DA sends 230 wiretap notices amid Nevada Assembly extortion probe

More than 230 wiretap notices have been mailed to people secretly recorded on wiretaps during the investigation of an alleged attempt to extort Las Vegas Republican Assemblyman Chris Edwards.

A search warrant affidavit last week disclosed that Las Vegas police obtained permission to conduct cellphone wiretaps in January and early February from District Judge Jennifer Togliatti.

The targets of the wiretaps were longtime Republican consultant Tony Dane, Republican Assemblyman Brent Jones of Las Vegas and his political aide, Laurel Fee, according to the affidavit.

Police have been investigating whether there was an extortion attempt aimed at getting Edwards to change his vote for speaker of the Nevada Assembly.

The notices were filed under seal with the county clerk and sent as certified mail by the district attorney’s office. Two of the letters were sent to a Review-Journal reporter who interviewed Jones and others for an article about the investigation.

Roughly eight Assembly Republicans also were informed in letters that they were picked up on wiretaps.

Last week police said they don’t plan to recommend criminal charges against any state lawmakers. They also said being picked up on wiretaps doesn’t necessarily mean someone is a target of the investigation.

Police have been poring over evidence seized in several raids, including one at Dane’s Northern Virginia home in February.

Contact Jeff German at jgerman@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-8135. Find him on Twitter: @JGermanRJ