Catherine Cortez Masto

Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto announced today that the Ninth Circuit United States Court of Appeals issued an opinion today in ACLU v. Masto, granting the state’s request to overturn an injunction against enforcement of Nevada’s Adam Walsh Act.

CARSON CITY – When state Sen. Greg Brower asked the Attorney General’s office earlier this month about the $6 million in outside legal costs incurred so far in defending the state in a freeway construction dispute, he said his motives were purely fiscal in nature.

CARSON CITY – State Sen. Greg Brower, R-Reno, has asked Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto why an outside legal firm was retained to defend the state against a freeway construction dispute. Legal costs charged to the state will total $6 million by the end of an arbitration hearing set for next month.

Nevada Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto will chair the Domestic Violence Fatality Review Statewide Team meeting on Thursday, January 12 at 9:30 a.m. at the Best Western Plus Airport Plaza in Reno.

The group, who is meeting for the first time, is comprised of prosecutors, police, domestic violence service providers, treatment providers and community and faith leaders.

The fatality reviews will create a greater understanding of the tragedies associated with domestic violence and will lead to the implementation of preventative interventions.

CARSON CITY – A state panel today supported a request from the Department of Taxation for $260,000 to hire a team of auditors to track cigarette sales to protect a $40 million a year payment to Nevada from the nation’s major tobacco companies.

CARSON CITY – A legal firm retained by the state Department of Transportation to defend against a contractor dispute over construction of a section of the Carson City bypass has racked up $6 million in fees so far and the costs could still go higher.

Gov. Brian Sandoval today expressed concern about the amount of legal fees in the case involving a $40 million claim by Utah-based Ames Construction, which built the first phase of the U.S. 395 bypass in the capital that opened in February of 2006.

Nevada Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto is warning Nevadans who may be participating in last minute holiday shopping to be aware of identity theft, charitable donation scams, and text message scams.

Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto announced today a lawsuit against Lender Processing Services, Inc., DOCX, LLC, LPS Default Solutions, Inc. and other subsidiaries of LPS (collectively known “LPS”) for engaging in deceptive practices against Nevada consumers.

Attorneys General Kamala D. Harris of California and Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada today announced that their states have entered into a joint investigation alliance designed to assist homeowners who have been harmed by misconduct and fraud in the mortgage industry.

By forging this alliance, California and Nevada will combine investigative resources, including litigation strategies, information, and evidence gathered through their respective ongoing investigations, assisting each state as it pursues independent prosecutions.

Nevada Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto announced today that a settlement agreement has been reached with Registered Agent, Inc. regarding advertisements sent by mail to corporations in order to deceptively change registered agents.

Veterans In Politics International, Inc. presents the Veterans Valentines Ball and Gala, hosted by the Plaza Hotel and Casino, 1 South Main Street, Las Vegas, Nevada 89101
Guests will be received by: Crowned members of the Miss Nevada Organization including Miss Nevada 2011 Alana LeeMrs. Clark County United States 2012 Melissa Jeanne Arias
— Opening Ceremonies to be performed by Nellis Honor Guard
— National Anthem will be performed by Miss Vanessa Bayot
— Masters of Ceremonies are Miss Rowena Richards of Shine Foundation, and Mr. Les Krifaton of Fox 5

CARSON CITY – Nevada Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto has joined with her Utah counterpart Mark Shurtleff  in asking the U.S. Senate to take up consideration of Rich Cordray’s nomination to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).

CARSON CITY – Ten months after a legislative audit first raised serious questions about current and former state employees working as contractors for state agencies, the Board of Examiners earlier this week approved administrative changes to prevent future abuses.

Nevada Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto and Nevada Assembly Majority Leader Marcus Conklin announced that the new ‘Foreclosure Fraud Reform’ law will take effect on October 1, 2011.

(press release) Las Vegas, NV – Nevada Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto today announced that she filed an Assurance of Discontinuance with Morgan Stanley Mortgage Capital Holdings (“Morgan Stanley”) to resolve an investigation into the firm’s role in purchasing and securitizing roughly 3,000 subprime mortgages in Nevada.

