Jeff German Explained

Birth Name:Jeffrey Michael German[1]
Birth Date:23 August 1953
Birth Place:Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.
Death Place:Las Vegas Valley, Nevada, U.S.
Death Cause:Homicide by stabbing
Jeff German
Occupation:Journalist, podcaster, author
Employer:Las Vegas Review-Journal
Las Vegas Sun
Education:Marquette University (MA)

Jeffrey Michael German (August 23, 1953 – September 2, 2022) was an American investigative reporter who wrote for the Las Vegas Review-Journal and the Las Vegas Sun, his career spanning four decades. He was stabbed to death in 2022. Robert Telles, elected Clark County, Nevada Public Administrator, 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.[2]

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. He covered the MGM Grand fire in 1980 and the early 2000s FBI investigation into bribes taken by Clark County commissioners (Operation G-Sting). With fellow reporter Cathy Scott, he broke the story of the 1997 murder of mafia associate bookmaker Herbert Blitzstein.[3]

In 2001, German wrote the true crime book Murder in Sin City: The Death of a Las Vegas Casino Boss,[4] 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.[6]

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]

After being laid off by the Las Vegas Sun in 2009,[8] German joined the Las Vegas Review-Journal newspaper staff in 2010.

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.[9] [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.[11]

Death

German was found stabbed to death outside his Las Vegas Valley home on September 3, 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.[3]

On September 7, police arrested Clark County Public Administrator[13] Robert Telles on suspicion of German's murder.[14] [15] 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.[16] Telles' trial began in August 2024.[17]

The killing of Jeff German was condemned by the Director-General of UNESCO Audrey Azoulay in a press-release published on 9 September 2022.[18] 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.[19] [20] German's death is included on UNESCO’s Observatory of Killed Journalists.[21]

Personal life

He was the brother-in-law of editorial cartoonist Mike Smith.[22]

Portrayals in television

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.[23]

Notes and References

  1. News: Police: Las Vegas journalist Jeff German dies in stabbing outside home . Chicago Tribune . AP . September 3, 2022 . September 5, 2022 . September 5, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220905030806/https://www.chicagotribune.com/nation-world/ct-aud-nw-vegas-journalist-stabbing-20220904-thi6toozyzho7fmmutyscsrsu4-story.html . live .
  2. News: Bogel-Burroughs . Nicholas . Baker . Mike . 2022-09-11 . A Slain Reporter, a City of Sin and a Politician Charged With Murder . en-US . The New York Times . 2022-09-12 . 0362-4331 . September 25, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220925145031/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/11/us/las-vegas-jeff-german-journalist.html . live .
  3. News: Investigative reporter who covered Las Vegas mob stabbed to death in 'senseless act' . September 5, 2022 . The Independent . September 5, 2022 . en . September 4, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220904224143/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/crime/jeff-german-stabbed-death-journalist-b2159656.html . live .
  4. News: McDougall . A. J. . Bolies . Corbin . 2022-09-04 . Las Vegas Investigative Reporter Stabbed to Death Outside His Home . en . The Daily Beast . 2022-09-05 . September 5, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220905005512/https://www.thedailybeast.com/las-vegas-review-journal-reporter-jeff-german-stabbed-to-death-outside-his-home . live .
  5. Web site: Brewer . Ray . 2022-09-04 . Police: Las Vegas journalist dies in stabbing outside home - Las Vegas Sun Newspaper . 2022-09-05 . lasvegassun.com . en . September 4, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220904223856/https://lasvegassun.com/news/2022/sep/04/police-las-vegas-journalist-dies-in-stabbing-outsi/ . live .
  6. News: Evidence leads to arrest of Murphy, Tabish . 5 September 2023 . Las Vegas Sun . 8 August 2001.
  7. 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" . 2022-09-12 . www.prnewswire.com . en . September 13, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220913233611/https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/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-301315056.html . live .
  8. Web site: 'Blitzstein's Been Murdered. Let's Go.'. 2022-09-04. Cathy. Scott. POLITICO. September 27, 2022. September 25, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220925175250/https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2022/09/14/remembering-jeff-german-las-vegas-00056738. live.
  9. Web site: Review-Journal investigative reporter Jeff German killed outside home . Las Vegas Review-Journal . September 4, 2022 . September 4, 2022 . September 4, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220904075937/https://www.reviewjournal.com/crime/homicides/review-journal-investigative-reporter-jeff-german-killed-outside-home-2634323/ . live .
  10. Web site: 2022-09-04 . Las Vegas investigative reporter found fatally stabbed outside home . 2022-09-05 . Los Angeles Times . en-US . September 5, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220905010332/https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-09-04/las-vegas-investigative-reporter-found-dead-outside-home-with-stab-wounds . live .
  11. News: Smith . Emily . These are some of the stories Jeff German wrote about Robert Telles . 9 February 2023 . . 8 September 2022 . en.
  12. News: Las Vegas Reporter Found Fatally Stabbed Outside His Home, Police Say . . September 4, 2022 . September 4, 2022 . Medina . Eduardo . September 4, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220904213605/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/04/us/las-vegas-reporter-killed.html/ . live.
  13. Web site: Clark County Public Administrator . Clark County, Nevada Government . 2024-05-05 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231002114445/https://www.clarkcountynv.gov/government/elected_officials/county_public_adminstrator/index.php . 2023-10-02 . dead.
  14. News: Lacanlale . Rio . Las Vegas police: DNA match led to elected official's arrest in death of reporter . 9 February 2023 . USA TODAY.
  15. News: Kaplan . Amy . Police: Jeff German Attack Caught on Video; Robert Telles DNA Found at Scene . . 8 September 2022.
  16. News: Erickson . Briana . Ferrara . David . Puit . Glenn . September 7, 2022 . Police arrest county official in reporter's stabbing death . en-US . . live . September 7, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220908013701/https://www.reviewjournal.com/crime/homicides/police-arrest-county-official-in-reporters-stabbing-death-2635486/ . September 8, 2022.
  17. News: New trial date scheduled for Robert Telles as device search continues . Matthew . Seaman . 2024-03-26 . . 2024-05-05 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240330161537/https://news3lv.com/news/local/new-trial-date-scheduled-for-robert-telles-as-device-search-continues . 2024-03-30 . live.
  18. Web site: O'Hagan . Clare . 9 September 2022 . Director-General condemns killing of news journalist Jeff German in the US . 14 June 2022 . UNESCO.
  19. Web site: Communication and Information . 14 June 2023 . UNESCO.
  20. Web site: Safety of journalists . 14 June 2023 . UNESCO.
  21. Web site: Observatory of killed journalists . 14 June 2023 . UNESCO.
  22. Web site: Jeff German, investigative reporter for Las Vegas Review-Journal, stabbed to death - UPI.com. UPI.
  23. Web site: Fed up over bullying, Nevada women take secret video of "monster" boss. He was later indicted for murder. February 18, 2024.