At its core, “Lies within Lies” is a convergence of hearts. Romantic hearts, stout hearts, and those with a heart felt belief in the law clashing against the cold-hearted bureaucrats intent on bringing down Judge Harry Claiborne. It’s a chilling page-turner one must occasionally put down to absorb what transpired. It’s not pretty.

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Merv Adelson Options

LIES WITHIN LIES

About Nevada’s Judge Harry Claiborne

LAS VEGAS – Merv Adelson, who co-founded Lorimar Television and is now an executive advisor to Warner Brothers, has optioned a hard-hitting new book about a controversial Las Vegas federal judge for development as a feature movie.

The book, Lies Within Lies: The Betrayal of Nevada Judge Harry Claiborne, by Michael Vernetti, recounts Claiborne’s run-in with federal prosecutors in the 1980s. Claiborne became the first federal judge in U.S. history to be convicted of a crime allegedly committed while on the bench, served time in a federal penitentiary, impeached by Congress and removed from office.

“Harry Claiborne was the most brilliant lawyer of his generation and his rise began when I was a young real estate developer in Las Vegas,” Adelson said. “I have always thought he was unfairly targeted and prosecuted, and this book exposes all the malice and misjudgment of federal authorities who used every bit of their formidable power to get a judge they didn’t like. The book is extremely cinematic and I am confident it will become a major motion picture that audiences will embrace.”

Adelson’s former company, Lorimar Television, was responsible for mega-hits Dallas, The Waltons, and others. He sold Lorimar to Warner Brothers in 1989 and in his new role with the media conglomerate is responsible for enticing new media entrepreneurs to the company.

Lies Within Lies is Vernetti’s second book, following a biography of the late U.S. Senator from Nevada, Howard Cannon, who was responsible for Claiborne’s appointment to the federal bench in 1978.

Published in February 2011 by Stephens Press. LLC of Las Vegas, Lies Within Lies, is available at local bookstores and on Amazon.com. Details about the Claiborne and the book can be found at www.LiesWithinLies.com. Terms of the deal with Adelson were not revealed.

Carri Geer Thevenot

LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL

Former U.S. District Judge Harry Claiborne ended his colorful life in 2004 by shooting himself in the head at his Las Vegas home.

Claiborne, 86, survived prison and impeachment in life; but health problems, including Alzheimer’s disease, finally defeated him.

Seven years after Claiborne’s death became front-page news in Las Vegas, a California author is seeking to restore the man’s reputation with his new book, “Lies Within Lies: The Betrayal of Nevada Judge Harry Claiborne.” The book, $28.95 in hardcover, is being published by Stephens Press, a Review-Journal sister company.

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Harry Claiborne was as famous – and star-crossed – as any lawyer who ever came out of Las Vegas. His Reno trials on bribery and tax evasion charges and his confrontation with the U.S. Congress over impeachment dominated Nevada news from 1980-87, when he returned from prison. His suicide in 2004 galvanized public opinion once more.

Test your knowledge by answering the following questions:

1) Claiborne’s first scrape with federal prosecutors involved charges that he:

a) Fell behind in alimony payments
b) Hunted big game without a license
c) Ordered a bug placed in his girlfriend’s home
d) Took a bribe from a defendant for letting him off easy

2) One of the leading proponents of investigating Claiborne was:

a) U.S. Attorney Mahlon Brown III
b) FBI Director William Webster
c) Washoe County District Attorney Cal Dunlap
d) Las Vegas FBI chief Joseph Yablonsky

3) Las Vegas private detective Eddie LaRue was involved in the Claiborne case because:

a) He helped launder bribe money for Claiborne
b) He had secret tapes of Claiborne in compromising positions
c) He served as Claiborne’s bodyguard
d) His agency once tailed a Claiborne love interest

4) Claiborne’s lead defense attorney was:

a) F. Lee Bailey
b) Oscar Goodman
c) Gary Spence
d) Joseph Alioto, Sr.

5) Claiborne’s chief accuser on bribery charges was:

a) Whittaker Chambers
b) Anthony Spilotro
c) Joe Conforte
d) Frank Sinatra

6) Claiborne’s first trial ended how?

a) A charge of jury nullification
b) Conviction
c) Innocent verdict
d) Mistrial on several counts

7) The subject of Claiborne’s second trial was:

a) Income tax irregularities
b) Bribery
c) Mann Act violation
d) Mopery

8) Claiborne railed at whom for being “a bunch of crooks”?

a) Strike Force attorneys
b) Congress
c) His ex-wives
d) Income tax preparers

9) Congress moved to impeach Claiborne because:

a) He failed to vote in federal elections
b) He wouldn’t resign his office
c) He wasn’t a U.S. citizen
d) He claimed Nevada was not part of the U.S.

10) Claiborne’s staunchest Senate supporter during impeachment was:

a) Albert Gore, Jr.
b) Ted Kennedy
c) Orrin Hatch
d) Harry Reid

11) After he returned to Nevada, Claiborne earned a living by:

a) Practicing law
b) Starting a private detective agency
c) Preparing income tax returns
d) Marriage counseling

Click here for answers

JANE ANN MORRISON

Las Vegas Review-Journal

Harry Claiborne, the federal judge everybody liked, even prosecutors, was not corrupt and was unjustly persecuted.

That’s the conclusion of Michael Vernetti, author of “Lies Within Lies.”

My own opinion is that the man with the Arkansas twang was a likable guy, one of the best storytellers around, but played fast and loose. I’m surprised at the number of people who adored him, but tell me privately they believe Harry Claiborne was corrupt. A few cite specifics, without wanting to see them in print.

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JANE ANN MORRISON
Las Vegas Review-Journal

In the musical “Wicked,” one song is about why people believe the Wizard is wonderful when he’s a fraud. “We believe all sorts of things that aren’t true. We call it ‘history,’ ” the Wizard says.

Then he belts out: “A man’s called a traitor, or liberator. A rich man’s a thief or philanthropist. Is one a crusader, or ruthless invader? It’s all in which label is able to persist.”

Two new books about Las Vegas prove the Wizard is on point.

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Two new books about Las Vegas prove the Wizard is on point.