Cop charged with lying to get loan

A Las Vegas police lieutenant is facing felony charges in connection with allegedly falsifying loan information to purchase a $600,000 home in Las Vegas, authorities said.

County prosecutors are charging Juanita Goode, 39, with one count of theft and one count of burglary, accusing her of claiming falsely that she worked a second job in order to qualify for a loan. Authorities said Goode claimed in 2004 to be making $5,200 a month at a local business on top of her monthly Las Vegas police salary of $7,800 and perjured herself when she lied about it in an affidavit.

Goode was arraigned Tuesday morning in Las Vegas Justice Court and will have an evidentiary hearing April 4.

Richard Schonfeld, her attorney, said Goode has pleaded not guilty to the charges and wants to clear her name.

"She is looking forward to the April 4 hearing where we will have the first opportunity to demonstrate these allegations are unfounded," he said Tuesday.

Goode has been with the department since March 1992 and is assigned to the South Central Area Command. She has been on paid administrative leave since March 9 and is not in custody.

Although it's common for people to falsify information to get a loan, it is a crime, said Scott Mitchell, the chief deputy district attorney who is prosecuting Goode. He said that a lender could lose hundreds of thousands of dollars if it gives out money under false pretenses, which is where the theft and burglary charges apply.

"Obviously, if someone gets caught, they are liable for prosecution," he said. "There is more at stake than if they just got the loan."

Las Vegas police began investigating Goode in January after John Runkle, the owner of a local mortgage company, sent a letter to the Clark County district attorney's office alleging that Goode had falsified loan information, according to a Las Vegas police report.

Runkle told police that, in 2004, Goode applied for a loan to buy a house near Silverado Ranch and Las Vegas boulevards from a woman named Shelly Rego, who also worked for Runkle's company. Goode didn't qualify for the $600,000 loan with her police salary alone and later said she worked for Home Theatre Drapery & Design, an interior design company, the report states.

Police discovered that Home Theatre Drapery & Design wasn't a valid business.

Runkle initially approved the loan because he knew Goode was a police lieutenant and didn't want the police to "dislike his business," the report states.

Under Las Vegas police policy, officers who want a second job must get approval from the department to make sure there isn't a conflict of interest. Goode never requested to work for Home Theatre Drapery & Design, the report states. But Goode had asked to work for Super Maids Cleaning Service in 2004 and for Coldwell Banker in 2006.

In the investigation, police found that Goode worked with several people to falsify the information to get the loan, including Runkle employees, the report states. Also facing charges in connection with the theft allegations are Rego; Rego's ex-husband, Jesus Vega; and Melissa Blue. Vega also worked for Runkle, and Blue signed a letter stating that Goode worked for the interior design company, the report states.

In 2004, a Las Vegas police internal investigation found that Goode violated department policies when she struck her husband in the head and then stalled investigators who were looking into the matter.

Goode's husband, a corrections officer at the county jail, needed emergency care for his injury but didn't report the incident to his superiors.

Contact reporter David Kihara at dkihara@reviewjournal.com or (702) 380-1039.