Maricopa County Sheriff Joe
Arpaio speaks during a news conference at his headquarters in Phoenix,
Arizona August 31, 2012. The federal government has closed a criminal
probe of alleged financial misconduct by Arizona lawman Arpaio, who
styles himself as "America's toughest sheriff," saying no charges would
be filed, the U.S. Attorney's Office said on Friday. REUTERS/Joshua Lott
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If the U.S.A. actually operates under a fair and unbiased "rule of law", then why is this man part of an Obama witch hunt? Does Obama need votes that bad, or is it Obama only is doing what his masters direct him to do?
WELL?
Keep doing your job for "We The People" Sheriff Joe, and do not fear these criminals!
WELL?
Keep doing your job for "We The People" Sheriff Joe, and do not fear these criminals!
By
PHOENIX (AP) — The federal abuse-of-power investigation into America's self-proclaimed toughest sheriff — Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio — has been closed, with prosecutors saying no charges will be filed.
Authorities were investigating Arpaio for his part in failed public corruption cases against officials who were odds with him. The sheriff brought cases against a judge and two county officials in 2009.
Federal
authorities also said Friday that they have decided to not prosecute
matters tied to alleged misuse of county credit cards by sheriff's
officials, alleged misspending of jail-enhancement funds and other
matters.
"They did their
investigation, they didn't find enough probable cause and they didn't
bring an indictment," Arpaio said at a hastily called news conference
after returning from the Republican National Convention in Florida. "We
don't go around framing anybody. My people are not crooks."
Assistant U.S. Attorney Ann Birmingham Scheel
released a statement saying her office "is closing its investigation
into allegations of criminal conduct" by current and former members of
the sheriff's and county attorney's offices.
"I've been in law enforcement for 50 years. Nothing surprises me. But I know my people did the right thing," said the 80-year-old Arpaio, who is running for a sixth term as sheriff in Arizona's most populous county. "I'm just happy for my organization, for my deputies. Not for me."
The federal probe focused specifically on the sheriff's anti-public-corruption squad. In a separate probe, the U.S. Justice Department has accused Arpaio's office of a wide range of civil rights violations, and in another case, a federal judge has yet to rule in a civil case brought by a group of Latino plaintiffs that claimed Arpaio and his deputies engaged in racial profiling.
The timing of the federal authorities' announcement — at 5 p.m. on a Friday before a holiday weekend — was questioned by some Arpaio critics.
"It is a miscarriage of justice that the federal government is dropping its case against Sheriff Arpaio
and to make such an announcement on the Friday night before the
Democratic National Convention can only be politically motivated to
shield the administration from criticism," Pablo Alvarado, director of
the National Day Laborer Organizing Network, said in a statement.
Arpaio and his top ally, former County Attorney Andrew Thomas,
were embroiled in a three-year feud with county officials and judges
and defended their investigations as necessary to root out corruption.
The
officials who were targets of the investigations contend the probes
were trumped up as retaliation for political and legal disagreements
with the sheriff and prosecutor.
Criminal
cases against former Superior Court Judge Gary Donahoe and county
supervisors Mary Rose Wilcox and Don Stapley were dismissed after a
judge ruled that Thomas prosecuted one of the three officials for
political gain and had a conflict of interest in pressing the case.
Authorities
say the charges against Donahoe were filed in a bid to prevent the
judge from holding a hearing regarding Arpaio and Thomas' claim that
judges and county officials conspired to hinder a probe into the
construction of a court building.
Donahoe
had disqualified Thomas from handling the court building investigation
and was poised to hold another hearing over a request to appoint special
prosecutors to handle the probe. The hearing was called off after the
charges were filed against the judge.
The judge also had been critical of the ability of Arpaio's office to bring inmates to court on time for hearings.
Thomas
was disbarred in early April by an ethics panel of the Arizona courts
that found he brought unsuccessful criminal cases against the judge and
two county officials for the purpose of embarrassing them.
In
the separate probe, which is still ongoing, the Justice Department says
Arpaio's office racially profiles Latinos, retaliates against critics
of its immigration patrols and bases its immigration patrols on racially
charged citizen complaints that did not allege crimes. The sheriff
denies the allegations.
And in
the civil case, the Latino plaintiffs aren't seeking monetary damages.
Instead, they want a declaration that Arpaio's office uses racial
profiling and an order requiring policy changes. If Arpaio loses the
case, he won't face jail time or fines.
& an earlier article:
By Tim Gaynor
PHOENIX (Reuters) - Two tough-on-immigration Arizona sheriffs with national profiles in the Republican Party were cleared of criminal wrongdoing on Friday in unrelated probes, though one remains accused of racial profiling and other abuses in a pair of federal lawsuits. (more)
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The U.S.A. used to be a fine place, and it will be back!
Immigrate responsibly, or please stay home!
