Ex-state workers indicted again

Two former state employees, including the ex-chief of the Criminal History Repository, have been indicted by the Washoe County Grand Jury on charges of misconduct, fraud and theft.

The indictments name Daryl Riersgard, former head of the repository, and his former program manager Jeff Artz.

Senior Deputy Attorney General Neil Rombardo said the two are accused of allowing family members to take state-owned fingerprinting machines for use in their private businesses.

He said Becky Riersgard, Daryl's wife and owner of Fingerprinting Express in Reno, was allowed to take one machine from the Henderson Police Department.

When it didn't work because of damage suffered during the move, her husband and Artz allowed her to replace it with a machine from the repository, which was a little over a year old.

Live-scan fingerprinting computers cost about $18,700 according to Rombardo.

"Government employees should not benefit themselves or family members by virtue of their position in government," he said.

The indictments are similar to December indictments issued by a Clark County Grand Jury accusing the two men of giving another one of the machines to Anthony Carillo, owner of Fingerprinting Pros in Las Vegas. Carillo is the son of Artz's longtime girlfriend, Suzie.

The two men have already been arraigned on charges in the Southern Nevada case.

The Washoe County indictments accuse both Riersgard and Artz of misconduct by a public officer, two counts of fraudulent appropriation of property and three counts of theft.

Both men will be arraigned in Washoe County District Court on Feb. 16.

Fingerprinting Pros and Fingerprinting Express are two of about a half-dozen companies in the state which provide fingerprinting services for prospective casino workers and others who need to have their prints on file with their employer or the state.

Riersgard was one of several ex-Reno police and Washoe sheriff's officers brought to the Department of Public Safety by former Reno police chief and former Washoe Sheriff Dick Kirkland.

Kirkland put him in charge of the repository to streamline its operations, eliminate backlogs and speed handling of background checks, including those for potential NHP and public safety officer applicants.

-- Contact reporter Geoff Dornan at gdornan@nevadaappeal.com or 687-8750.