Ex-state employee pleads guilty

The former deputy director of the Nevada Board of Osteopathic Medicine faces pleaded guilty Monday in Las Vegas to felony charges stemming from the embezzlement of more than $60,000 in board funds.

The state attorney general's office said John Delap III, 30, pleaded guilty to two felony counts of theft of property with a value of more than $2,500. Each count carries a possible sentence of up to 10 years in prison. He'll be sentenced Sept. 9 by Clark County District Judge Sally Loehrer.

Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto said an investigation by her office's Bureau of Criminal Justice revealed that Delap embezzled board funds by forging checks made payable to himself and others, illegally obtained and used a state credit card to buy personal items, and embezzled additional funds to pay off the credit card debt and hide the embezzlement.

Delap was arrested in December and initially was charged with 34 counts of theft, forgery and unlawful use of public money while employed by the osteopathic board.

During its investigation of Delap, the attorney general's office learned that he had pleaded guilty to felony embezzlement while employed by Administrators in Medicine, a nonprofit national organization that supports the work of state licensing boards for both osteopathic doctors and allopathic doctors.

Delap was AIM's former treasurer, and his theft took place while he was in office between December 2003, and November 2004. At the time of his employment with AIM, Delap also held his position at the osteopathic board.

Delap was placed on probation for five years in the AIM case, and was ordered to make restitution of $34,208. He also was told to attend Gamblers Anonymous meetings.