On a Saturday morning, outside his residence, Jeff German, an investigative journalist who is highly regarded and respected in Nevada, was discovered deceased with injuries from stabbing, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
German made a career in Las Vegas, shooting a multitude of breaking stories about political scandals, government malfeasance, and organized crime.
“Expressing his deep sorrow, Executive Editor Glenn Cook stated, “The Review-Journal family is heartbroken by the loss of Jeff. He was the epitome of excellence in the journalism industry. It is difficult to fathom what today would be like without his extensive experience in uncovering the truth in the shadows of Las Vegas.”
The police in Las Vegas stated on Sunday morning that the investigation into the homicide is of utmost importance for the department.
On Saturday, the police department stated that it had implemented its major case protocol in the homicide investigation. This protocol aims to bring together different resources to enhance the investigative effort and prioritize the capture of the suspect.
As per Capt. Dori Koren from the Metropolitan Police Department, law enforcement authorities arrived at the area of Bronze Circle, situated near North Tenaya Way, at approximately 10:30 a.M. On Saturday in response to a 911 call reporting the death of a neighbor on the premises of the deceased individual’s residence.
According to the police, it is believed that his involvement in a stabbing incident resulted in a confrontation with another individual on Friday during the late morning. Authorities discovered German, who is 69 years old, with injuries caused by a stabbing outside his residence.
“According to Koren, we believe the confrontation occurred outside of the residence.”
“We do have some leads. We are pursuing a suspect but the suspect is exceptional,” Koren said.
Murder is the cause of death. The local coroner’s office confirmed that German passed away “due to several penetrating wounds,” stated Clark County representative Dan Kulin on Sunday afternoon. There is no danger to the general public and the stabbing is thought to be a solitary occurrence, according to Koren.
“Our condolences are with Jeff’s family and friends during this challenging period,” Kulin stated.
German Cook stated that he had expressed any concerns about his personal safety or received any threats against him to the Review-Journal’s leadership.
Cook said, “Why would Jeff kill someone now? Right now, we are all questioning, can the police identify a suspect? I hope they can arrest someone soon, and I’m relieved that they have identified a suspect.”
Mayor Carolyn Goodman of Las Vegas expressed her shock upon hearing about the passing of German.
“Goodman stated that this act of violence was senseless. We must stop and always find this manner of loss shocking. The police investigation will be closely followed by us.”
Became a part of RJ in 2010.
Cathy Scott, author and reporter, joined the Las Vegas Sun in 2010 after working for more than two decades at the Las Vegas Journal-Review, where he covered organized crime, government, labor, politics, and courts.
In 1997, the murder of Herbert “Fat Herbie” Blitzstein, an associate of the Las Vegas mafia, was initially reported by her and German, as she recalled. She mentioned that German frequently covered numerous stories related to organized crime.
Scott said, “He was a hard guy to please.” He had plenty of sources and worked diligently. He was a true newsman, dedicated to his craft.
Geoff Schumacher, the former governor of Nevada and the lead reporter at the Sun newspaper, worked closely with Mike O’Callaghan, the editor, to document a lot of exclusive stories in the trenches of organized crime in Las Vegas. Currently, Geoff serves as the vice president of programs and exhibits at the Mob Museum in downtown Las Vegas.
Schumacher stated, “Ink flowed vigorously through his veins. He was undoubtedly a journalist from the beginning to the end. He was not someone who thought, ‘Perhaps I will be a reporter for a period and then pursue another path.’ Jeff was completely devoted to his role as a journalist.”
Schumacher remarked, “I wasn’t surprised that even in this later stage of his life, he continued to be an active journalist. He enjoyed uncovering narratives, conducting interviews, and uncovering evidence. Clearly, he had a strong desire to outdo his rivals and put in a great deal of effort towards that goal.”
His investigative efforts consistently had an influence, with numerous of his narratives resulting in improvements or alterations in staff and policy.
His recent reporting has brought to light the deficiencies in city inspections that were evident prior to the tragic Alpine Motel Apartments fire in 2019. Additionally, he has uncovered allegations of intimidation, animosity, and poor leadership within the public administrator’s office of Clark County, as well as instances of radical behavior in Southern Nevada.
The Clark County Coroner’s office has been plagued by lax oversight for years, and claims of sexual harassment have been revealed by investigative reporter Art Kane. Despite requesting copies of public records under Nevada law, the Review-Journal was unable to obtain them. Additionally, it was reported that city officials had deleted surveillance videos of an altercation involving Councilwoman Victoria Seaman and fellow Councilwoman Michele Fiore. The FBI is currently scrutinizing Councilwoman Fiore’s campaign finances, and this news broke when the investigation was announced.
