The chief engineer at Harrah's Las Vegas, Robert Bruna, faces 12 charges stemming from work that officials say was done improperly at the Las Vegas Strip hotel.

The facilities chief at the Rio, David "Skip" Matthews, faces five charges for renovation of rooms at the Rio, and a fifth count for work at a West Twain warehouse owned by parent company Harrah's Entertainment Inc.

Both men declined comment when reached Tuesday by the Las Vegas Review-Journal. They face arraignment April 1 before separate judges in Las Vegas. If convicted, they could face up to $17,000 in fines 8 1/2 years in jail.

Harrah's executive Jan Jones issued a statement saying the company expected the misdemeanor charges, which she said "don't reflect any new allegations."

Jones said the company was cooperating with county officials, and said remediation work was "well under way and on schedule."

Clark County District Attorney David Roger did not say whether company executives might face charges stemming from a probe begun last year of undocumented or substandard work at the two Harrah's properties.

Officials reported finding the remodeling was done without mandatory permits or required safety inspections after the Review-Journal reported that workers complained about shortcuts that could jeopardize public safety.

Since the county in late September reopened an investigation of renovations at the Rio, more than 1,000 of the hotel's rooms were closed for some period of time.

At Harrah's Las Vegas on the Strip, about 600 guest were closed for exploratory inspections and repair work. Most have since reopened.

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