Two of three men in custody in connection with what prosecutors are calling a complex conspiracy involving email scams.
Two men accused of attempting to extort $50,000 from a Genoa resident were released last week after agreeing to delay their preliminary hearing, which was set for Friday.
Under Nevada law, those accused of a crime are entitled to a preliminary hearing within 15 days of their arraignment.
Junyan Wu, 22, and Lirui Diao, 21, were arrested on May 2 and first appeared in East Fork Justice Court on May 3, but difficulties with getting a Mandarin translator resulted in delays that prompted one of their attorneys to question the May 29 date.
A preliminary hearing determines whether there is marginal evidence that a crime was committed, and the accused is a likely suspect. It does not determine guilt, though prosecutors put on witnesses and evidence as part of the proceedings.
Negotiations between defense attorneys Matthew Stermitz and Mary Brown and prosecutors resulted in their waiving that 15-day requirement in exchange for their release on their own recognizance.
Both men live in Southern California and required a Mandarin translator. They were ordered to confirm a June 25 status hearing.
A Friday preliminary hearing is still set for Quan Fu Ma, 45, who was arrested May 7 in the Gardnerville Ranchos. Ma was released on a $200,000 bond two days later and appeared in East Fork Justice Court on May 14. He is represented by Stermitz.
They are among a half-dozen people requiring a translator accused of exploitation of the elderly related to emails and text messages seeking to intimidate them into paying money.
Another man is in custody awaiting sentencing after he admitted to an exploitation charge in relation to the theft of $90,000 from an elderly Minden woman.
Minglong Chen is scheduled to be sentenced on June 24 after his Sept. 9, 2024, arrest.