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A Las Vegas judge has committed suicide a year after resigning to avoid being embroiled in an ethics investigation.
Melanie Andress-Tobiasson, 53, resigned as justice of the peace ahead of a hearing on ethics charges with her trial scheduled to begin in 2021.
He claimed that he had been trying to save his daughter, Sarah, from prostitution after she began working at a clothing store that he believed was a front for criminal activity.
The mother of three was reportedly found dead on Friday, according to 8NewsNowalthough it is not clear where or how he died.
Melanie Andress-Tobiasson, 53, resigned as justice of the peace ahead of a hearing on ethics charges with her trial scheduled to begin in 2021.
He claimed he was trying to protect his daughter Sarah, pictured, from becoming involved in a prostitution ring.
She had been living in her $2 million, five-bedroom mansion in Las Vegas with her husband Todd before her death.
Tobiasson was under investigation by the Nevada Judicial Disciplinary Commission for nearly two years, after she asked police to investigate a clothing store where her daughter worked.
The former judge claimed that the shop, Top Knotch, was being used as a front for prostitution and that his daughter Sarah was being recruited as a prostitute.
He accused the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department of ignoring the information he provided, claiming he was trying to save his daughter from sex trafficking.
Tobiasson claimed the store was an unlicensed underage nightclub and a front for prostitution, and Sarah, who was 16 at the time, said she was “terrified” of Shane Valentine, who ran the store.
The judge said she was forced to go to the FBI with the information after inaction by local police, with officers tracing her phone and claiming she was interfering with a vice investigation.
He accused the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department of ignoring the information he provided, claiming he was trying to save his daughter from sex trafficking.
The judge (pictured with her husband and children) said she was forced to go to the FBI with the information after inaction by local police, with cops tracing her phone and claiming she was interfering with a vice investigation.
Tobiasson claimed the store was an unlicensed nightclub for minors and a front for prostitution. Sarah, who was 16 at the time, said she was “terrified” of Shane Valentine, who ran the store.
He claimed that pimps were “targeting the daughters of judges and law enforcement” in an attempt to engage them in prostitution.
In a complaint filed against Tobiasson, it was alleged that she failed to follow or respect the law and allowed family interests and relationships to influence her conduct.
She asked officers to investigate Valentine, but claims they did not, and the suspect was later linked to a shooting where a couple were found dead.
He was not officially linked to the murders of Sydney Land, 21, and Nehemiah ‘Neo’ Kauffman, 20, until months later.
However, Tobiasson reached out to Land’s mother and “began to personally investigate the case” because he thought Valentine was responsible, according to the complaint.
He added that he used “throwaway phones” to contact Land’s mother and sent a message to a woman he believed was involved in the murder.
She had been living in her $2 million, five-bedroom mansion in Las Vegas with her husband Todd before her death.
Shane Valentine was accused of the murders of Sydney Land and Nehemiah Kauffman, in addition to being accused by the judge of running a prostitution ring.
He was not officially linked to the murders of Sydney Land, 21, (left) and Nehemiah ‘Neo’ Kauffman, 20, (right) until months later.
The commission alleges that Tobiasson publicly stated that he approached Valentine’s attorney at the time and “told him to tell Valentine that if she called her daughter again she would ‘handle it herself’ and that on one occasion she ‘went to see Shane.” Valentine’s house and kicked in the door.
Detectives learned of Tobiasson’s activity, according to the charges, and launched an investigation into the judge, going so far as to trace her phone records.
They also alleged that he had ties to a man named ‘Anthony Danna’ who was a ‘known and documented organized crime figure’.
The commission decided not to suspend Tobiasson and Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Amy Chelini after a hearing on concerns about profanity used outside of court and administrative complaints involving court clerks.
However, as part of a deal, his resignation resulted in his ethics trial being halted when he resigned from his position.
Tobiasson graduated from Bishop Gorman High School and won re-election multiple times.
He worked for the Clark County District Attorney’s Office before taking office in 1999.
For help and support National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255