Blundo, Nye County official, won’t be prosecuted in CARES Act money case

Nye County Commissioner Leo Blundo will not face state charges stemming from a Nov. 26 arrest, he announced at a news conference held in Pahrump on Thursday.

“I stand before you today a relieved man and a man who feels vindicated,” Blundo said in a statement. “Professing your innocence is an exhausting endeavor, but one where conviction and determination are essential.”

Blundo said his family and business endured significant hardship since his arrest on Thanksgiving morning, but it was not in vain.

“I have learned a lot,” he said. “I’ve learned that vindictive and malicious behavior can and does exist in government — even local government.”

The Nevada attorney general’s office confirmed to the Review-Journal it would not move forward with a prosecution at this time after being referred the case from the Nye County district attorney’s office.

Both offices declined to comment any further on the case.

On Nov. 12, Nye County Manager Tim Sutton filed complaints with the Nevada Ethics Commission, the Nye County sheriff’s office and the district attorney. They accused Blundo of illegally and unethically voting on coronavirus-related relief funding that benefited Blundo’s restaurant at a Nov. 10 board meeting.

“Specifically, Commissioner Blundo voted to give Carmelo’s Bistro, his private business, $50,000 in taxpayer CARES money,” Sutton said in a statement Thursday.

Sutton said Blundo was free to apply for aid for his business or set policy on the CARES act funding, but not both. He claimed Blundo was legally required to abstain from the vote. Nevada ethics laws prohibit officials from voting on matters in which they have a “significant pecuniary interest.”

Sutton said he did not wish for Blundo to be arrested or jailed on Thanksgiving but had a duty to report the violation.

“It is impermissible for elected officials to vote themselves $50,000 bonuses,” Sutton said. “Whether the voters of this county or the Ethics Commission agree remains to be seen.”

The state’s ethics commission typically does not comment on complaints. Typically, the panel’s executive director investigates complaints, then makes a recommendation to a panel of commissioners. If the panel determines a complaint has sufficient cause to go forward, the commission can hold a hearing and render an opinion. That has not happened in Blundo’s case at this point.

Contact Rory Appleton at rappleton@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0276. Follow @RoryDoesPhonics on Twitter.