Sisolak accuses Vermillion of extortion in complaint

Clark County Commissioner Steve Sisolak and his ex-girlfriend traded accusations of skulduggery Monday, with her camp alleging an improper relationship with her teenage daughter and him accusing her of blackmail.

The verbal shots came at dueling news conferences held within hours of each other.

First Sisolak accused former Henderson City Councilwoman Kathleen Vermillion of trying to shake him down for $3.9 million over the weekend. Sisolak said his political career was threatened at a meeting Sunday with her lawyer Robert Martin and public relations handler Mark Fierro.

He said he was told paying Vermillion would "make it all go away and save my political career."

He filed a complaint with Las Vegas police against Vermillion, Martin and Fierro.

"I will not be blackmailed," Sisolak said outside the Metropolitan Police Department headquarters.

The agency's Criminal Intelligence Section was handling the investigation.

At a news conference hours later, Martin and Fierro released details of the "improper and secretive relationship" mentioned in the defamation lawsuit Vermillion, formerly Boutin, filed against Sisolak last week.

In a heavily edited three-minute video, Vermillion's 15-year-old daughter answered questions about her relationship with Sisolak, whom she called "weird" and "a scumbag."

"I didn't want to think about him being attracted to me," the girl said in the video. "He's a liar. He's somebody you shouldn't trust. He's grimy."

She said Sisolak had her model bathing suits for him, took her on a "movie date," texted her late at night and showered her with lavish gifts. The teen said that Sisolak was "obsessed with her looks and how she dressed" and that he continued the relationship with her even after he and Vermillion ended their rocky five-year relationship in October.

The Review-Journal is withholding the identity of the girl because of her age.

Martin said Vermillion was proud that her daughter had "the guts to stand up" and come out publicly. He emphasized they were not accusing Sisolak of criminal conduct, but rather "bad judgment."

Sisolak denied any inappropriate contact with Vermillion's children and said she "manipulated and coached her daughter."

"It's a real shame that you would use a 15-year-old girl to try to extort somebody," he said.

He said he bought the teenager and her friend swimsuits during a vacation to San Diego last year because the teens forgot to pack them. During a different shopping trip to Forever 21, he said he told Vermillion that her daughter tried on clothing that "was kind of tight" and he "didn't know if it was appropriate."

"There was never any modeling of anything anywhere," Sisolak said. "This is so ridiculous. They're taking innocent things that any person would do. ... I did not do anything with (Vermillion's daughter) that I would not do with any other individual or that any father wouldn't do with a daughter or a niece."

Sisolak said he ended the relationship with Vermillion because "her mental and emotional state deteriorated."

Despite the breakup, Vermillion allowed him to have continued contact with her daughter, according to a Nov. 21 email she wrote to Sisolak. In the email with the subject line "Your reputation and mine," she wrote, "I hold no ill will and of course, appreciate your continued support of the charity, and would not interfere should you chose to continue a relationship with" my daughter.

Her tone soon changed, according to a transcript of several Dec. 10 text messages released by Sisolak.

In the messages, Vermillion threatens "war" against Sisolak.

"When you stop manipulating and using my children, like you have me, then ill stop. You are in over your head. I can, and will destroy you," the transcript reads. "I am the female version of you. But smarter. And my anger only motivates me. Back off. Or else. The Sisolak name will be a shame to them all. All I have to do after Jan. 3rd is make the ACCUSATION that you made advancements toward (my daughter), and you're done."

In a late Monday email, Vermillion questioned the authenticity of any text messages or emails, as they can be easily altered. She also wrote that while she initially approved of a continuing relationship between Sisolak and her daughter, she changed her mind Dec. 23, the day he gave her son and daughter each $500 and told them not to tell their mother.

The acrimony between the former couple went public last week when Vermillion sued Sisolak in District Court alleging Sisolak gossiped to county officials about her positive drug test for a synthetic opiate. She attributed the test result to pain relievers she got from Sisolak's sister for a severe migraine headache.

Sisolak said he has spoken to his sister, and she denied giving Vermillion drugs.

The lawsuit came amid allegations that Vermillion misappropriated funding from the Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth. Arash Ghafoori, the charity's interim director, filed a complaint against Vermillion, the nonprofit's founder, saying she misused the charity's funds.

At the Sunday meeting, Sisolak said Vermillion, Fierro and Martin told him that if he paid $3.9 million, all complaints and the allegations about an inappropriate relationship with the 15-year-old would be dropped.

Sisolak said Fierro also told him he would face an easier road to re-election if he paid.

"I was also assured by Mr. Fierro, who represents the Fire Department, that an extra benefit of me paying the $3.9 million is that he handles the candidates that run on behalf of the Fire Department, and I would be assured a re-election and wouldn't have to worry about the Fire Department having a candidate," he said.

Fierro said that a settlement, if reached, would have prevented him from releasing the damaging information.

"What Mr. Martin explained to me was if there was a settlement, I was precluded from releasing any information, and so that came to a logical conclusion that I wouldn't be able to run a race against him," Fierro said.

Martin denied any extortion attempt and called the Sunday night meeting a settlement conference to discuss ending the lawsuit. "The claim of extortion is absurd," Martin said. "Everything in that litigation is public. That is why we filed it last week. We need to get Ms. Vermillion's reputation back."

He said $3.9 million figure would help Vermillion start a new life.

"He has ruined my client's reputation, and it's almost impossible for her to continue in this community," he said.

Contact reporter Brian Haynes at bhaynes@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0281. Contact Kristi Jourdan at kjourdan@reviewjournal.com or 702-455-4519. Contact Henderson/Anthem View reporter Michael Lyle at mlyle@viewnews.com or 387-5201.