Dirty politics, a toxic boss, and a murdered reporter: the Robert Telles story

Gulf Coast Confidential with Mollye Barrows

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The truth hurts, but it killed 69-year-old Jeff German, an investigative reporter in Las Vegas.

The well-known reporter had spent more than four decades covering government and organized crime for Las Vegas’ two leading newspapers and was infamous for his fearless truth telling and confronting the powerful on behalf of the powerless.

Nothing daunted German, not even when a mobster once punched him in the face over one his articles. He took it as a badge of honor.

So, it was no surprise when German took on an elected official, Robert Telles, who was accused of abusing his county position and his employees, and creating a toxic workplace "mired in turmoil and internal dissension" caused by the administrator having an "inappropriate relationship" with a female staffer.

Telles, a former probate and estate lawyer, went on to lose his next election after German wrote a string of articles exposing Telles’ affair and the divisive mismanagement of his office. He was distraught over the loss and Telles’ mistress said he blamed German, even “hated” him, but it all part of the job for German.

Until the day the investigative reporter was found slashed to death just outside his home. German had been stabbed seven times in the neck and chest. Police believe he was ambushed and fought back before succumbing to his wounds.

Join us for how police were able to catch his killer in this episode of the Gulf Coast Confidential podcast called “Dirty politics, a toxic boss, and a murdered reporter: The Robert Telles story.”

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1. Dirty politics, a toxic boss, and a murdered reporter: the Robert Telles story (00:00:00)

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3. (Cont.) Dirty politics, a toxic boss, and a murdered reporter: the Robert Telles story (00:25:16)