Andrei Cherny calls for investigation of State Treasurer Dean Martin

 

In a February 28, 2010 posting on the Sonoran Weekly Review blog, gubernatorial candidate Steven Slaton asserted that, in a Lincoln Day dinner speech to a Republican club in Globe, Martin admitted that he:

 

 “saved the State of Arizona millions upon millions by not reporting the revenue collected to then Governor Janet Napolitano back in 2007. Mr. Martin said that he informed his staff to withhold deposit so that the governor would not know how much money came into the treasury. Thus stopping her from spending it!”  [Source: “Confession on Lincoln Day Dinner” by Steven Slaton, http://sonoranweeklyreview.com/?p=2869]

 

“This is a very serious accusation that should rise above political sparring,” Cherny said.  “Therefore, today I call on the Fraud and Public Corruption Unit of the Criminal Division of the Attorney General’s office to open an investigation into whether Treasurer Martin did indeed make this statement and did indeed fail to report state revenue.  

 

“I hope and expect that this is all some sort of misunderstanding and that he will be quickly cleared of any suspicion because if Treasurer Martin did, in fact, ‘cook the state’s books’ it would not only be an illegal act of fraud, but a violation of his constitutional oath of office.  Only a timely investigation can show what Treasurer Martin said and did.  The billions of dollars managed by the State Treasurer are the people’s money and they have the right to know what is going on.”