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Tea Party candidate makes restitution, avoids arrest
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Scott Ashjian
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LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Updated: Sep. 11, 2010 | 3:29 p.m.
U.S. Senate hopeful Scott Ashjian will avoid being arrested on felony charges of theft and writing bad checks after he paid $5,575 to cover a bounced check and court fees.
The Tea Party of Nevada candidate told the Las Vegas Review-Journal on Thursday that his campaign would release a statement regarding all of his legal woes today .
"The bottom line is, I did pay money on a stop payment check, it wasn't an insufficient funds claim like (the complaint that) was issued," Ashjian said. "At the end of the day, the facts will come out."
Chief Deputy District Attorney Bernie Zadrowski said a Las Vegas judge is expected to approve withdrawal of criminal charges against Ashjian sometime today.
If he had been convicted, the 46-year-old Ashjian would have faced up to 14 years in state prison and would have been banned from running for elected office.
"He came in (Wednesday) and made full restitution," said Zadrowski, chief of the bad check unit.
Ashjian is one of 22 candidates seeking to unseat Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Democrat running for his fifth term.
Last week, the Nevada State Contractors Board revoked Ashjian's contractor's license for his asphalt company and ordered him to pay more than $2,600 in additional fees on top of the $37,000 to complainants, which also included a bad check written for $981.82.
As of Thursday, board spokesman Art Nadler said Ashjian had not paid the fines and fees as needed to reinstate his contractor's license.
When asked about his campaign to unseat Reid, Ashjian said voters are perceiving it "based on untrue stories."
"We plan on presenting the facts, and at the end of the day the facts will fall on our side," Ashjian said. "The GOP elitists are pulling out all stops trying to get me to check out."
The Senate candidate has had mounting legal troubles since announcing his candidacy. Public documents show Ashjian faced foreclosure on home loans totaling almost $1 million, owed a $200,000 Internal Revenue Service tax debt and faced liens and city nuisance actions.
The Associated Press contributed to this report. Contact Kristi Jourdan at kjourdan@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0279.
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If the RJ and other media outlets keep calling him the Tea Party candidate they will be giving Reid what he needs... A SPLIT VOTE AMONG CONSERVATIVES. Come on RJ just report the news and quit trying to influence the election. Then again without the RJ's tampering, the election will be a boring landlide to whoever opposes Reid.
This Democratic shill is not endorsed by the Tea Party. He is a front man, intended to disgrace the new movement of angry Tax Payers who are fed up with Federal Government trying to control everyone and everything, and turn America into another Europe. This man is a phoney. He won't be pulling away any Independent voters from a more genuine Tea Party Candidate. He tipped his hand too soon, and we are on to him.
U.S. Senate hopeful Scott Ashjian is the sole member of the:
"The Tea Party of Nevada"
There are no other members . . .
He is the only one.
May he get one vote . . . his own.
This guy sounds like a perfect fit for Washington D.C., all the qualifications of a REID
There is no official "tea party" except in Nevada, where this guy--registered the "tea party" name. If you don't wonder about that, then you have not followed Sen Reid's career very closely.
This guy is an asphalt contractor who cold not make his house payments.
The folks who have gathered under the Tea Party events disavow any knowledge of him. It appears his SOLE purpose is to divide the opposition to the most corrupt politician to ever abuse their office. Don't fall for it Nevada.
Harry, you are done.
A vote for Scott Ashjian is a vote for Harry Reid. Please do not fall into the trap that Reid has set. I am not crazy about Sue Lowden as a candidate, but ANYONE is better than Harry Reid. Helen, please reconsider your position below or we could have Reid screwing things for Nevada for another six years.