Attorney General Masto Announces Guilty Plea of Two Former UNLV Employees for Theft

October 10, 2014

Las Vegas, NV – Nevada Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto announced that former University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) employees Lina Khachekian, 35, of Las Vegas and Marissa Neuhaus, 23, of Las Vegas pleaded guilty on Thursday to misappropriating at least $292,000 from the university for their personal benefit.

“My office collaborated with UNLV to investigate and prosecute Khachekian and Neuhaus,” said Masto. “The Attorney General’s office always has and will continue to take a strong stance against abuses of public trust by state employees.” 

Khachekian pleaded guilty to two felony counts of theft and Neuhaus pleaded guilty to one felony count of fraudulent appropriation. 

Charges relate to a scheme, between 2011 and 2013, in which the defendants used their employee access to UNLV purchase accounts to order consumer electronic products for personal use or resale by co-conspirators. The defendants created extensive and elaborate falsified documentation in order to conceal the illicit purchases from UNLV management.

Each felony theft count to which Khachekian pleaded guilty to carries a potential one to ten year sentence in the Nevada Department of Corrections (NDOC). The fraudulent appropriation count to which Neuhaus pleaded guilty to carries a potential one to four year sentence at NDOC. Khachekian will be sentenced Feb. 10, 2015 at 8:15 a.m. in District Court Department 17.  Neuhaus will be sentenced Feb. 12, 2015 at 8:15 a.m. in District Court Department 17.

The case is being prosecuted by Chief Deputy Attorney General Thom Gover and Deputy Attorney General Adam Woodrum of the Attorney General's Special Prosecutions Unit.

To read the criminal information for Khachekian, click here.  To read the criminal information for Neuhaus, click here.

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