United States v. Judge Eathel Gates, Jr.

Appellant was convicted, following jury trial, of 64 counts of extortion, in violation of the Hobbs Act, Title 18 U.S.C. § 1951 ; of obstruction of justice; and of giving false testimony before a grand jury.

At the time of the charged offenses, appellant was director of the Clark County, Nevada, Business License Bureau and, as such, was an officer of the Clark County Sheriff’s Department. It was the function of the Bureau to issue business licenses to those seeking to do business in the unincorporated areas of Clark County. Appellant, as director, was required to review all license applications for final approval, and had the authority himself to issue “non-privileged” licenses — those not requiring approval of the county commissioners.

The companies from which he was charged with extorting funds were Motel Development, Inc. (MDI), and Royal Reservations, Inc. (Royal). Both companies were operated by David Bliss, the government’s principal witness.

MDI was in the business of soliciting prospective customers to attend sales presentations in Las Vegas, Nevada, put on by other companies, for which service MDI received commissions. Prior to the offenses here charged, MDI had…