Lawyers Claim Stephen Paddock Asset Distribution Delayed by FBI, Police Release New Footage

Posted on: June 15, 2018, 09:00h. 

Last updated on: June 15, 2018, 08:44h.

The family of Las Vegas shooter Stephen Paddock wants nothing to do with his assets and has asked lawyers to distribute whatever equity he left behind to his 1 October victims. But lawyers working on the case say the FBI is preventing that from happening.

Stephen Paddock Las Vegas shooting
Assets that belonged to Stephen Paddock such as his house in Mesquite are to be distributed to those he killed or injured. (Image: Robyn Beck/Getty/Metro Police/Casino.org)

Appearing before Clark County Court Judge Gloria Sturman, financial accountant Larry Bertsch — who has been put in charge of the distribution — along with  attorney Alice Denton, assert that federal officials are blocking access to Paddock’s estate.

“They have said they will not allow us to review the records,” Denton told the judge. “We are receiving resistance from them.

Bertsch is trying to tally just how financially well-off Paddock was. Reports regarding his wealth have varied greatly. Relatives said he had at least $2 million.

Sturman set a September 12 meeting to report on whether the FBI has opened access to Denton and Bertsch.

On the night of October 1, Paddock opened fire from his 32nd floor Mandalay Bay suite onto an outdoor music festival across the Strip below. The massacre left 58 dead and injured over 800.

Combining Assets

Denton says Paddock had at least two bank accounts. She says a Wells Fargo account is thought to have around $85,000, but accessing an account at the Nevada State Bank is being blocked by bank officials.

The bank accounts, we are having much difficulty with. We are receiving resistance from them,” Denton told the judge. “We have it on good information there is money in there, and they are refusing Mr. Bertsch access.”

Bertsch is also in the process of tallying just how much Paddock’s physical assets are worth. Along with a house in Mesquite and another in Reno, he is pouring over an arsenal of weapons, several cars, boats, and jewelry.

Victims’ families and shooting survivors began receiving payments in March. The Las Vegas Victims’ Fund raised $31.4 million, with gaming industry companies donating about $12.5 million. The Vegas Strong Fund raised an additional $5.2 million.

Each family of the deceased will receive $275,000, as will 10 other survivors who suffered permanent paralysis or brain damage.

Motive Unknown

It’s been 257 days since Paddock carried out the deadliest mass shooting in modern US history. No motive has ever been established.

Another batch of police records were released this week featuring previously undisclosed emergency 911 calls. It is the sixth such records release.

Media outlets, including the Associated Press, have filed court orders for the release of police body camera footage, dispatch logs, witness accounts, and law enforcement reports. This week’s disclosure showed video footage of how country music fans in attendance at the Route 91 Harvest music festival turned from concertgoers to first responders during the shooting.

Paddock went to great lengths to cover his actions leading up to the massacre. The FBI is expected to release its final report on the shooting next month.