By Rolando Larraz
Las Vegas Tribune
Las Vegas Tribune
On March 15, 2019,Victor Cruz shot Raul Moran while walking to a nearby apartment building alone and unarmed. Victor Cruz, 25, was arrested by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department on a felony charge of battery with a deadly weapon.However, two days later Raul Moran died at a local hospital, but those who constantly remind the victims and their families that “criminals have rights too” have yet to upgrade the charges against Cruz to murder with a deadly weapon, according to court and jail records.
“Victor Cruz may know someone in the right place because up to press time his charges have not been upgraded and the criminal record of Raul Moran’s assailant is being hidden by the police and prosecutors alike” wrote Sunny Day in May 2019 in a front page article in the Las Vegas Tribune.
Later, Justice Court Judge Joe Scisento throws this reporter out of “his” courtroom for wanting to ask questions about the Cruz case.
The Las Vegas Tribune was told that “Victor Cruz was placed on House Arrest and is home with his family resting, eating home meals,” yet the online Clark County Detention Center shows him “In Custody” but no one has physically seen him in the local detention center.
One year later two Clark County District Attorneys who were representing the state asked Judge Scisentos to dismiss the murder case against Victor Cruz and the family of Raul Moran wonders why the murder case was dismissed at the request of the two prosecutors in the
case and who is protecting Cruz.
Las Vegas Tribune met with the Clark County District Attorney spokesperson, Audrie Locke, at her office and she told the newspaper that she will check the case and will get back to us after “checking with Steve,” the Democrat elected District Attorney, “by Monday at the latest. Almost three weeks later Audrie Locke proved us right by not responding to our inquiry because we never expected her to respond to our question after she said she will get back to us “after checking with Steve” who has turned against the Las Vegas Tribune after learning of articles not favorable to his office and he wanted the newspaper to stop these articles.
Coincidentally Victor Cruz’s attorney is the same attorney who is representing Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Vice Unit Lawrence Rinetti Jr., Anthony (Tony) Sgro, who opened the doors of his office to former District Attorney David Roger after he unexpectedly ended his career a few months after been being reelected.
David Roger is also an attorney for Las Vegas Police Protective Association where Michael Ramirez, Rinetti Jr., friend and also co-defendant worked.
Sgro is known in legal circles for being “very generous” with campaign contributions and David Roger may still hold some clout within the District Attorney’s office and judges within the Regional Justice Center.
It is too much of a coincidence that Victor Cruz, a man with a very dubious reputation and small economical bankroll, can afford an attorney with the expensive reputation of Sgro as well as a police officer with an expensive habit whose union can no longer represent him, chooses the same law firm to represent him.
Judge Joseph Scisentos, AKA Joe Scisentos, and District Attorney Steve Wolfson are both elected officials who are always looking for votes and waiting for campaign contributions.
After making a fool of himself by presiding over a case without learning anything about it and without reading the court documents, Justice Court Judge Joseph S. Scisentos may have taken his frustration out on the Las Vegas Tribune by displaying an acute case of black robe fever syndrome with the help of his court marshal, who provoked a sad incident between the court and a Las Vegas Tribune newspaper representative.
The newspaper learned that Victor Cruz was to appear in Justice Court Department 2 where Judge Scisentos presides and went there to ask the judge if he was aware that Victor Cruz had cowardly shot someone in the back of the head, killing him, and as always asked marshal Walter Clifton (a.k.a. “Clif”) to ask the judge if he had five minutes to talk about the Cruz case.
Judge Scisentos displaying a great deal of ignorance, told Cruz to “stay away from the victim” ignoring the fact that “the victim” Raul Moran was already dead.
Either Judge Scisentos was treated like a fool by detectives with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Homicide Unit or by the District Attorney’s Office who have hidden details of importance for the judge to rule on as accurately and fairly as possible.
“Victor Cruz may know someone in the right place because up to press time his charges have not been upgraded and the criminal record of Raul Moran’s assailant is being hidden by the police and prosecutors alike” wrote Sunny Day in May 2019 in a front page article in the Las Vegas Tribune.
Later, Justice Court Judge Joe Scisento throws this reporter out of “his” courtroom for wanting to ask questions about the Cruz case.
The Las Vegas Tribune was told that “Victor Cruz was placed on House Arrest and is home with his family resting, eating home meals,” yet the online Clark County Detention Center shows him “In Custody” but no one has physically seen him in the local detention center.
One year later two Clark County District Attorneys who were representing the state asked Judge Scisentos to dismiss the murder case against Victor Cruz and the family of Raul Moran wonders why the murder case was dismissed at the request of the two prosecutors in the
case and who is protecting Cruz.
Las Vegas Tribune met with the Clark County District Attorney spokesperson, Audrie Locke, at her office and she told the newspaper that she will check the case and will get back to us after “checking with Steve,” the Democrat elected District Attorney, “by Monday at the latest. Almost three weeks later Audrie Locke proved us right by not responding to our inquiry because we never expected her to respond to our question after she said she will get back to us “after checking with Steve” who has turned against the Las Vegas Tribune after learning of articles not favorable to his office and he wanted the newspaper to stop these articles.
Coincidentally Victor Cruz’s attorney is the same attorney who is representing Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Vice Unit Lawrence Rinetti Jr., Anthony (Tony) Sgro, who opened the doors of his office to former District Attorney David Roger after he unexpectedly ended his career a few months after been being reelected.
David Roger is also an attorney for Las Vegas Police Protective Association where Michael Ramirez, Rinetti Jr., friend and also co-defendant worked.
Sgro is known in legal circles for being “very generous” with campaign contributions and David Roger may still hold some clout within the District Attorney’s office and judges within the Regional Justice Center.
It is too much of a coincidence that Victor Cruz, a man with a very dubious reputation and small economical bankroll, can afford an attorney with the expensive reputation of Sgro as well as a police officer with an expensive habit whose union can no longer represent him, chooses the same law firm to represent him.
Judge Joseph Scisentos, AKA Joe Scisentos, and District Attorney Steve Wolfson are both elected officials who are always looking for votes and waiting for campaign contributions.
After making a fool of himself by presiding over a case without learning anything about it and without reading the court documents, Justice Court Judge Joseph S. Scisentos may have taken his frustration out on the Las Vegas Tribune by displaying an acute case of black robe fever syndrome with the help of his court marshal, who provoked a sad incident between the court and a Las Vegas Tribune newspaper representative.
The newspaper learned that Victor Cruz was to appear in Justice Court Department 2 where Judge Scisentos presides and went there to ask the judge if he was aware that Victor Cruz had cowardly shot someone in the back of the head, killing him, and as always asked marshal Walter Clifton (a.k.a. “Clif”) to ask the judge if he had five minutes to talk about the Cruz case.
Judge Scisentos displaying a great deal of ignorance, told Cruz to “stay away from the victim” ignoring the fact that “the victim” Raul Moran was already dead.
Either Judge Scisentos was treated like a fool by detectives with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Homicide Unit or by the District Attorney’s Office who have hidden details of importance for the judge to rule on as accurately and fairly as possible.
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