Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s top lawyer disbarred, facing criminal charges

In his six-year reign as Maricopa County’s top prosecutor, Thomas and Sheriff Arpaio went on a legal rampage against their perceived political enemies, drumming up and pursuing criminal charges that they knew were false, charges that rarely held up under scrutiny. As a result, say investigators, Thomas “undermined the public trust and inflicted great damage to the system of justice. The only way to restore that trust and to repair the damage to the system is to disbar Thomas.”

UPDATE (12:22pm): According to the Phoenix New Times’ “Valley Fever” blog, the disciplinary panel at the Arizona State Supreme Court has disbarred Andrew Thomas, Lisa Aubuchon and Rachel Alexander. Some charges were dismissed, but the panel found “clear and compelling evidence” that Thomas and his aides had abused their prosecutorial powers when pursuing charges against members of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors as well as multiple political enemies.

www.rawstory.com...

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Looks like another member of sheriff joe's team I have to respect and admire. I'm getting swamped with patriots left and right here, maybe someone can tell the white house to stop making people look so good.

Here let me clarify, I'll write the way this news story writes, replacing this lawyer with Obama:

"In his three and a half year reign as America's highest office, Obama and Emmanuel drummed up charges against his political opponent (Blagojevich) despite knowing the charges were false."

" Obama “undermined the public trust and inflicted great damage to the office of president. The only way to restore that trust and to repair the damage to the system is to impeach Obama.”

reply to post by Lord Jules


And that just shows you're paranoid and delusional.

This guy was scum.

Originally posted by Lord Jules
Looks like another member of sheriff joe's team I have to respect and admire. I'm getting swamped with patriots left and right here, maybe someone can tell the white house to stop making people look so good.

They do something illegal and you admire them for it? And please don't dirty the word patriot by associating it with sheriff Joe.

reply to post by buster2010


Legality is all in the eye of the beholder. You think this lawyer has done something illegal, I think Obama has done something illegal. What I view as right, I call patriotism, as do you, the difference is I think of someone going up against the system as a patriot, you think someone being the status quo is patriotism.

Yay!
We are that much closer to ending his psychotic
racist paranoid political rampages.

I guess depending on your beliefs
he and his "Posse's" antics are patriotic.

Ah, the tea party.
I might miss the entertainment.
Nah

Originally posted by captainnotsoobvious
reply to post by Lord Jules

 

And that just shows you're paranoid and delusional.

This guy was scum.

'was' scum? So he isn't anymore? Did he die or something or are you now admiting he is no longer scum. He was, but now he isn't? Just trying to understand. I won't address the name calling becaus its childish, an ad hominem attack, and against the terms and conditions, which I guess is 'not so obvious' to you but it is to me.

Originally posted by sealing
Yay!
We are that much closer to ending his psychotic
racist paranoid political rampages.

'Psychotic racist paranoid political rampages' wow what a mouthful. A wonder that a rampaging psychotic racist could ever become elected to office in the first place. I guess if it could happen in Arizona, it could happen anywhere, even in the whitehouse. I sure hope there are no rampaging psychotic racist politicians in the whitehouse. Oh wait, there are.

I guess the lesson here is that "Thou shall not question Dear Leader." Now, snap your heels together and get that right arm up there! Heil Obama!!!!

Originally posted by Lord Jules
reply to post by buster2010

 

Legality is all in the eye of the beholder.

No it's not..... Eye of the beholder??? Honestly ...get help. Sheriff Joe and his Posse have been the subject of an ongoing Federal investigation since GWB was in office.

These guys tried to prosecute the entire county board for "racketeering" when they considered cutting his inflated budget, tried to search the homes of and intimidate local judges, arrested the guy that ran against sheriff Joe for office, weeks before the election, then dropped the charges. Brought up charges on anyone that spoke out against them.

Sheriff Joe and his crew make the Iranian government look liberal....seriously...what a crazy response.

Originally posted by navy_vet_stg3
I guess the lesson here is that "Thou shall not question Dear Leader." Now, snap your heels together and get that right arm up there! Heil Obama!!!!

edit on 10-4-2012 by navy_vet_stg3 because: (no reason given)

Yes. thats why the Bush administration opened the Federal investigation into Sheriff Joe. It is an idiot fest around here.

reply to post by Lord Jules



Sheriff Joe is KKK without the hood.

If they needed a character study for an upcoming
movie about lynching, Joe's their man.

That's the dude you wanna defend ?
All those bs laws about asking anyone
browner than him for their papers.
The dude is a freak.

And the White house has a bigger racist in your opinion?
That's crazy talk. Cmon,you know thats crazy talk right?

Originally posted by Lord Jules
reply to post by buster2010

 

Legality is all in the eye of the beholder. You think this lawyer has done something illegal, I think Obama has done something illegal. What I view as right, I call patriotism, as do you, the difference is I think of someone going up against the system as a patriot, you think someone being the status quo is patriotism.

