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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)
Occupations
  • Journalist
  • podcaster
  • author
Employers

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 by Robert Telles, an elected Clark County, Nevada Public Administrator, whom German had investigated and reported on.

Early life and education

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German was born to Jewish parents Max and June German (née Kaplan) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.[3] 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.[4]

Career

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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).[5] With fellow reporter Cathy Scott, he broke the story of the 1997 murder of mafia associate bookmaker Herbert Blitzstein.[6]

In 2001, German wrote the true crime book Murder in Sin City: The Death of a Las Vegas Casino Boss,[7] which told the story of the death of Ted Binion, heir to the Binion's Horseshoe fortune.[5] His book also covered the theft of Binion's silver, known as the Binion Hoard.[8]

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.[7][9]

After being laid off by the Las Vegas Sun in 2009,[10] German joined the Las Vegas Review-Journal newspaper staff in 2010.[2]

In the aftermath of the 2017 Las Vegas mass 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][7][11] 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][12]

Death

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German was found stabbed to death outside his Las Vegas Valley home on September 3, 2022. He was 69 years old.[13] 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.[6] The suspect had worn an orange jacket, straw hat and Nike sneakers.

On September 7, police arrested Clark County Public Administrator[14] Robert Telles on suspicion of German's murder after DNA matching Telles was found in the crime scene.[15][16] Telles had lost his re-election bid in the Democratic primary after German published the results of an investigation that found Telles was contributing to a hostile work environment and having an inappropriate relationship with a staffer.[17] In an August 2024 jury trial, Telles was convicted of German's murder.[18][19] On August 28, 2024, he was sentenced to life with the possibility of parole after 20 years.[20] On October 16, 2024 he was sentenced to an additional 8 to 20 years on enhancements for using a knife and German having been over 60 at the time of his murder.[21]

The killing of Jeff German was condemned by the Director-General of UNESCO Audrey Azoulay in a press-release published on September 9, 2022.[22] 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.[23][24] German's death is included on UNESCO’s Observatory of Killed Journalists.[25]

Personal life

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German was a bachelor, and lived alone. His sister is married to editorial cartoonist Mike Smith.[26]

Portrayals in television

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In the CBS crime documentary 48 Hours narrated by Peter Van Sant, German's killing and the coverage of security footage of a suspect and that suspect's subsequent arrest are portrayed in "The Assassination of Jeff German" in 2024.[27]

References

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  1. ^ "Police: Las Vegas journalist Jeff German dies in stabbing outside home". Chicago Tribune. Associated Press. September 3, 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. ^ "Max German Obituary (2007) - Milwaukee, WI - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel". Legacy.com.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ a b Brewer, Ray (September 4, 2022). "Police: Las Vegas journalist dies in stabbing outside home". Las Vegas Sun. Archived from the original on September 4, 2022. Retrieved September 5, 2022.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ "Evidence leads to arrest of Murphy, Tabish". Las Vegas Sun. August 8, 2001. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ 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.
  11. ^ "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.
  12. ^ Smith, Emily (September 8, 2022). "These are some of the stories Jeff German wrote about Robert Telles". CNN. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
  13. ^ 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.
  14. ^ "Clark County Public Administrator". Clark County, Nevada Government. Archived from the original on October 2, 2023. Retrieved May 5, 2024.
  15. ^ Lacanlale, Rio. "Las Vegas police: DNA match led to elected official's arrest in death of reporter". USA TODAY. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
  16. ^ Kaplan, Amy (September 8, 2022). "Police: Jeff German Attack Caught on Video; Robert Telles DNA Found at Scene". Heavy.com.
  17. ^ 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.
  18. ^ Seaman, Matthew (March 26, 2024). "New trial date scheduled for Robert Telles as device search continues". KSNV. Archived from the original on March 30, 2024. Retrieved May 5, 2024.
  19. ^ Lenthang, Marlene (August 28, 2024). "Ex-politician Robert Telles found guilty of murder in stabbing death of Las Vegas investigative journalist". NBC News. Associated Press. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
  20. ^ "Nevada politician found guilty of murdering reporter Jeff German". BBC News. August 28, 2024.
  21. ^ "Robert Telles sentenced for murdering RJ reporter Jeff German". Las Vegas Review-Journal. October 16, 2024. Retrieved November 2, 2024.
  22. ^ O'Hagan, Clare (September 9, 2022). "Director-General condemns killing of news journalist Jeff German in the US". UNESCO. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
  23. ^ "Communication and Information". UNESCO. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  24. ^ "Safety of journalists". UNESCO. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  25. ^ "Observatory of killed journalists". UNESCO. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  26. ^ "Jeff German, investigative reporter for Las Vegas Review-Journal, stabbed to death". UPI. September 4, 2022.
  27. ^ "Fed up over bullying, Nevada women take secret video of "monster" boss. He was later indicted for murder". CBS News. February 18, 2024.
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