AG recommends Vegas lawyer for Krolicki case

Prominent Las Vegas defense attorney Dominic Gentile has been recommended to serve as special prosecutor in the case involving Nevada Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki, who faces felony charges of mishandling funds while serving as state treasurer.

The recommendation Thursday from Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto goes to the state Board of Examiners, chaired by Gov. Jim Gibbons, which will consider the proposal at an Aug. 11 meeting. Masto also serves on the examiners' panel, along with Secretary of State Ross Miller.

Krolicki and his chief of staff, Kathryn Besser, were indicted by a Clark County grand jury in December on charges they mishandled millions in the Nevada College Savings Program, a public-private initiative that helps students and parents save money for school.

No money is missing and Krolicki is not accused of embezzlement. Both he and Besser have maintained they're innocent.

The charges arose from a 2007 audit of the more than $3 billion program. Auditors found Krolicki skirted budget controls and spent more on an advertising campaign than allotted by the Legislature.

Gentile, whose many clients have ranged from biker gang members to state and local public officials facing ethics or corruption charges, was one of three attorneys to submit proposals to serve as special prosecutor. The attorney general's office didn't release the names of the other lawyers.

In a statement supporting his application, Gentile said that given his long career of defending individuals and institutions, "no one could honestly contend" that his Gordon Silver law firm "is less than objective in the role of special prosecutor."

Masto looked for a special prosecutor in private practice after Clark County District Judge Elissa Cadish ruled that the attorney general's office had a conflict of interest and couldn't prosecute Krolicki and Besser.

Krolicki's lawyers argued that it was improper for the attorney general's office to prosecute him because a division of the office approved the contracts at the heart of the college savings program dispute.

While Masto has been trying to find a special prosecutor to take the case, she's also appealing the judge's ruling to the Nevada Supreme Court.

Masto also is fighting Krolicki's efforts to have the charges dismissed on grounds the case was improperly filed in Las Vegas instead of a northern Nevada court.