Former county commissioner Malone back in Las Vegas

Former Clark County Commissioner Lance Malone, who received a six-year prison term for his role in a federal corruption case, is serving out the remainder of his sentence at a halfway house in Las Vegas.

Chuck Ringwood, a spokesman for the Federal Bureau of Prisons' western regional office, said Malone was released from a facility in Lompoc, Calif., on Feb. 1.

John Casale, director of the Las Vegas Community Correction Center, confirmed that Malone is now residing at the halfway house behind Circus Circus. His projected release date is July 30.

Malone began serving his sentence in May 2007 for delivering bribes to former commission colleagues on behalf of strip club owner Michael Galardi.

U.S. District Judge Larry Hicks, convinced that Malone had helped orchestrate "the rankest corruption of local government" in state history, had imposed the sentence three months earlier.

Four former Clark County commissioners went to prison for their roles in the case. Malone, 49, received the longest sentence and was the last to be released.

Galardi and Malone were indicted in 2003 with former commissioners Erin Kenny, Dario Herrera and Mary Kincaid-Chauncey.

Malone signed a plea agreement in September 2006 acknowledging that he paid cash bribes to Kenny, Herrera and Kincaid-Chauncey in exchange for votes favoring Galardi's business empire.

Hicks said Malone facilitated Galardi's corrupt enterprise because he recruited the commissioners to become part of the bribery scheme.

"There is no doubt that the leader was Michael Galardi, and he was in control by virtue of the cash he had so readily available to him," the judge said.

"The fact is he couldn't have done what he did without someone like Lance Malone."

Hicks said he believed Malone, a former Las Vegas police officer, also was corrupt during his 1996-2000 stint on the commission.

A San Diego jury found Malone guilty in a parallel corruption case in 2005. He received a concurrent, three-year sentence in that case.

Malone's lawyer, Dominic Gentile, could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

Kenny and Galardi both pleaded guilty and cooperated with the government. Galardi admitted bribing politicians in both Las Vegas and San Diego.

A Las Vegas jury convicted Herrera and Kincaid-Chauncey in May 2006 of pocketing bribes offered by Malone.

Kenny received a 30-month prison sentence. Herrera received a 50-month prison term. Galardi and Kincaid-Chauncey each were sentenced to 30 months in prison.

Contact reporter Carri Geer Thevenot at cgeer@reviewjournal.com or 702-384-8710.