Teuton appointed to handle embattled Family Court judge’s cases

Family Court Judge Robert Teuton was assigned Monday to temporarily take over the juvenile caseload of indicted jurist Steven Jones.

In an administrative order, Chief District Judge Jennifer Togliatti said "unforeseen circumstances" related to the management of Jones' cases prompted the assignment.

Jones, 54, first elected to Family Court in 1992, took a leave of absence after his federal indictment last month and now faces a state-mandated suspension from the bench.

David Sarnowski, executive director of the Nevada Commission on Judicial Discipline, said late last week that he could not discuss the panel's efforts to suspend the longtime judge.

Jones was charged in the 20-count indictment with using the power of his office to carry out a $3 million investment fraud scheme, which authorities alleged began in 2002. He pleaded not guilty and was released on his own recognizance.

In all, six defendants face an array of criminal charges, including conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud, securities fraud and money laundering. They are to stand trial on Jan. 8.

Prosecutors contend that Jones' former brother-in-law, Thomas A. Cecrle Jr., was the central figure in the decade-long scheme. Cecrle, 55, was ordered detained while he faces the felony charges.

The indictment alleges that between September 2002 and October 2012, the defendants persuaded people to loan them money under the guise of quick repayment with high rates of interest. The defendants needed the loans to secure valuable property and water rights, including land on the Strip, the indictment says.

When investors became disgruntled and questioned the legitimacy of their investments, the indictment alleges, the defendants lulled them into a false sense of security by referring them to Jones, who used his stature as a judge to vouch for Cecrle and the investment scheme, knowing it was a fraud.

The judge is alleged to have met with investors "in chambers, over the telephone and elsewhere."

According to the indictment, Jones took calls from Cecrle in chambers, drafted and reviewed documents associated with sham investments and received cash from the scheme at the courthouse where he heard cases.

Contact Jeff German at jgerman@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-8135.