Las Vegas campaign adviser likely to be charged amid sex slave claims
Prosecutors are expected to file a criminal complaint on Monday against a Las Vegas political adviser accused of sexually enslaving and battering his then-fiancee, a spokeswoman for the Clark County district attorney’s office said.
The spokeswoman, Audrie Locke, said prosecutors have been reviewing the case against Benjamin Sparks, who most recently worked on Nevada Republican Cresent Hardy’s campaign to win back the 4th Congressional District seat he held from 2015 to 2017.
According to a Las Vegas police report regarding a March 29 incident, there is “probable cause to arrest Sparks for domestic battery.” The incident involved a dispute at the Las Vegas home he shared with his fiancee.
Locke said it is unclear how many charges Sparks, 35, will face.
“Sometimes they may file more charges,” she said.
According to the police report, Sparks and his fiancee had argued over his cocaine use and other “relationship issues.” It led to Sparks physically blocking the door for two hours.
During the dispute, the victim suffered injuries to her thumb and lost a fingernail.
According to emails, documents and text messages obtained by the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Sparks previously had his fiancee sign a contract to become his “slave and property.” The contract required her to kneel and look down when she entered his presence, be nude at all times, have sexual relations with him whenever he wanted and wear a collar in private.
In text messages sent a day before the March 29 altercation, Sparks asked his fiancee to be tied up and blindfolded and to have sex with other men in front of him. She said the request was her breaking point.
The woman said Sparks fled to Texas and left all his belongings behind. Locke said her office could issue a warrant, or Sparks could be summoned to return to Nevada.
Sparks was fired last week from his job as political affairs director for RedRock Strategies, a prominent GOP consulting firm. He worked on high-profile congressional campaigns, including that of New Mexico lawmaker Yvette Herrell, and national races, including Mitt Romney’s 2012 presidential campaign and the anti-recall campaign of Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker in 2012.
Sparks’ ex-fiancee told the Review-Journal on Friday that she plans to tell prosecutors about the violence involving Sparks.
“Regardless of the consequences, I’m committed to pressing charges and following through,” said the woman, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
Contact Ramona Giwargis at rgiwargis@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4538. Follow @RamonaGiwargis on Twitter.
