CORRECTION -- 10/28/06 -- Due to an editing error, a clarification in Friday's Review-Journal incorrectly attributed information. The fact that Chrissy Mazzeo is the complainant in a pending domestic battery case stemming from an incident in Laughlin should not have been attributed to a lawyer for Mazzeo, who has accused Rep. Jim Gibbons of assault.
CLARIFICATION -- 10/27/06 -- A Review-Journal report Wednesday characterized as untrue Chrissy Mazzeo's answer to a question about whether something similar to the attack she accuses Rep. Jim Gibbons of carrying out against her Oct. 13 had befallen her in the past.
When Mazzeo was asked by a reporter, “Has anything like this ever happened to you before?” she answered, “Thank God, no.” The reporter asked, “Have you ever pressed charges and dropped them before?” Mazzeo answered, “No, never, never.”
A lawyer for Mazzeo said Thursday that she was referring to never having previously been the victim of attempted sexual assault.
He said Mazzeo, who on Oct. 14 told police she wouldn't press charges against Gibbons, is the alleged victim in a pending domestic battery case stemming from an incident in Laughlin in July.
"There is no doubt that it is a painful experience. Yes, it is going to have an impact on our campaign, and all of us wish that it didn't occur."
JIM GIBBONS
Referring To Chrissy Mazzeo's assault allegation Photo by John Locher.
The Las Vegas cocktail waitress who told police Republican gubernatorial candidate Jim Gibbons assaulted her in a parking garage is scheduled to hold a news conference today to tell her side of the story, according to one of her lawyers.
"She's going to stand up for herself," Las Vegas defense attorney Karen Winckler told the Review-Journal on Tuesday.
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Chrissy Mazzeo called police on Oct. 13 claiming Gibbons had pinned her against the wall of a parking garage and threatened her after she rebuffed his advances over drinks at McCormick & Schmick's restaurant near Paradise and Flamingo roads.
The following day, Mazzeo told police she didn't want to pursue the matter " 'cause of who he is and I just don't want to go up against something like that."
Gibbons has said that after a perfectly decent conversation, he walked Mazzeo to a parking structure where she was trying to find her truck.
Near the garage, she slipped, and he grabbed her arm to prevent her from falling. Mazzeo then stood up, looked at Gibbons and walked away, according to Gibbons, who presented his version of events in a news conference last week.
Winckler indicated Mazzeo plans to reinforce her initial allegations in the news conference, set for 12:30 p.m. today at the law offices of Wright, Judd & Winckler.
"We're basically going to respond to Mr. Gibbons' press conference and the allegations he's made, and Chrissy will take questions," Winckler said. "She will confirm her side."
Gibbons did not take questions at his news conference, although he has subsequently addressed some details of the incident in interviews.
Winckler, a criminal defense attorney who specializes in sexual assault cases, said Mazzeo wasn't looking to file a lawsuit.
"She's not pursuing legal action at this point. That's not even something we've talked about. She just wants this all to go away," Winckler said, adding, "She's a victim. We're not going to be easy on people."
Gibbons' side had no comment Tuesday on the upcoming conference.
"We're reserving comment until we hear what she says tomorrow," campaign manager Robert Uithoven said of Mazzeo.
Gibbons said on Monday that his gubernatorial campaign has suffered a blow as a result of the assault allegation against him, but he believes he will prevail over Democratic candidate Dina Titus.
He told the Reno Gazette-Journal editorial board his campaign has the truth on its side and will be able to overcome the incident.
"There is no doubt that it is a painful experience," Gibbons said. "Yes, it is going to have an impact on our campaign, and all of us wish that it didn't occur."
Gibbons' lawyer, Don Campbell, didn't return a phone call seeking comment late Tuesday. He has hired a private investigator to look into the case.
Winckler is a well-known supporter of Titus. Winckler gave Titus' gubernatorial campaign $1,000 last year, according to financial reports, and attended Titus' primary victory party on Aug. 15.
But Winckler said there was no connection between her support of Titus and her representation of Mazzeo.
Mazzeo came to the firm through partner Richard Wright, Winckler said.
Mazzeo "came to us from a lawyer in California who referred her to Rick," because Wright is a prominent Las Vegas attorney, Winckler said. "It had nothing to do with me. I've had absolutely no contact with Dina Titus' campaign."
Titus' campaign also said there was no tie. Spokeswoman Hilarie Grey said the campaign had had no contact with Mazzeo, her lawyers or any associates of Mazzeo.
"We weren't even aware she was handling it," Grey said of Winckler.
Titus and her campaign have declined to comment on the incident. Grey again declined to comment on the accusations against Gibbons on Tuesday.
"We need to wait and see what's going on with this, but at this time we don't feel it would be appropriate," she said.
Today's news conference will bring the first public statements about the incident from Mazzeo, who despite being the central figure in the biggest story of the gubernatorial campaign has remained largely a mystery.
Mazzeo was known as Chrissy Freteluco when she married Matt P. Mazzeo in Clark County in 1995. She lived in Southern California at the time and eventually moved to Southern Nevada.
According to her bankruptcy filing, Mazzeo started working at Bellagio in January 2003. She stayed there until the end of the year, making a total of $2,960. She claimed $2,234 in unemployment benefits during the same time span, according to the filing.
In 2004, she worked at Bellagio and Mirage, and she started at Wynn Las Vegas in early 2005. At the time of her bankruptcy in August 2005, Mazzeo said she made $614 a month working as a cocktail waitress.
Her income included $1,400 a month from Eric Rockey, who fathered a daughter with Mazzeo in March 2003. It was unclear whether she ever divorced her husband.
Mazzeo's bankruptcy involved more than $110,000 in debt. In her statement to police, Mazzeo said she had battled cancer for 11 years, but only about $8,300 of her debts involved medical expenses.
The rest of the debt included nearly $24,000 in student loans, past due utility bills and a variety of consumer debt. Her consumer debt included $4,200 to Bassett Furniture, $3,075 to Pier 1 Imports and $792 to Victoria's Secret.
Mazzeo is not the Oakland, Calif., actress of the same name.
The Associated Press and the Review-Journal's Brian Haynes contributed to this report.
