Former Las Vegas City Councilman Ricki Barlow, 46, of Las Vegas, Nevada, pleaded guilty today to one count of wire fraud after admitting he orchestrated a scheme to steal $66,125 from his own 2015 reelection campaign. Barlow exploited his position of power to funnel tens of thousands in campaign funds into his personal pockets through a rigged vendor kickback operation and unreported cash contributions, federal prosecutors revealed.
Barlow admitted to directing friends and associates to submit grossly inflated invoices as campaign vendors for his bid under the banner ‘Ricki Barlow for City Council.’ At his instruction, these individuals cashed the payments and returned roughly half — in cash — directly to Barlow. Over time, he siphoned off $49,125 through this fraudulent setup, all while maintaining ultimate control over campaign spending despite having a separate campaign treasurer handling the official bank account.
In addition to the kickbacks, Barlow confessed to accepting $17,000 in unreported cash campaign donations. He never passed those funds to his treasurer or declared them to state authorities, instead using the money for his own personal benefit. The unaccounted contributions further deepened the breach of public trust, illustrating a pattern of deliberate financial deception.
To cover his tracks, Barlow caused his campaign to file false campaign finance reports with the Nevada Secretary of State. These falsified documents concealed the inflated payments, concealed kickbacks, and omitted the unreported cash entirely, effectively laundering the stolen funds through official channels.
“Rather than serving the community he was elected to represent, Ricki Barlow abused his position of trust and concocted a scheme to line his own pockets,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General John P. Cronan of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Corruption at any level of government harms the community by undermining public confidence in elected leaders.”
Sentencing is scheduled for May 31, 2018, before U.S. District Judge Andrew P. Gordon. The FBI’s Las Vegas Field Office led the investigation. Prosecution is being handled by Trial Attorney Ryan J. Ellersick of the Public Integrity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel R. Schiess. “No one, including elected officials, is above the law,” said U.S. Attorney Dayle Elieson. “The defendant violated his oath of office and the public’s trust for personal gain.”
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Key Facts
- State: Nevada
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Public Corruption
- Source: Official Source ↗
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