Henderson lawyer Luis J. Rojas gets probation in short-sale scheme

Defense lawyer Luis J. Rojas was sentenced to three years probation Monday in what authorities say was a short-sale scheme to erase more than $800,000 in mortgage debt from his Henderson home.

U.S. District Judge James Mahan also ordered Rojas to pay a $10,000 fine.

Rojas, 48, whose license to practice law in Nevada has been temporarily suspended, told Mahan he did a “stupid thing” and apologized for his actions.

“Part of me is happy today,” he said. “Today the monkey comes off my back.”

Rojas, who began practicing law in 1992, pleaded guilty in February to making a false statement within the jurisdiction of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The criminal case was handled by San Diego federal prosecutors because the Nevada U.S. attorney’s office had a conflict of interest, which has not been explained.

According to his plea agreement, Rojas bought the Henderson home in 2006 with two mortgages totalling $935,430. In February 2011 he obtained approval for a short sale.

Rojas wanted to sell the home to former Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Daniel Ahlstrom, but prosecutors said he changed his plans and instead turned to his brother-in-law, Sidney Jacobs. Prosecutors alleged Rojas failed to disclose that Jacobs was a straw buyer and that Rojas gave him money for the “sham” transaction.

Prosecutors say that at one point Rojas withdrew $290,000 from the bank, stuffed the cash in a duffel bag and gave it to Jacobs to complete the short sale.

Rojas never moved out of the home, and one month later Jacobs transferred the title back to him, prosecutors alleged.

In an unrelated case, Jacobs is tied to the high-profile accidental shooting of a five-year-old boy at his own Henderson home in September 2011. Robert Martin IV was shot while playing at the home by his 11-year-old uncle, who told police he found the gun in a cardboard box labeled “treasure chest” and thought it was a toy.

The gun belonged to Jacobs,who was charged with child abuse and neglect with substantial bodily harm. Two years later a Henderson judge dismissed the charge, saying it did not “fit the facts.”

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