Nevada GOP stategist pleads not guilty in legislative extortion case

Longtime Nevada Republican activist Tony Dane pleaded not guilty in District Court Friday to 11 felony charges in an alleged legislative extortion scheme.

District Judge Michael Villani set a March 13 trial date for Dane, who is free on $42,000 bail.

Dane, a conservative political strategist and anti-tax advocate, faces charges of extortion, illegal wiretapping, perjury and filing a false document. He entered his plea through a video hookup from Virginia where he now lives.

His Clark County indictment last month alleged that he was behind a scheme from December 2014 to January 2015 to pressure Assemblyman Chris Edwards, R-Las Vegas, to change his vote for speaker of the Republican-controlled Assembly.

Dane used his robocalling business to wiretap phone conversations during that period between Edwards and four Republican assemblymen from the Las Vegas area — John Hambrick, Paul Anderson, Derek Armstrong and Stephen Silberkraus — and their constituents, the indictment alleged.

The indictment also accused Dane of submitting a finance report to the Nevada secretary of state’s office that falsely claimed he had received $245,000 in contributions in 2014 for his CRC Political Action Committee.

His efforts were designed to get Elko Republican Assemblyman John Ellison installed as speaker, but Edwards’ choice, Hambrick, was elected in February 2015 after a contentious caucus fight, according to authorities.

The investigation began in December 2014 after Edwards reported the pressure to change his Assembly speaker vote to police.

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