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Jeff German

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Jeff German
Born
Jeffrey Michael German[1]

(1953-08-23)August 23, 1953 [citation needed]
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.
DiedSeptember 2, 2022(2022-09-02) (aged 69)
Las Vegas Valley, Nevada, U.S.
Cause of deathHomicide by stabbing
EducationMarquette University (MA)
Occupation(s)Journalist, podcaster, author
Employer(s)Las Vegas Review-Journal
Las Vegas Sun

Jeffrey Michael German (August 23, 1953 – September 2, 2022) was an American investigative reporter who wrote for the Las Vegas Review-Journal[2] and the Las Vegas Sun, his career spanning four decades. He was stabbed to death in 2022. Elected official Robert Telles, whom German had investigated and reported on, is accused of his murder.

Early life and education

German was a native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He earned a master's degree from Marquette University. He began his journalistic career as an intern for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. He also worked with Jim Romenesko.[3]

Career

German was a columnist and investigative reporter at the Las Vegas Sun for more than two decades, covering organized crime, government, politics, and courts.[2] He covered the MGM Grand fire in 1980 and the early 2000s FBI investigation into bribes taken by Clark County commissioners (Operation G-Sting).[4] With fellow reporter Cathy Scott, he broke the story of the 1997 murder of mafia associate bookmaker Herbert Blitzstein.[5]

In 2001, German wrote the true crime book Murder in Sin City: The Death of a Las Vegas Casino Boss,[6] which told the story of the death of Ted Binion, heir to the Binion's Horseshoe fortune.[4] His book also covered the theft of Binion's silver known as the Binion Hoard.[7]

German was a writer and host for the podcast series Mobbed Up: The Fight for Las Vegas which was co-produced with the Mob Museum.[6][8]

After being laid off by the Las Vegas Sun in 2009,[9] a year later German joined the Las Vegas Review-Journal newspaper staff in 2010.[2]

In the aftermath of the 2017 Las Vegas shooting, German was the first to report that the shooter had initially fired at two nearby jet fuel tanks at the Las Vegas airport before turning his attention to the music festival site.[2][6][10] He also reported on failures in the city's inspections ahead of the fatal 2019 Alpine Motel Apartments fire, and investigated mismanagement, unlawful misconduct, and bullying in the office of the Clark County Public Administrator, Robert Telles.[2][11]

Death

German was found stabbed to death outside his Las Vegas Valley home on September 4, 2022. He was 69 years old.[12] The police reported that he had been involved in an altercation with somebody outside his house the day before he was found dead and that they had identified a suspect for his murder.[5]

On September 7, police arrested Clark County public administrator Robert Telles on suspicion of German's murder.[13][14] Telles had lost his re-election bid in the Democratic primary after German published the results of an investigation that Telles was contributing to a hostile work environment and having an inappropriate relationship with a staffer.[15]

The killing of Jeff German was condemned by the Director-General of UNESCO Audrey Azoulay in a press-release published on 9 September 2022.[16] UNESCO’s mandate to “promote the free flow of ideas by word and image” includes the protection of journalists and media workers against any forms of attacks and reprisals related to their duties.[17][18] German's death is included on UNESCO’s Observatory of Killed Journalists.[19]

Personal life

He was the brother-in-law of editorial cartoonist Mike Smith.[20]

References

  1. ^ "Police: Las Vegas journalist Jeff German dies in stabbing outside home". Chicago Tribune. AP. September 3, 2022. Archived from the original on September 5, 2022. Retrieved September 5, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Review-Journal investigative reporter Jeff German killed outside home". Las Vegas Review-Journal. September 4, 2022. Archived from the original on September 4, 2022. Retrieved September 4, 2022.
  3. ^ Bogel-Burroughs, Nicholas; Baker, Mike (September 11, 2022). "A Slain Reporter, a City of Sin and a Politician Charged With Murder". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on September 25, 2022. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
  4. ^ a b Brewer, Ray (September 4, 2022). "Police: Las Vegas journalist dies in stabbing outside home - Las Vegas Sun Newspaper". lasvegassun.com. Archived from the original on September 4, 2022. Retrieved September 5, 2022.
  5. ^ a b "Investigative reporter who covered Las Vegas mob stabbed to death in 'senseless act'". The Independent. September 5, 2022. Archived from the original on September 4, 2022. Retrieved September 5, 2022.
  6. ^ a b c McDougall, A. J.; Bolies, Corbin (September 4, 2022). "Las Vegas Investigative Reporter Stabbed to Death Outside His Home". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on September 5, 2022. Retrieved September 5, 2022.
  7. ^ "Evidence leads to arrest of Murphy, Tabish". Las Vegas Sun. August 8, 2001. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
  8. ^ Review-Journal, Las Vegas. "The Las Vegas Review-Journal In Partnership With The Mob Museum Unveil Season 2 Of True-Crime Podcast "Mobbed Up: The Fight For Las Vegas"". www.prnewswire.com (Press release). Archived from the original on September 13, 2022. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
  9. ^ Scott, Cathy (September 4, 2022). "'Blitzstein's Been Murdered. Let's Go.'". POLITICO. Archived from the original on September 25, 2022. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
  10. ^ "Las Vegas investigative reporter found fatally stabbed outside home". Los Angeles Times. September 4, 2022. Archived from the original on September 5, 2022. Retrieved September 5, 2022.
  11. ^ Smith, Emily (September 8, 2022). "These are some of the stories Jeff German wrote about Robert Telles". CNN. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
  12. ^ Medina, Eduardo (September 4, 2022). "Las Vegas Reporter Found Fatally Stabbed Outside His Home, Police Say". The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 4, 2022. Retrieved September 4, 2022.
  13. ^ Lacanlale, Rio. "Las Vegas police: DNA match led to elected official's arrest in death of reporter". USA TODAY. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
  14. ^ Kaplan, Amy (September 8, 2022). "Police: Jeff German Attack Caught on Video; Robert Telles DNA Found at Scene". Heavy.com.
  15. ^ Erickson, Briana; Ferrara, David; Puit, Glenn (September 7, 2022). "Police arrest county official in reporter's stabbing death". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Archived from the original on September 8, 2022. Retrieved September 7, 2022.
  16. ^ O'Hagan, Clare (September 9, 2022). "Director-General condemns killing of news journalist Jeff German in the US". UNESCO. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
  17. ^ "Communication and Information". UNESCO. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  18. ^ "Safety of journalists". UNESCO. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  19. ^ "Observatory of killed journalists". UNESCO. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  20. ^ "Jeff German, investigative reporter for Las Vegas Review-Journal, stabbed to death - UPI.com". UPI.
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