Crime · Las Vegas

Las Vegas: Ex-Lutheran Social Services CEO, estranged wife indicted on theft charge

A Clark County grand jury charged the couple with one felony count each over money prosecutors say was taken from the bankrupt Las Vegas nonprofit.

November 6, 2026 at 12:08 PM · Vegas Support Center

A Clark County grand jury has indicted the former chief executive of Lutheran Social Services of Nevada and his estranged wife on one felony count each of comprehensive theft between $25,000 and $100,000. A chief deputy district attorney announced the indictments in court on Friday, November 6. The man is 68 and the woman is 62. Both were in custody at the Clark County Detention Center on Friday, according to jail records.

Prosecutors allege a multiyear embezzlement scheme involving both defendants. They say the scheme took thousands of dollars from the nonprofit and contributed to its wind-down and bankruptcy. The prosecutor also said the man, a former North Las Vegas police officer, used that background to gain the trust of the organization's board members.

A district judge set cash-only bail at $60,400 for each defendant, roughly the amount prosecutors say was taken. The prosecutor argued that without bail the defendants would likely spend the money rather than pay restitution. The court also ordered electronic monitoring and barred both from contacting any former board members.

The man served as CEO from January 2024 until the remaining board members fired him in June. The woman had served on the board and was paid as a contractor. He filed for divorce in March.

The nonprofit, headquartered on Boulder Highway, was funded by donations and by hundreds of thousands of dollars in government grants. It offered hot meals for seniors, a food pantry and housing assistance. It suspended operations in October 2025 and filed for bankruptcy in September 2026.

Trouble at the organization surfaced earlier. In September 2024, several board members and key employees quit after learning, they said, of monthly payments of $8,500 each to the woman and to her business partner while the nonprofit struggled to make payroll and pay vendors. The man has said the payments were proper and that board members knew or should have known about them. He said his wife handled marketing and fundraising and her business partner took on executive duties.

A former chief financial officer said that after the nonprofit received tax-credit money in late December, the man immediately made a $42,000 payment to his wife, even though the organization owed a bank and vendors hundreds of thousands of dollars. That former officer said he was told he might testify before the grand jury on Thursday but was not called.

Two former board members who are retired or serving Lutheran pastors resigned in December 2025 after the CEO, the board chair and the business partner refused to step down. One of them said she was relieved by the indictments. She and the former financial officer said they still hope another nonprofit will buy the building and resume serving people in need. One current board member said he had not heard of the indictments, and the board chair did not respond to a request for comment.

The indictments are accusations, and the case now moves through Clark County District Court. Residents who relied on the nonprofit's meals, groceries or housing help can look for other local services.

Source: Review-Journal

More Clark County news →