.
