AG asked to investigate alleged election tampering at Las Vegas Realtors

They are asking Aaron Ford’s team to investigate LVR members and staff’s alleged tampering in the organization’s last board of director’s election, according to several agents who spoke to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The agents spoke on the condition they not be identified because of concerns over potential retaliation.

At least one person who filed a complaint asked to do so anonymously, a source said, and is expecting a response back from the AG’s office by Dec. 6.

A spokesperson for the AG’s office said Monday that they could neither “confirm or deny the existence of an investigation.”

More than 50 members of the LVR in August protested some still serving on the board of directors despite being investigated internally and by a third party for election tampering. Agents who spoke to the Review-Journal said LVR Chief Executive Officer Wendy DiVecchio tampered with the election and conspired to help Britney Gaitan win the vice president seat on the board over Stephanie Grant.

DiVecchio was later suspended from her position with pay, sources confirmed to the Review-Journal.

In an email obtained by the Review-Journal, Gaitan expressed concerns over conversations she had with president-elect Joshua Campa and DiVecchio in which they told her to “keep campaigning.” She said they appeared to know she was behind in the vote count against Grant before the election voting process closed.

One board member confirmed to the Review-Journal that law firm Greenberg Traurig had been hired to conduct a third investigation into the allegations of election tampering. The law firm didn’t respond to requests for comment by the Review-Journal.

In response to the allegations, LVR President Merri Perry said “it is important to emphasize that much of the information presented publicly contains conjecture, accusations, innuendos, and false statements.”

“A thorough review of the situation has clarified that a number of these allegations are unsubstantiated. We are committed to sharing additional details as they become available, ensuring that our members remain informed,” she added.

In a public Facebook post on Nov.19, Dave Tina, a past president of the LVR, said members of the executive committee in question should recuse themselves from the investigation related to the election.

“I am a firm believer in honesty, integrity and transparency as I know all of you share in these values,” he wrote. “This is our association and our hard-earned dues and not some insular secret social club controlled by a few.”

Board members resign, suspended

A number of LVR’s leadership, board members and executive committee members, including vice-president Shane Nguyen, Multiple Listings Service chair John Fleckenstein, directors Geoffrey Lavell, Krystal Sherry and Susan Brock have since resigned their posts, sources confirmed to the Review-Journal. Gaitan has been suspended from her board seat as well, sources confirmed.

Additonally, Campa passed a motion after the August protest, according to multiple members, to move the board meetings to a guard-gated private residence, which they say is a direct violation of LVR bylaws that states all board meetings are open to the public. One member of the board told the Review-Journal that one reason this move was made was to ensure the “safety and security of the board” who felt threatened after the August protest.

The board election isn’t the only turmoil within the organization, a fight broke out between two members of LVR during a March board meeting, which led to a police response.

The LVR currently has approximately 15,000 members and wields its power through access to the Multiple Listings Service where the majority of homes are listed for sale. Monthly fees for LVR membership can run upwards of $260 a year while signing confidentiality policies regarding board meetings, which are held monthly.

Contact Patrick Blennerhassett at pblennerhassett@reviewjournal.com.