Thread: Officials confirm probe of AZ sheriff, his office UPDATED

Officials confirm probe of AZ sheriff, his office

By JACQUES BILLEAUD, Associated Press Writer
Thursday, January 7, 2010 at 9:10 p.m.

PHOENIX— Two top county officials said Thursday night they have been subpoenaed to answer questions next week before a federal grand jury about a high-profile Arizona sheriff and his office.

In statements read by a county spokesman, Maricopa County Manager David Smith and Deputy County Manager Sandi Wilson said they met with a federal prosecutor to discuss the case and will testify Wednesday.

Wilson said the general subject of the inquiry was abuses by Sheriff Joe Arpaio's office. Neither Wilson nor Smith offered specifics, said county spokesman Richard de Uriarte, who spoke with the two officials Thursday night.

Sheriff's spokesman Brian Lee said Arpaio was declining to comment on reports of the investigation. "He has stated that we will conduct business as usual," Lee said.

Sandy Raynor, a spokeswoman for the U.S attorney's office in Phoenix, said she couldn't confirm or deny a grand jury investigation.

Arpaio and an ally are embroiled in nasty legal disputes with county officials and judges. Two county supervisors and one county judge have been criminally charged in investigations by Arpaio and County Attorney Andrew Thomas.

Last month, Arpaio and Thomas filed a federal racketeering lawsuit against a group of county administrators, judges and attorneys, accusing them of participating in a conspiracy to hinder an investigation into a $341 million court building under construction in Phoenix and the investigation of Supervisor Don Stapley.

Arpaio is widely known for tough jail policies and pushing the bounds on local immigration efforts. He has led a dozen crime and immigration sweeps, some in heavily Latino areas.

Critics allege that some of Arpaio's deputies racially profiled people during immigration sweeps. But Arpaio maintains that people pulled over in the sweeps were approached because deputies had probable cause to believe they had committed crimes.

He was told in March that his office is being investigated by the U.S. Department of Justice over allegations of discrimination and unconstitutional searches and seizures. Arpaio had said he believed the investigation was spurred by his immigration efforts.

Last year, Arpaio was stripped of some of his special authority to make federal immigration arrests, though he retains some federal power that allows his jail officers to speed up deportations.

A half-day after his powers were limited, he launched a crime and immigration sweep and has since continued his enforcement of state laws banning immigrant smuggling and prohibiting businesses from knowingly hiring illegal immigrants.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010 ... is-office/

Grand jury investigating Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Arizona

The probe focuses on potential abuse of power against Maricopa County officials who disagree with him. Arpaio is known for his controversial immigration policies.

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio is best known for his tough immigration policies. (Roy Dabner / Associated Press / May 10, 2006)

By Nicholas Riccardi
January 9, 2010

Reporting from Denver - A federal grand jury is investigating Joe Arpaio, the Arizona sheriff known for his aggressive stance on illegal immigration, for possible abuses of power in launching investigations of local officials who disagree with him, authorities said Friday.

Two Maricopa County officials have been subpoenaed to appear before the grand jury to testify about Arpaio's actions against county officials since they moved to cut his budget in late 2008.

Since then Arpaio and County Atty. Andrew Thomas, an ally, have filed criminal charges against two county supervisors, have said dozens of other county workers are under investigation and have filed a federal racketeering lawsuit accusing the entire county political structure of conspiring against them.

The investigation of Arpaio has been rumored for months, but the statements from County Manager David Smith and Deputy County Manager Sandi Wilson confirming the subpoenas, issued Thursday, are the first official confirmation.

The FBI and U.S. attorney's office in Phoenix declined to comment on the investigation. Arpaio's office did not return a call for comment.

In an interview Friday, Wilson, the county's budget chief, said a prosecutor from the U.S. attorney's office met with her and Smith this week. "They told us that they were looking at abuses by Sheriff Joe Arpaio and his office, abuses of power," she said.

Wilson said she was not asked about the sheriff's controversial immigration policies. Arpaio uses his deputies to enforce federal immigration law and is known for sending hundreds of officers into heavily Latino neighborhoods to ask anyone who commits violations as minor as jaywalking about their immigration status.

Among the officials targeted by Arpaio and Thomas has been Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox, the lone Democrat on the board, for possible conflict of interest.

Wilson, whom Arpaio has named as part of a possible criminal conspiracy, said it was a relief that the federal government had looked into complaints from a wide array of Arizona officials about the sheriff's behavior.

"My children are adopted from other countries, and I used to feel good about having brought them here, but now I'm not sure," she said. "It doesn't feel like America here in Maricopa County. You have no idea what it's like to know you could be arrested for just doing your job."

n icholas.riccardi@latimes.com

http://www.latimes.com/news/nation-and- ... 3496.story

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