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Family urges Las Vegas council to investigate alleged human-trafficking and mistreatment tied to nonprofit; council heard multiple public complaints
Summary
During public comment July 1 several family members and advocates asked the council to investigate alleged mistreatment and human-trafficking of a disabled resident placed by a nonprofit, Opportunity Village; speakers said records are missing and urged open investigation. Council did not take formal action on the request during the meeting.
A group of family members and advocates used the city council’s public-comment period on July 1 to press for an open investigation into what they described as human-trafficking and negligence involving a disabled resident who had been placed in an outside work program.
Lenny DeForge told the council his son, Ray Wheatley DeForge, was placed in a work program more than five years ago and "was a victim of human trafficking," the family said. "No one's been brought to justice," Lenny said, asking the council for help and saying his son has been denied housing and fair trial opportunities in Las Vegas.
Warren Wheatley, a psychotherapist and family member, described clinical diagnoses and said the family believes Opportunity Village placed Ray in work assignments he was unsuited for and that records they sought—an evaluation from 2015—were missing or deleted. "We would like an open and public investigation of human trafficking because of the negligence on the part of Opportunity Village," he said.
Other family members and friends reiterated the request and said they had sought legal help without success; a family friend, Erin Lynn Reid, urged the council to examine Opportunity Village’s use of funds and case management practices.
The public-comment period also included other concerns: one speaker urged the council to stop opening meetings with invocations because of religious and historical objections, and other commenters raised street-tree trimming, bus-service complaints, road safety and worries about data centers and 5G infrastructure.
Council members thanked speakers but took no immediate action during the meeting; public comment rules limit council engagement during that period. The family said they would be back and urged media and investigators to look into their allegations.
