Misconduct case against ex-Las Vegas constable comes to an end
A former Las Vegas Township constable accused of theft and wiretapping will not serve probation or prison time after pleading guilty to misconduct of a public officer.
John Bonaventura pleaded guilty to the felony count in December, court records show. Bonaventura would have been sentenced to probation, but Senior Judge Michael Cherry immediately discharged him Thursday.
In an April 22 court hearing, Chief Deputy District Attorney Colleen Baharav said Bonaventura had suffered from medical problems, including a stroke, which were “part of the reason for the negotiations.” Bonaventura had told the judge that he also suffered from a brain bleed.
Bonaventura was indicted in 2017 and accused of illegally taping conversations from 2013 to 2015 and wrongfully increasing an employee’s salary to repay a personal debt.
When Bonaventura pleaded guilty, prosecutors dropped the theft charge and four counts of unlawful interception of wire communications that he originally faced, court records show.
In 2013, following numerous issues and complaints against Bonaventura and the constable’s office, the Clark County Commission unanimously voted to abolish the office.
Bonaventura unsuccessfully ran for Nevada governor in 2018.
In the plea agreement, Bonaventura admitted to using the resources of his elected office to record multiple phone calls from Las Vegas Review-Journal reporters, lawyers, a judge and at least one former Clark County commissioner.
Nevada law requires the consent of all involved parties to record a phone conversation, but exceptions are allowed for law enforcement officers who obtain a court order to intercept communications.
Martin Hart, Bonaventura’s former defense attorney, declined to comment on the case. His current attorney, Travis Shetler, did not reply to a request for comment Thursday afternoon.
Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240. Follow @k_newberg on Twitter.
