Ex-DOIT security chief booked

Randy Potts, the man in charge of security for the state's computer systems until he was fired Monday afternoon, was booked the same day on felony charges at the Carson Sheriff's Department.

Accompanied by his wife, Potts surrendered to investigators from the Nevada Attorney General's Office and was released on his own recognizance pending his initial appearance in court.

Department of Information Technology Director Terry Savage said Potts was fired Monday. He was reportedly given the option of resigning, but chose not to.

He faces felony charges of theft, embezzlement, attempted unlawful use of public money and altering, falsifying, or defacing records. The potential maximum penalty is five years in prison for each of the four counts.

The criminal complaint was issued last week after a monthlong investigation of a 2005 trip to Denver. Potts filed claims seeking $1,757 in reimbursement for expenses incurred while attending a homeland security cyber-security conference.

He received permission to attend after submitting a request reportedly to attend the third annual Multi-States Information Sharing and Analysis Center meeting in Denver from Nov. 29-Dec. 2. When he returned, he submitted a two-page memo outlining meetings with Colorado's chief information security officer, but mentioned nothing about the multi-state meeting.

Investigators found there was no such meeting in Denver on those dates. The meeting detailed in the flier actually occurred in Washington during April. One of the charges centers on allegations Potts changed the date on the flier to justify the trip.

Potts has been on administrative leave since the formal investigation began in March. He has worked at the technology department for the past three years and, according to Savage, has done an excellent job of improving cyber-security for Nevada's state agencies.

Potts' lawyer Andre Boles could not be reached for comment.

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