LAS VEGAS — 8 News Now Investigators have learned that Henry Ruggs III, a former wide receiver for the Las Vegas Raiders, is working at the Nevada Governor’s Mansion in Carson City while he serves his 3- to 10-year prison term.
In August 2023, Ruggs, 25, was given his term after admitting that he had been drunk when he drove 156 mph into another car, killing Tina Tintor, 23, and her dog. In November 2021, there was a crash. The amount of alcohol in Ruggs’ blood was 0.16, which is twice the legal limit.
Ruggs is doing his time at the Stewart Conservation Camp in northern Nevada. This is a place where minimum custody and community trustee criminals are kept. Based on the Nevada Department of Corrections, Ruggs is a “community trustee.” Community directors work for the government and get paid $2.50 an hour for that job.
The department says that community trustee inmates “represent a limited potential to misbehave and represent a low risk to escape while assigned to work in the community.” They are given jobs in parks and leisure, buildings and grounds work, and the Governor’s Mansion, where they clean, do groundwork, and help with events.
The department says that about four prisoners are transferred to the Governor’s Mansion.
As per the records, Ruggs started his time at the High Desert State Prison, which is north of Las Vegas. It takes 45 minutes to drive northwest of Las Vegas to get to the jail, which is the biggest in the department. After that, in September of last year, he was moved to Stewart Conservation Camp.
In the beginning, Ruggs was charged with DUI causing death, DUI causing bodily harm, two counts of careless driving causing death or serious bodily harm, and having a gun while drunk. In May of last year, he agreed to a plea deal.
Ruggs will be able to go free in August 2026. A spokeswoman for the company said that he can get credit for time worked as part of his work program.
