By: Las Vegas Now Staff
A posh condo and hotel is coming under fire again for operating without a proper license. But now comes allegations of a manager breaking into a closed unit — and the getaway is caught on tape.
The condo is already catching heat for operating the hotel without the proper licenses. Now one owner says the Meridian isn't paying up the rent money and the manager is even caught on camera apparently taking property out of the owner's condo.
Meridian condo manager Rebecca Desmet is helping, hoisting and smiling for the camera after allegedly entering a sealed unit and taking property out. It's a “gotcha” that the unit's owner, Gary Brudner, says goes beyond common decency and the law.
“As in the wild, wild west — I think she still thinks Nevada in 1880 or something,” said Brudner.
Brudner is an investor in New York. His third floor condo was converted into a hotel rental. It is still available when he's in town but can be rented out to make extra money.
This summer, the county found out Meridian never had the proper licenses to act as a hotel and rent out the condos. When that happened, the rent money from Meridian stopped.
“Sure enough, rent didn't come the following month. We waited a month, rent didn't come – no communication. We tried calling, nobody answers,” said Brudner.
Last week, Brudner had enough fighting and in anger, he had constables evict the renter and seal the condo by court order. He even took pictures to document what happened. “I had the door sealed. Constable put a seal on the door,” said Brudner.
Brudner came back the next day to tie up some loose ends and he saw something was wrong. “I go up — my unit's been broken into. Everything was taken out that was the tenants',” he said.
Someone had broken the orange seal, but the locks had been changed. It happened from inside. “I never dreamed someone was going to break in through the window,” said Brudner.
So Brudner started asking questions. “I wonder if there's any security tapes?”
He watched the video to find proof of his suspicions — in of all places — the elevator. “If somebody's going to steal something, they're going to use that elevator. And voila! There ya go. All the stuff coming from my apartment into that elevator,” he said.
Brudner says Rebecca Desmet and a number of bell hops hauled out items from his condo. “Ya know, little pirate booty,” he said.
Desmet can be seen laughing and even waving at the camera during the move-out — caught, but not caring. “She could have easily just stuck her middle finger up at us. I mean, it would have been the same thing,” he said.
Tuesday, Desmet was in court to answer misdemeanor charges about the lack of licenses to run the hotel. She says she was just an employee, following orders.
As far as entering Brudner's condo, she confirmed it was her on camera, but had no other comment leaving court.
Brudner was told the renter was only sub-leasing and that Desmet and Meridian were the tenants — trying to get the property back. Now Brudner is trying to get the attention of police and wave good-bye to his problems with Meridian.
Brudner did contact Metro. They told him breaking and entering and opening the sealed condo was a civil matter for the constables. The constables tell us, no, breaking the seal is criminal contempt of court.
Gary Brudner just wants answers and some justice. Nothing of serious value of his property was taken from the condo — only the renter's belongings. Even so, he feels violated and taken advantage of.
Desmet will be back in court next week for another hearing on the license violations.
Email your comments to Investigative Reporter Jonathan Humbert. |
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