A federal judge in Las Vegas is no longer presiding over a former nightclub owner's tax evasion case after questions were raised about potential ties between the judge's family and the defendant.
Robert Jones, chief U.S. district judge for Nevada, on Monday reassigned the case of defendant Steve Davidovici to himself.
"Judge Kent J. Dawson is no longer assigned to the case," Jones wrote in his order, which offered no further explanation.
Monday's move followed a closed court hearing on the case last week before U.S. Magistrate Judge Peggy Leen.
Leen has sealed the record of that hearing, meaning it's not available for public review.
Dawson in June sentenced Davidovici to house arrest and probation over objections from federal prosecutors, who sought a stiffer sentence for the former nightclub host and executive.
After the sentencing, Face to Face With Jon Ralston Producer Dana Gentry discovered that Dawson's son worked at clubs connected to Davidovici.
Davidovici was formerly a part-owner and manager of Pure nightclub at Caesars Palace and his prosecution resulted from an IRS probe into tips that were not reported as taxable income.
Dawson has said he didn't know his son worked at Gallery, a nightclub at Planet Hollywood where Davidovici was a consultant, until he was asked about it by the media.
''A question of judicial conflict has been raised regarding the employment of a member of the judge's family. This emergency hearing was called to address those concerns. The court has reviewed the matter and has found no grounds for recusal. The judge's family member is not a minor, not a member of the judge's household and until this morning, the court was unaware of his specific place of employment," says the court record from a hearing Dawson held on the matter June 29.