A Henderson family law attorney was arrested after court marshals spotted a loaded handgun inside his briefcase during a routine security screening at the Family Courts and Services Center on North Pecos Road. Matthew Friedman, a founding partner at the law firm Ford & Friedman, was arrested on suspicion of a felony after telling marshals he had simply forgotten the firearm was inside his bag.
According to an arrest report, a deputy marshal was screening bags at the courthouse entrance around 8:55 a.m. on October 14, 2026, when the marshal spotted what appeared to be a firearm inside Friedman's brown briefcase on the X-ray monitor, as reported by KSNV. The marshal stopped the conveyor belt, and a second marshal checked the X-ray image before the briefcase was pulled aside. Friedman told marshals he was an attorney with a court appearance that morning, the report states.
Per the same account, Friedman acknowledged he did not have a concealed carry permit and said he had just remembered the firearm was in his briefcase and had forgotten it was there. Marshals ultimately recovered a Springfield XD .45-caliber handgun loaded with six rounds of ammunition, which was registered to Friedman. He was arrested on suspicion of carrying a concealed firearm without a permit, a felony.
A Felony Carved Out of Nevada's Gun Law
Nevada generally allows people to openly carry firearms without a permit, but the law draws a hard line once a gun is concealed. Under Nevada Revised Statutes § 202.350, carrying a concealed firearm on one's person or inside a container such as a briefcase without a valid Concealed Carry Weapon permit is classified as a Category C felony, according to the Las Vegas Defense Group. Nevada lawmakers upgraded that offense from a Class D felony to a Category C felony in 2003, according to Nevada Lawyer, which had been in effect since 1959.
A Category C felony conviction in Nevada carries a statutory sentence of one to five years in state prison and a fine of up to $10,000, the Nevada Legislature notes. Separately, Nevada law generally allows concealed-carry permit holders in public buildings, subject to restrictions such as buildings with a metal detector at every public entrance or signs at every entrance, per Justia Law.
Courthouse Security Did Its Job
The Eighth Judicial District Court confirmed the incident occurred at the Family Courts and Services Center on North Pecos Road and said court security and law enforcement promptly handled the arrest. The Pecos Road facility houses the court's Family and Juvenile Divisions, part of a court system that presides over more than 97,000 cases annually across Clark County, according to the Eighth Judicial District Court.
During the incident, a deputy marshal screened bags at the courthouse entrance using an X-ray monitor. That screening caught the handgun.
The arrest comes roughly a year after the same Clark County Family Court building was struck by gunfire during a multi-day shooting spree across the Las Vegas Valley that led to the arrest of suspect Hector Andres Rodriguez, who faced multiple felony counts for discharging firearms at public buildings, as Hoodline previously reported.
Friedman holds a Juris Doctorate from the William S. Boyd School of Law at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and specializes in complex divorce and family law litigation across Clark County courts.
Friedman's office declined to comment on the matter. He has a next court appearance scheduled for November 12.
