Former juvenile probation officer pleads guilty in court counseling scheme
A former juvenile probation officer pleaded guilty Wednesday in a high-profile courthouse counseling scheme.
Robert Chiodini, 44, is the third defendant to strike a deal with prosecutors. Lawyer Brian Bloomfield and his wife, Amber McDearmon, previously pleaded guilty and agreed to cooperate in the case.
Chiodini pleaded guilty to a gross misdemeanor conspiracy charge and two felonies — forgery and offering a false instrument for filing or record.
District Judge Jessie Walsh set his sentencing for March 18.
The criminal case dates to December 2011, when Bloomfield, Chiodini and former counseling service owner Steven Brox were charged in a 52-count indictment.
They were accused of providing prostitutes and other defendants with phony certificates of completion for court-ordered counseling and community service to resolve misdemeanor cases in Las Vegas Justice Court.
Weeks later, McDearmon and former bail bondsman Thomas Jaskol were charged in a new indictment stemming from the scheme that included allegations they conspired with Bloomfield to destroy evidence.
McDearmon, 30, escaped prison time in June after she struck her plea deal. She pleaded guilty to one gross misdemeanor charge of destruction of evidence and was immediately sentenced to credit for time served — one day she spent in jail after her original arrest in 2012.
Bloomfield is waiting to be sentenced after the February trial of the remaining two defendants.
The Nevada Supreme Court temporarily suspended Bloomfield’s law license in June and referred the matter to a disciplinary panel of the State Bar of Nevada for possible disbarment.
Contact reporter Jeff German at jgerman@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-8135. Find him on Twitter: @JGermanRJ.
