Pahrump winery fined after hosting event with president’s son

The state of Nevada has fined a Pahrump winery thousands of dollars for COVID-19 safety violations at a September event featuring the son of President Donald Trump.

Eric Trump made an appearance at the Pahrump Valley Winery on Sept. 24. A news release from the Nevada Department of Business and Industry said the winery was fined $8,501 the week of Sept. 28 for COVID-19 safety violations.

Teri Williams, public information officer for the department, confirmed the fines were related to the event featuring Eric Trump.

“The business hosted an event at which their employees worked and at which the 50-person limit of attendees was exceeded, social distancing among attendees was not maintained and face coverings were not being worn by all attendees,” the state said.

Williams said the state also issued a citation and $6,073 in fines to a Las Vegas entity known as LMG LLC. That fine was also related to the Trump event in Pahrump, Williams confirmed, although it was not immediately clear what services LMG performed at the event.

The winery and LMG did not return calls seeking comment on Tuesday.

Nevada’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration conducted inspections of 405 businesses between Sept. 28 and Oct. 2 and officers found 92 percent compliance with COVID-19 directives among businesses. In the third quarter, which began Oct. 1, OSHA has issued a total of 34 citations statewide.

Williams said the maximum penalty of $134,940 can be assessed to an employer that willfully violates the provisions of effective directives and guidance.

Contact Glenn Puit by email at gpuit@reviewjournal.com. Follow @GlennatRJ on Twitter. Review-Journal staff writer Richard N. Velotta contributed to this report.