Former Las Vegas police sergeant sentenced to prison, sex offender registry

Former Metropolitan Police Department Sgt. Kevin Menon once dreamed of leading his own squad, he told the judge who would sentence him to prison for sex crimes and professional misconduct.

As a sergeant, he said, his duty was “to mold and teach officers.”

But “that dream is over,” he said. “My career is in ruins, my officers gone, my brothers and sisters on the department, my friends, abandoned me. I wanted to protect the community, to stand for something righteous and worthy, to protect them and my brothers from what is evil and wrong in the world. And now, the very things from which I tried to protect the community have been hung around my neck.”

District Judge Ronald Israel then ordered Menon to serve a four- to 10-year prison sentence, in line with the terms of his plea deal. He must also register as a sex offender.

Menon pleaded guilty May 28 to counts of oppression under color of office, subornation of perjury, battery on a protected person, possession of child sexual abuse material and capturing an image of the private area of another person.

Prosecutors accused Menon of illegally detaining people on the Strip, possessing hundreds of sexual images of young girls and installing cameras in bathroom vents that captured videos showing the genitalia and buttocks of his wife and sister-in-law, who said the recordings were consensual.

Reputational harm

Menon, who was previously suspended from the department, “separated” from Metro on June 2, according to a spokesperson.

“You have harmed the reputation of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department,” the judge said to him.

At times, Menon lobbed allegations at Metro. His lawyers said officials in the department invited him to a Signal chat. Signal is an encrypted app with disappearing messages that court records showed he used with his squad.

Sheriff Kevin McMahill has said such end-to-end encryption apps are prohibited.

Menon, who is Jewish and of Indian descent, also claimed he was targeted by authorities for trying to fight a “culture of racism and excessive force.”

The department has said he was placed on leave and arrested after his own squad accused him of making unlawful arrests that targeted people of color.

Officers reported actions

Menon told the court he took responsibility for the allegations he faced. “But to extend these allegations to my character is absurd,” he added.

Chief Deputy District Attorney Christopher Hamner said Menon was “never targeted,” but that the case started because junior officers were concerned by Menon’s illegal arrests and reported him.

“They had the courage to speak out,” he said. “And that’s the only reason why we’re even here.”

It was important to prosecutors that Menon admit to every kind of charged conduct he committed, the prosecutor said.

“Till the very end, he has continued to lie about all of the things he did to people in our community of color, his own family, what he did in his private time on the internet,” Hamner said.

Family support

As he awaited sentencing, the former sergeant sat in Israel’s courtroom, flanked by his wife and sister-in-law and holding the women’s hands. He hugged each woman before joining his attorney at the defense table.

Both were allowed to speak at the hearing since they were considered victims in the bathroom filming case.

“I’m not a victim,” said sister-in-law Tamara Russell, who described Menon as “the funniest, wisest, strongest person I’ve ever met.”

Wife Natasha Menon also praised Menon, whom she called her “best friend.”

“I am not a victim of my husband,” she said. “I am a victim of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.”

Hamner previously said the women did not know they were filmed and were likely trying to protect Menon.

‘Went off the rails’

Defense attorney Robert Draskovich anticipates that Menon will be incarcerated outside of Nevada.

“He will be a target,” the defense lawyer told the judge.

“I hope and pray that he is able to survive this sentence as his safety in prison is a major concern and in some ways, his incarceration feels like a death sentence,” said Natasha Menon.

A Nevada Department of Corrections spokesperson did not disclose what would happen to Menon, but said if an offender cannot be safely held in Nevada, they may be evaluated for placement in another state.

The judge said he acknowledged that Menon was once “an asset to the community.”

“Somehow, he went off the rails,” Israel said.

He said he was following the plea deal “somewhat reluctantly.”

People are often skeptical of police, the judge noted. “And now, Mr. Menon has entrenched that skepticism by doing what he did.”

Contact Noble Brigham at nbrigham@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BrighamNoble on X.