| ► Former Judge Peter LaPorta of Henderson, NV; convict, ethically deprived |
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Former Judge Peter LaPorta of Henderson, NV; convict, ethically deprived 
While sitting as a judge in the Henderson Municipal Court, Judge Peter LaPorta was found guilty of the following misconduct by the Nevada Judicial Commission.
Fraud charge
Pete was found guilty of soliciting and receiving $6,750 from clients to effect an illegal extraction of his client’s grandchild from Mexico by agreeing to bribe officials or other contacts he had in Mexico. Pete received several of the payments (on the installment plan) while in his chambers or in the courthouse.
Pete took the money from Lydia Harrison and her son to pay (bribe) a third party in Mexico to retrieve the son’s daughter from her mother’s physical custody. Pete kept the $6,750 without ever making good on the extraction. Isn’t that exactly what ya would expect from a Judicial Misfit?
Charge of Illegal Practice of Law
Pete was also charged with illegally serving as a judge more than 20 times after his law license was suspended and more than 30 times after he elected to have his license placed on inactive status.
Failure to Pay Parking Tickets
Pete accrued over $8,000 in parking tickets that he did not pay and failed to do so even after a court judgment was entered against him. How in the hell does one person accumulate $8,000 in parking tickets. In Nevada this special privilege is only afforded to Judicial Misfits and not ordinary citizens.
Contempt of Court
In addition to removing Pete from the bench, he was also fined $10,000. Since Pete was a well-known and highly respected scofflaw, he refused to pay the fine. In July 2005, the Supreme Court found Pete guilty of contempt for failing to pay the $10,000.
In June 2006, the judicial commission threatened to find Pete in contempt again for failing to show up for disciplinary hearings and neglecting to pay a fine and fulfill a community service requirement.
Pete’s lawyer, Bob Langford said, “He is working as a taxi cab driver as his health permits. He said Pete had been working about 45 hours a week, but had recent heart surgery and was at a doctor’s appointment.
Langford could provide no evidence that Pete had paid any more than $500 on the $10,000 fine he was ordered to pay to the Clark County Law Library or that he was working at least 16 hours a month (4 hours a week) as a library clerk to fulfill 240 hours of community service he was ordered to perform
Dawg commentary
If you’re planning on vacationing in Las Vegas in the future and will require the services of a taxi, make sure you hold on to your wallet or purse real tight. You never know, if Pete’s at the wheel, you could end up being taken for a real ride.
An unreliable source indicated that Pete is now employed as a “mule” for a cartel operating out Juarez, Mexico.
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