Convicted brothel owner gets court OK to bribe and tell

Brothel owner Joe Richards will have to finish out his sentence for bribing a Nye County commissioner, but he no longer will have to keep his mouth shut about the woman while he does so.

A federal appeals court has struck down a part of Richards' sentence that barred him from making any public statements about now-former Commissioner Candice Trummell or her family.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the restriction violated Richards' right to free speech.

The longtime brothel owner was indicted in 2006 on two felony counts of wire fraud after he was caught paying $5,000 to Trummell while she was wearing a wire for the FBI.

Richards pleaded guilty to one of the charges in 2009 as part of a deal with federal prosecutors that spared him from prison time. A few months later, U.S. District Judge Robert Jones fined him $250,000 and sentenced him to one year in a Las Vegas halfway house and five years of probation.

That's when Jones added an unusual condition: For the duration of his probation, Richards would not be allowed to make "any public comments" about Trummell or her family.

Richards owns a weekly newspaper in Pahrump that he has used in the past to attack his competitors and people who crossed him.

During his sentencing, Trummell testified that even after his indictment, Richards continued to publish nasty stories about her and her parents. She considered it a form of witness intimidation.

Trummell said Wednesday that if Richards plans to resume writing about her, he best tread lightly.

"While I was a public figure, I did what I could to root out corruption in Nye County. I'm no longer a public figure, and if he continues to write his lies and trash, I'll consider my legal options," Trummell said.

Richards did not respond to messages left for him at his Cherry Patch Ranch No. 2 brothel, on U.S. Highway 95 about 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas.

The 76-year-old is scheduled to be released from the halfway house next month. Throughout his sentence, he has been allowed to leave the house during the day to tend to his businesses in Nye County, but at night he must return to Las Vegas to continue his "community confinement."

The felon still holds several brothel licenses in Nye County, where houses of prostitution are legal.

County officials have yet to hold a hearing or take any action against his businesses. As of last month, he was in the process of selling two of his three brothels to Northern Nevada bordello owner Dennis Hof.

Trummell said she doesn't understand why the county has allowed Richards to stay in business, but she doesn't lose any sleep over it.

"I've moved on in life," she said. "I don't really care what happens to Joe Richards."

Contact reporter Henry Brean at hbrean@ reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0350.