Scammer indicted, ordered to prison

Accused of trying to menace detective

After receiving probation for filing bogus real estate paperwork, Thomas Benson has been indicted again and ordered to prison.

District Judge Ronald Israel this week revoked Benson’s probation, after finding that he violated it, and imposed what had been a suspended sentence of two to five years in state prison, with 173 days credit for time served, court records show.

The order came after a Clark County grand jury indicted Benson — who authorities say follows anti-government “sovereign citizen” ideology — on charges of intimidating a public officer, a gross misdemeanor.

According to the Aug. 9 indictment, Benson sent a letter last month to a Las Vegas police detective who has investigated Benson to threaten or intimidate the detective from pursuing cases against him.

Benson told District Judge Michael Villani at an arraignment Thursday that he would defend himself in court and that he wanted to make a statement. Villani said the statement would be a guilty or not-guilty plea, but when Benson said he was challenging the court’s jurisdiction, the judge entered a not-guilty plea because, he said, Benson refused to answer the court’s question.

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jave Road to those in need of help. The facility, which officially opened in March, offers a place for victims to seek free legal advice, file police reports, find temporary housing and get help filing protection orders.

The Clark County coroner’s office will release the identities of the man and woman once their families are notified. The office also will determine their causes and manners of death.

Contact Mike Shoro at mshoro@ reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5290. Follow @mike_shoro on Twitter.