Wayne Newton, an unexpected testimony, served as the focal point for uncovering the ascent and decline of organized crime in the eight episodes of “Mobbed Up: the Fight for Vegas” from 2021, the highly-regarded true-crime podcast by the Review-Journal. German took on the role of both writer and host for Season 2.
During that period of reporting on the criminal organization, German conveyed the narrative by conducting thorough interviews with prosecutors and elected officials, as well as drawing from his own memories of the late 1970s. The primary emphasis of the audio project revolved around the Aladdin Hotel and its connections to the Detroit criminal syndicate, which was a collaborative effort between the Review-Journal and The Mob Museum.
Schumacher mentioned that during his time as a beat journalist many years ago, he was deeply involved in the Aladdin Hotel incident. He further explained that although it may have been challenging to find evidence solely through news articles, he managed to retell the complete story of the Aladdin Hotel and all the events that had occurred there with remarkable clarity and brevity in his podcast.
Investigative work.
The investigative team of the Review-Journal, along with other members, conducted a yearslong investigation into the Visitors and Convention Authority’s officials who were elected to serve on the agency’s board for overseas trips and employees for gifts and entertainment. They wrote a story that revealed lavish purchases, and examined more than 32,000 pages of receipts from top executives.
Other stories disclosed that the convention authority diverted security officers from their jobs to chauffeur key officials around town and attend events, while also handing out pricey items such as golf clubs and iPads worth more than $125,000, in response to the accepted convention authority’s accounting firm’s recommendations to cut spending on travel and gifts.
The audit, which led to criminal charges being settled for several defendants in 2020, resulted in a sweeping replacement of executive leadership, including longtime CEO Ralenkotter Rossi. The audit revealed that top executives had misused gift cards worth thousands of dollars from Southwest Airlines, sparking numerous stories.
Exclusive coverage of a mass shooting.
The German shooting, which occurred several days after the independent review recommended stronger protections, exclusively reported that the shooter had fired at two nearby fuel tanks and acted alone. The investigation by the Las Vegas Review-Journal, amidst the aftermath of the worst mass shooting in modern American history, revealed that the shooter killed 60 people and fired into a crowded outdoor concert from his suite on the 32nd floor of Mandalay Bay, a high-roller hotel.
German officials also learned that Mandalay Bay, including a casino on the Strip, had been lax in forcing casinos to comply with a state law from 2003, which required them to submit plans for emergency response. They admitted that there were no standards to judge whether the plans submitted by the casinos were even workable in responding to the task of revamping and strengthening the requirements on casinos. The lack of oversight was documented in German records obtained by the investigation led by state officials.
Once again, the German government was involved in a case of misconduct as a felon who had previously robbed three jewelry stores returned to the scene.
After completing her treatment, she was rehired and received her money back. Instead of allowing her to quietly resign and seek treatment for her gambling addiction, the criminal justice system through Locke Audrie, the aide to Wolfson, decided not to prosecute the longtime aide who had stolen nearly $42,000 from his 2014 campaign. This decision was revealed by investigative writer Clark, who was leading the story.
In 2014, duplicates of personal emails between Wolfson and Locke conversing about the robbery were acquired by German and a colleague journalist, exposing that the robbery had stayed undisclosed for over three years. Upon being confronted with the emails, Wolfson and Locke consented to interviews and verified the suppressed controversy.
Wolfson faced criticism for losing important endorsements and for his opponent gaining support in the re-election race, due to the story that portrayed him giving preferential treatment to his close aide.
Ted Binion, the heir to Fortune Club Horseshoe, was the subject of the book “Death in the City of Sin: The True-Crime Story of the Murder of a Las Vegas Casino Boss” which was written by a German author who held a master’s degree from Marquette University.
Many tributes to Germany were observed throughout Nevada and the Las Vegas Valley on Sunday.
Governor Steve Sisolak called the tragic loss of German’s life a “death” and added that mentoring young reporters was a great and fair but challenging task for the German community.
Rep. Dina Titus, a Democrat from Nevada, expressed her sorrow over the tragedy.
“He was a fearless reporter who never shied away from tough stories, and he exposed many stories that matter, which made our city in need of reform,” tweeted Titus.
A personal ceremony will take place on Wednesday.