CARSON CITY – Medicaid fraud is a growing problem here and around the country, and two different Nevada agencies are tasked with investigating cases and returning ill-gotten taxpayer dollars to the program.

CARSON CITY – Gov. Brian Sandoval said today state officials will meet with Clark and Washoe county representatives who are seeking nearly $124 million in refunds from the state – before deciding if litigation is necessary.
Sandoval, attending a meeting of the Board of Examiners, said afterward that Nevadans expect their elected officials to talk over disputes to see if they can be resolved before resorting to the courts.

Nevada Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto this week requested permission to amend a previous complaint against Bank of America and its subsidiaries to add more claims relating to mortgage origination and servicing.

CARSON CITY – Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto said today it will probably be another month before she can publicly report the results of her staff’s legal conclusions regarding requests for refunds from the state by Clark and Washoe counties totaling $123 million.
Masto said her office is still “moving through the process” to determine if any refunds are owed the two local governments. Once that analysis is completed, Masto said her legal findings will be shared privately with Gov. Brian Sandoval.

CARSON CITY – The state Board of Examiners today approved a 10-year, $27.6 million contract to install kiosks in grocery stores statewide where Nevadans will be able to renew car registrations, extend drivers licenses and perform other tasks that might otherwise require a trip to a Department of Motor Vehicles office.

CARSON CITY – The Board of Examiners today approved a request for more than half a million dollars from a legislative contingency fund to pay the counties for the cost of the Sept. 13 special election in the 2nd Congressional District.

CARSON CITY – Secretary of State Ross Miller is seeking more than half a million dollars from a legislative contingency fund to pay the counties for the cost of the Sept. 13 special election in the 2nd Congressional District.

Investigators from the Secretary of State’s office today arrested Hans Seibt at his Las Vegas residence on 25 counts of securities fraud and six counts of theft. The criminal complaint filed by Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto charges that Seibt was essentially operating a Ponzi scheme that victimized investors in Nevada and several other states.

CARSON CITY – Members of the state Transportation Board, including Gov. Brian Sandoval, voted today to extend their oversight of the activities of the Department of Transportation, a move that will require more frequent meetings and more timely review of contracts.

CARSON CITY – A contractors representative told the state Transportation Board today that officials missed out on opportunities to increase road funding in the 2011 legislative session, and that failing to act promptly on the issue could cost Northern Nevada a competitive bid for the 2022

CARSON CITY – A review of cash settlements paid by state agencies to employees and contractors shows no pattern of failure to bring large payments to the Board of Examiners for review and approval, Gov. Brian Sandoval said today.
The board, which also includes Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto and Secretary of State Ross Miller, reviewed 12 pages of cash payments, most of which were unrelated to settlements with employees.

CARSON CITY – Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto will not follow through on Gov. Brian Sandoval’s request to ask the Nevada Supreme Court for clarification on Thursday’s ruling that the state cannot use $62 million it took from the Clean Water Coalition during the legislative special session in 2010.
A letter issued by Masto’s office said, “there is no procedural mechanism” for seeking a clarification of the high court’s decision.

CARSON CITY – The Sandoval administration is pursuing two paths in an effort to resolve a potentially massive budget shortfall, seeking clarification from the Nevada Supreme Court on the case that created the issue and working with lawmakers on potential additional revenues should they be necessary.
Dale Erquiaga, senior adviser to Gov. Brian Sandoval, briefed a number of interested parties on the developments since the state’s high court dropped the potential budget bombshell on the Legislature yesterday.

CARSON CITY – Gov. Brian Sandoval has asked state agencies to document payments made to employees and vendors after learning at a meeting earlier this month of several undisclosed settlements, including three made by the Department of Transportation.
State Budget Director Andrew Clinger sent out a memo today requesting the information by June 1.

Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto talks about bills her office is working to get passed in the Nevada Legislature: