Financial ruin. Homes sold without court approval. Isolation from loved ones. That's what our investigation of Clark County's guardianship system uncovered. And now the problem is gaining the national attention many victim families sought for several years.
"Last Week Tonight with John Oliver" on HBO ran a 16-minute segment Sunday evening pointing out some of the specific cases of alleged fraud and theft from our reporting. That includes the case against private, for-profit guardian April Parks, who remains behind bars, facing over 200 felony counts, including one count of racketeering. The remainder charges are for exploitation of an older person, perjury, theft and filing false documents.
WARNING: VIDEO CONTAINS SOME PROFANITY
In our years-long investigation, we introduced you to Rudy and Renie North, who claim to be victims of Parks. The Oliver segment pointed to our reporting of how Parks admitted to over-billing the Norths, including charging their account $108 for a pair of stretch pants.
The trial for April Parks, her attorney Noel Palmer Simpson, business partner Mark Simmons and husband Gary Taylor is scheduled to begin in November.
And Parks, Simpson and Simmons face additional charges of exploitation of an older or vulnerable person in a separate case which includes another defendant, former Las Vegas Metro Police Department Lt. James Melton. LVMPD fired Melton after he was arrested for allegations of fraud and theft in February. The trial for that case is scheduled to begin in September.
Our Contact 13 Investigation series of corruption in the guardianship system was also examined in a documentary recently selected in the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival.
