Key witness in custody in phony certificates case against attorney

A former legal aide who is a key witness in the criminal case against defense attorney Brian Bloomfield is now in Las Vegas police custody.

Brandon Snowden, 28, a felon who has convictions for theft and forgery in 2005, has been booked into the Clark County Detention Center, police records show.

Snowden testified before a county grand jury in December that he helped Bloomfield, a local bail bondsman, and Bloomfield's wife destroy evidence in the case against the veteran defense lawyer.

Bloomfield, 36, and two others are charged with carrying out a scheme that provided prostitutes and other defendants with phony certificates of completion for court-ordered counseling and community service.

Snowden was booked on a bench warrant that was issued late last year after he failed to show up for a hearing in his current robbery case. He is to appear before District Judge Douglas Herndon on Thursday.

Records show Snowden also is facing new charges of possession of a stolen vehicle and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia. A preliminary hearing on those charges is set for Feb. 21 in Las Vegas Justice Court.

Snowden, once an office runner for Bloomfield, told the grand jury that he gave police three bags of documents from case files he alleges were shredded at Bloomfield's 810 S. Casino Blvd. office after a police raid in April 2010.

A police forensic scientist spent 2½ months assembling -- piece by shredded piece -- a pile of documents that played a role in helping prosecutors obtain a 52-count indictment in December against Bloomfield, former counseling service owner Steven Brox and juvenile probation officer Robert Chiodini.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported Monday that prosecutors told Bloomfield's wife, Amber McDearmon, and bail bondsman Thomas Jaskol that they are targets of a grand jury investigation into the destruction of evidence in the Bloomfield case. Bloomfield, who also is facing possible destruction of evidence charges, and McDearmon were married last month.

In his Dec. 20 grand jury testimony, Snowden said he turned over the shredded documents of his own volition and police gave him no incentives to cooperate.

At the time of Snowden's testimony, however, the bench warrant had been issued for his arrest.

Contact Jeff German at jgerman@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-8135.