It's the person that you are calling a patriot that is the problem. Do you know anything of Joe's past? You do know he was the once head of the DEA out there before becoming sheriff. You do not get that job by playing by the rules. So it's kind of hard to say he is bucking the system when he is nothing but the system himself.

The op has nothing to do with Obama. It is the result of an investigation that started back when Bush was in office. So it looks like Joe's impersonation of Boss Hogg is coming to an end.

LOL @ the two idiots trying to link this to Obama. "Sheriff" Joe and his cronies have been under investigation for their shenanigans for the past 20 years, Arpaio has been rightly labeled the most corrupt Sheriff in America, and this recent action was taken by the Arizona State Supreme Court.

Originally posted by Blackmarketeer
LOL @ the two idiots trying to link this to Obama. "Sheriff" Joe and his cronies have been under investigation for their shenanigans for the past 20 years, Arpaio has been rightly labeled the most corrupt Sheriff in America, and this recent action was taken by the Arizona State Supreme Court.

So 'sheriff' 'joe' (afterall is his name really Joe? Maybe its Barry) has been under investigation for 20 years yet they can't arrest him? Must not be a whole lot of evidence if they have failed a 20 year investigation. What does that cost the tax payer to have a 20 year investigation?

reply to post by buster2010


interesting, so you think Joe is bad because he was head of the DEA? Ipso facto the DEA is bad? So why not spare Joe and go after the DEA?

Now that we revisited the past, why not visit the present, Sheriif Joe is investigating Obama, so no surprise he is in the news every week as a 'foaming at the mouth paranoid delusional nutbag racist homophobe DEA agent"

Im sorry, is the present off limits? I can only talk about what happened 20 years ago? Maybe in 20 years ill come back to see your thoughts on the matter.

Originally posted by sealing
reply to post by Lord Jules

 

Sheriff Joe is KKK without the hood.

If they needed a character study for an upcoming
movie about lynching, Joe's their man.

That's the dude you wanna defend ?
All those bs laws about asking anyone
browner than him for their papers.
The dude is a freak.

And the White house has a bigger racist in your opinion?
That's crazy talk. Cmon,you know thats crazy talk right?

So clearly this has nothing to do with the birth certificate? You know thats crazy talk right? If Joe starts lynching black people Ill agree with you he is evil, until then I cant quite get over how this may, just may tie into the birth certificate nvestigation. If you think otherwise, thats crazy talk, you know thats crazy talk, right?

Just a sampling...

1986: As co-owner of Starworld Travel Agency in Scottsdale, Arpaio sells flight reservations for the first commercial spaceship to orbit the earth, for $52,000 each. The voyage is cancelled for lack of passengers, and of a spaceship.

1993 July: Sheriff bans girlie magazines in jail.

1994 January: Sheriff bans movies in jail.

Arpaio issues gag order to sheriff's employees, trying to silence internal critics

Arpaio announces no more coffee for jail inmates.

Sheriff replaces hot lunches with brown bags and green bologna sandwiches.

1995: Justice Department begins investigation of jail conditions and treatment.

1996: Jail inmate Scott Norberg dies while being subdued by detention officers. A Justice Department investigator concludes that inmates are subjected to chronic abuse by guards.

Arpaio befriends and deputizes Sgt. David Pecard, a military imposter and ex-con. Pecard is given access to crime computers and inmates. Pecard is arrested after he checks two female prisoners out of jail and molests them. Pecard is charged with fraud, sex crimes and other offenses.

September: Sheriff's Office announces plans for female chain gangs.

November: Inmates riot in Tent City after a prisoner is pepper-sprayed for attempting to use a toilet.

1997
September: Amnesty International rips jails for cruel and inhumane conditions.

October: Department of Justice lawsuit alleges major civil rights violations in county jails. However, then-U.S. Attorney Janet Napolitano and sheriff sign a pre-filing settlement agreeing to drop the suit. At news conference with Napolitano, Arpaio declares, "Nothing changes."

1998
November: U.S. Attorney's Office reviews allegations that Sheriff's Office used false statements, bribes and threats to stifle internal critics. The case never led to any charge or public finding.

1999
March.: Five ex-employees file $20 million claim alleging Arpaio used harassment, intimidation and improper punishment to silence them. Federal investigators receive accusations that sheriff's investigators conduct surveillance and wiretaps on political foes.

June: State auditors review spending of jail funds, find that inflated pricing costs inmates $3 million per year.

July: Sheriff's Office investigates leaders of deputy association who criticized Arpaio.

August: County pays $800,000 settlement to parapilegic inmate Richard Post for jail injuries suffered in 1996.

