A Las Vegas real estate investor and former congressional candidate who built his campaign around fighting government corruption is now facing a fresh indictment of his own, this time from Clark County prosecutors over $650,000 in state grant money he allegedly failed to spend as promised. Rick Kiran Saga, 53 as of May 2025, was already under federal indictment in an alleged multimillion-dollar embezzlement scheme when the new state charges surfaced.
According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, a Clark County District Court indictment charges Saga with felony theft of $100,000 or greater along with 12 counts of using a monetary instrument derived from unlawful activity. The Nevada Attorney General's Office is prosecuting the case but declined to comment, per the same report. Under Nevada Revised Statutes 205.0835, theft of $100,000 or more is a Category B felony carrying a mandatory sentence of one to 20 years in state prison, restitution, and a fine of up to $15,000, according to Justia Law.
The state's case centers on 1909, LLC, which owned a behavioral health and homeless health care facility at 1909 S. Jones Blvd. in Las Vegas — the Review-Journal reports the property served as the primary hub for Silver State Health Services, providing primary care and behavioral health programs for low-income residents. The building spans roughly 17,390 square feet, according to a TenantBase listing. Prosecutors allege Saga received $650,000 from Nevada through 1909, LLC to perform construction work at the site but never completed the tenant improvements, failed to use the entrusted monies for their intended purpose, and failed to issue the state a refund.
A Separate Federal Case Already in Motion
The new state charges land on top of an existing federal indictment accusing Saga of participating in an alleged embezzlement scheme involving roughly $2 million in federal grant money. The Nevada U.S. Attorney's Office said Saga and David Ryan Linden, 36 as of May 2025 and the former chief executive officer of Silver State Health Services, were indicted on charges of conspiracy, federal program theft, money laundering, money transactions in criminally derived property, and one count of false document, per the Review-Journal. Federal prosecutors have said the stolen grant money was used to purchase commercial real estate properties, and that the funds were intended for health care items, benefits, and services for indigent people in Las Vegas.
The federal case traces back further than the state charges. Federal authorities initially indicted Linden alone in June 2024 over a $735,000 grant before expanding the case in May 2025 to add Saga as a co-defendant, according to The Nevada Independent. That outlet's reporting on federal court records shows that in June 2019, $340,000 from a $735,000 federal health grant awarded to Silver State Health Services was transferred into an account for Freedom Infusions LLC, a company managed by Saga and Robert Nghiem. The FBI and the HHS Inspector General conducted a joint investigation into the nonprofit's grant management before the case was expanded.
The May 2025 federal superseding indictment against Saga and Linden alleged two money laundering counts totaling nearly $1.8 million, two felony money transaction counts totaling nearly $3.6 million, and a criminal forfeiture demand seeking at least $2.1 million in property, the Independent reported. Hoodline previously covered the federal indictment in detail, noting the case was assigned to U.S. District Judge Jennifer Dorsey in Las Vegas, with prosecution led by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Steven Myhre and Justin Washburne. Saga was released on a personal recognizance bond after his initial federal court appearance, and the federal case has a trial scheduled for December, with charges against both Saga and Linden still pending.
Before the Health Grants, a Marijuana Business and a Rural Expansion Bid
Saga's business dealings predate the grant controversies. Before his federal indictment, he was an officer in Nye Farm Tech, a licensed marijuana business, and in 2020 he met with Nye County officials in an attempt to acquire the vacant Pahrump Medical Center for Silver State Health Services, according to the Independent's reporting, as the nonprofit sought to expand healthcare facilities into rural Nye County while pursuing federal grant funding.
From Corruption Crusader to “Indicted Rick”
Saga's campaign website said he wanted to create a better future for Nevadans while fighting corruption, and his platform included investigating possible corruption, including misuse of state and federal funds, per the Review-Journal. After his May 2025 federal arrest, his own site began referring to him as “Indicted Rick Saga,” embracing the indictment as a campaign label rather than distancing himself from it. On his campaign website, Saga also claimed the federal case was a manufactured indictment resulting from government overreach and political lawfare, framing his run around combating government abuse, according to a report from Joe Hoft.
Voters were not persuaded. Saga ran unsuccessfully in the Republican primary for Nevada's 1st Congressional District, finishing last in a five-candidate field with just 1.3% of the vote, or 406 votes, according to Ballotpedia. State Sen. Carrie Buck won the nomination in the June primary with 77.7% of the vote, per the same results.
It remains unclear whether state and federal prosecutors intend to coordinate scheduling between the December federal trial and the newly unsealed Clark County proceedings, or whether additional commercial properties or corporate entities tied to the grant transfers could face further state or federal asset forfeiture. Both the state theft case and the federal embezzlement charges remain pending as Saga's legal troubles mount on two separate fronts.
