MOTEL ROOM CONTAINED ENOUGH RICIN TO KILL 522

The man arrested Wednesday for possession of ricin, a poison considered to be a weapon of mass destruction, had enough of the illegal toxin inside his Las Vegas motel room to kill about 522 people, authorities said.

Roger Von Bergendorff, 57, was brought into U.S. Magistrate Peggy Leen's courtroom in a wheelchair on Wednesday to face charges that included possession of unregistered firearms, possession of firearms not identified by a serial number and possession of a biological toxin.

Leen ordered that Bergendorff remain in custody until his May 2 preliminary hearing, citing the serious nature of the crimes.

Despite public defender Paul Riddle's arguments that Bergendorff has a clean record and only had "fantasies" about committing crimes, Leen said the threats and fantasies show he is "inherently dangerous."

"This is scary stuff," U.S. Attorney Gregory Brower said after Bergendorff's hearing. "It's a case we and the FBI have taken very seriously."

Bergendorff placed an emergency telephone call on Feb. 14 from the Extended Stay America, 4270 S. Valley View Blvd., and complained of breathing problems. He was taken to Spring Valley Hospital with symptoms of congestive heart failure.

Riddle said Bergendorff caught pneumonia, suffered kidney failure and fell into a coma.

Nearly two weeks after he was admitted to the hospital, Extended Stay employees entered Bergendorff's motel room and discovered two .25-caliber semiautomatic pistols, a .22-caliber Ruger rifle and a .22-caliber Browning pistol. Each had a homemade silencer.

Las Vegas police summoned to the motel room found an "Anarchist's Cookbook" with recipes for deadly poisons. A page describing how to make ricin had been marked.

MONDAY

MGM Mirage fires 440 employees

MGM Mirage announced it will lay off some 440 management employees at both the property and corporate levels, a response to the souring national economy but also part of a corporate belt-tightening program begun last year.

MGM Mirage President and COO Jim Murren said management and supervisory level staff reductions were part of a process that will save MGM Mirage about $75 million annually.

Most of the local workers were told of the cutbacks Monday.

TUESDAY

Physician planning to buy two clinics

A Henderson physician who is a health care adviser to the governor said he is seriously considering buying two of three clinics owned by Dr. Dipak Desai, whose gastroenterology practice is at the center of a massive hepatitis alert.

If Dr. Rudy Manthei goes ahead with the deal, he said the physicians who worked for Desai will be encouraged to practice at the two facilities.

"Until the medical board (the state board of medical examiners) has determined wrongdoing, it would be inappropriate to treat them any differently," Manthei said.

WEDNESDAY

Surgery centers face new rules

Accreditation soon might be more than an option for ambulatory surgery centers. It might be a requirement.

Several Nevada lawmakers plan to introduce legislation that would require ambulatory surgery centers to be accredited or inspected by an organization other than the state's licensing bureau.

Still, that might not solve problems with the centers that have come to light following an outbreak of hepatitis C in Southern Nevada.

"The centers that had the most egregious problems, some were accredited and some were not," Mike Willden, director of the state Department of Health and Human Services, said during a Wednesday meeting of the Legislative Commission.

THURSDAY

Adelson testifies in civil trial

Las Vegas Sands Corp. Chairman Sheldon Adelson said he didn't believe a Hong Kong businessman could help his casino company win a gaming concession in Macau because, at the time, there wasn't any opportunity for casino expansion in the Chinese special administrative region.

Still, Adelson said, he and Las Vegas Sands President Bill Weidner traveled to Beijing in 2001 to meet with Chinese government officials under the belief "that you never leave any stone unturned."

Adelson, 74, testified in Clark County District Court on the first day of testimony in a civil trial to determine whether Richard Suen and Round Square Co. helped Las Vegas Sands win a Macau gambling license in 2002 and are owed millions of dollars.

FRIDAY

Suspect arrested in Minxx shooting

Las Vegas police arrested a 29-year-old man in connection with the Minxx nightclub shooting last year that ensnared NFL star Adam "Pacman" Jones.

The charges against Arvin Edwards of Renton, Wash., are the most serious to date in the case. He is being charged with three counts of attempted murder with a weapon and three counts of battery with substantial bodily harm, according to police.

Police have been searching for a gunman in the case, and prosecutors have handed down lesser charges to Jones and two others.

COMPILED BY MICHAEL SQUIRES

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