2000

January: Romley sues Arpaio claiming sheriff funds were unlawfully used for outside legal counsel.

February: Jury awards nearly $1 million to inmate Jerry Flanders for brain damage suffered in jail beating.

May: Deputies testify that an Arpaio political rival was placed under surveillance and wiretapped.

May: Jail chaplain and others are arrested in a murder plot targeting Arpaio.

2003 January: Arpaio announces inmates will no longer have salt, pepper and ketchup.

August: A claim for $15 million is filed in the jail beating death of inmate Brian Crenshaw.

November: Sheriff's prostitution sting nabs 45 suspected hookers and 27 customers. The case is dumped by County Attorney Romley because undercover operatives stripped and had sexual contact.

April: Sheriff's Office leaks story to TV news reporter that Arpaio campaign opponent Dan Saban allegedly raped his adoptive mother as a teen. Reporter was contributor to Arpaio campaign. Pima County investigation results in no charges against Saban. Saban loses a defamation lawsuit against the TV station and Sheriff's Office.

August: Deputies tape conversations with county prosecutors due to distrust over failed prostitution sting.

April: Sheriff's Office raids a Mesa towing company operated by men who supported a political rival in the 2004 election. Two hundred boxes of documents seized. No charges have been filed.

2007
April: Arpaio announces investigation of Attorney General Terry Goddard's Office for alleged bribe in connection with a public official's plea agreement. Goddard withdraws from all cases involving Sheriff's Office, declares the case a political "witch hunt."

August: Sheriff has custody of quarantined TB patient in jail ward at Maricopa Medical Center. Arpaio announces that Robert Daniels will be treated as an inmate despite no criminal charge or conviction.

October: Deputies arrest Phoenix New Times owners Michael Lacey and Jim Larkin on suspicion of divulging grand jury information. The tabloid had been under investigation since 2004 for publishing Arpaio's home address online. The arrests spawned a firestorm of outrage. Thomas dropped all charges, removed the special prosecutor and conceded the case was handled improperly.

www.azcentral.com...

[

PHOENIX, AZ --

This week, Arpaio and County Attorney Andrew Thomas indicted Maricopa County Supervisor Don Stapley for the third time.

They also indicted Maricopa County Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox. Both Stapley (R) and Wilcox (D) have been vocal opponents of Arpaio's hardline immigration enforcement policies.

Stapley has been charged with fraud, theft, perjury, forgery, and false swearing. Wilcox has been charged with conflict of interest, perjury, forgery, and false swearing.

The merit of the charges, though, are lost on a public who is becoming increasingly cynical of the persecution of political foes in Maricopa County even for a local folk hero like Arpaio.

Last week, Thomas and Arpaio alleged in a RICO (racketeering) suit that Stapley, Wilcox, Judge Gary Donahoe, Judge Barbara Mundell, another judge, attorney Tom Irvine, and attorney Ed Novak have engaged in "a pattern of using their offices to benefit themselves" and have conspired to hinder the investigation and block the prosecution of conflicts of interest related to a new $347 million court tower.

Then on Wednesday, after Judge Donahoe refused to recuse himself and just hours before Donahoe was set to hear a case that could have resulted in Thomas being barred from prosecuting county officials (i.e., Stapley and Wilcox),

Thomas and Arpaio filed criminal charges against Donahoe for bribery, obstructing a criminal investigation, and hindering prosecution.

--snip--

Reportedly, the FBI is investigating Arpaio, who works hand-in-hand with Thomas on these corruption cases, for alleged abuses of power.

Besides Maricopa County Supervisor Don Stapley, other local political opponents of Arpaio have also found themselves subjects of investigations by Arpaio and Thomas, including Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon, former Mesa Police Chief George Gascon, former candidate Dan Saban, Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard, Maricopa County Manager David Smith, Superior Court Presiding Judge Barbara Mundell, ACLU attorney Dan Pochoda, and Phoenix New Times reporter John Dougherty.

--snip--

Donahoe is also the same judge who suffered the retaliation of an entire cadre of Arpaio's deputies last week after he held Deputy Adam Stoddard in contempt of court for taking an attorney's privileged papers out of her briefcase and make copies of them in the middle of a court session (a stunt so outrageous that it made national headlines).

After Stoddard was ordered to serve jail time, Arpaio called Stoddard a "political prisoner" while other deputies disrupted court proceedings by holding a "sick out." The same day, the courthouse was evacuated because of a bomb threat, and deputies held a candlelight vigil outside of the courthouse that evening. Stoddard was released this week pending an appeal

www.huffingtonpost.com...

so does this mean the FRAUDULENT DOCS the commnder in chief has been foisting on the peeps aren't fraudulent any more?

edit to add:
Noe?
OK, spread some more kkk on that again...it'll cover up the photoshop tracks