A Nevada political consultant was indicted in Las Vegas on a variety of charges that include extortion, perjury and filing a false document.
Tony Dane was accused Thursday of using threats to try and get Republican Assemblyman Chris Edwards to change his vote for the Assembly Speaker post in the weeks before the state Legislature convened early last year. A judge ordered Dane's arrest on the 11 felony charges.
Dane, who runs the Dane & Associates robo-call business used mainly by conservative candidates, is accused of illegal conduct during a contentious period after Republicans unexpectedly won a majority of seats in the Assembly in 2014. Conservative and more moderate party members were split on which Republican among them should hold the top-ranking Assembly Speaker post.
According to the complaint, Dane threatened Edwards that unless he voted for Elko Republican Assemblyman John Ellison for speaker, Dane would file a complaint with law enforcement or a state regulatory body accusing Edwards of taking a bribe.
Republican Assemblyman John Hambrick, the choice of more moderate members, ultimately won the speaker post.