While we’re on the topic of the decades-long GOP culture of corruption in Arizona, how can we not mention its poster boy, the “most corrupt sheriff in America,” crazy Uncle Joe Arpaio?
The Arizona Republic has a breakdown of how much the latest illegal racial profiling case has cost the nativist and racist residents of th state of Maricopa who keep reelecting Arpaio to office. Arpaio profiling case costs taxpayers another $13M:
Taxpayers in metro Phoenix will have to pick up an additional $13 million over the next year to cover the costs of a racial profiling case that has proven to be the thorniest legal entanglement faced by Sheriff Joe Arpaio.
Maricopa County, which has already shelled out $41 million during the past eight years in the case, must keep covering those legal costs until Arpaio’s office is released from the supervision of the case judge — a resolution that is years away.
County officials are expected to tentatively approve the additional spending on Monday. A final vote is set for late June.
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The $41 million spending so far includes $10 million in attorney fees and $5 million for the monitoring staff. It represents only a part of the county’s heavy legal costs over Arpaio’s 23-year tenure.
The county has had to pay an additional $79 million in legal costs related to Arpaio’s office. That figure includes judgments, settlements and legal fees involving things such as lawsuits over jail deaths and the lawman’s failed investigations of political enemies.
Arpaio, who earns $100,000 a year as sheriff and owns more than $2 million in commercial real estate, has never had to pull money from his own pocket to pay for legal costs directly tied to his work as sheriff.
But wait, there’s more!
Crazy Uncle Joe Arpaio gets a double-whammy on this freaky Friday the 13th: Judge Murray Snow has finally ruled in his civil contempt case —guilty! The Arizona Republic reports, Sheriff Arpaio in civil contempt of federal court, judge rules:
It’s official: A federal judge has found Sheriff Joe Arpaio in civil contempt of federal court.
A federal judge ruled that the Maricopa County lawman and three of his top aides violated a federal court order meant to curtail racial profiling in his agency, according to a ruling issued Friday.
The civil contempt-of-court ruling from U.S. District Judge Murray Snow, which held Arpaio in contempt on three counts, brings to an end a lengthy proceeding that started a year ago when Snow convened a series of hearings in downtown Phoenix to determine whether Arpaio and his commanders defied Snow’s court orders.
Chief Deputy Jerry Sheridan was found in contempt on two counts, and retired Chief Brian Sands and Lt. Joe Sousa each were found in contempt of one.
“In short, the Court finds that the Defendants have engaged in multiple acts of misconduct, dishonesty, and bad faith with respect to the Plaintiff class and the protection of its rights,” Snow wrote in a 162-page finding of fact in the case.
The judge set a May 31 date for a hearing for attorneys to discuss penalties. Shortly thereafter, Snow said, he will issue an order on remedies and whether he will refer the case for criminal contempt.
The contempt proceedings were based on three alleged violations: that the Sheriff’s Office failed to turn over video evidence that was required before the racial-profiling trial; that officials continued to enforce immigration law after Snow barred the practice; and that Sheridan failed to quietly collect evidence after the trial, as Snow had ordered him to do.
The civil contempt-of-court ruling also sets the stage for a criminal contempt-of-court proceeding,
The costs associated with the racial-profiling case now exceed $60 million, including at least $8.2 million in tax money tied to the outside attorneys required to represent all the parties in the ongoing legal proceedings.
Snow’s finding of contempt and the possibility of further criminal-contempt proceedings means those costs only will continue to rise.
The ruling also opens up Arpaio and his top aides to an array of sanctions.
How about ordering him confined to his tent city and make him wear his pink underwear, and feed him his green bologna sandwiches? Karmic justice!
Well if your going to do all of that then why do you need college educated people to teach? By your standards we could be pulling teachers out of circle K or Walmart and putting them in class rooms. Roy, you are clueless about education and what it takes to create a well rounded and educated individual. People like you perpetuate ignorance and propel a political agenda that is self destructive while at the same time creates waste and moral destitute in the name of capitalism. Perhaps you think the United states should have a ranking more the likes of Norway, Canada or even Jordan in math skills and for some reason it can’t happen in Arizona. Did you ever think to READ about it and see what exactly it is they are doing correct and compare that to what YOU think is correct. Stop dragging your knuckles around and get a clue. Also,,,,the best rated teachers have left Arizona for a more reasonable way of life. Arizona is now the training grounds for other states as there is no reason for them to stay.
Bravo! As an educator I can say you are correct. He was clueless, but some around here wear that ignorance of issues like a badge of honor. Sad and dangerous.
Sheriff Arpaio will not have any trouble getting reelected:
Murders in Maricopa County: 2007- 302 2014- 159
Robberies in Maricopa County: 2007- 7,100 2014- 4,300
Motor Vehicle Theft: 2007 – 32,500 2014- 7,800
Source: FBI Uniform Crime Statistics
Very well could be the largest crime reduction of any county in the United States.
Two questions remain. 1) How do we hold a corrupt federal judge accountable? 2) Isn’t it bizarre that the only place you would see the accountability data for one of the most examined politicians in the nation is in the comment section of a liberal blog? Never been published in the Arizona Republic, discussed on Horizon or published in a University Criminal Justice research paper.
Welcome to our new world where our major institutions seek untruth.
Most of the crime reduction noted above would have had low income Hispanic victims. The search for untruth is inherently racist in this case.
Dreamer.
http://americasvoice.org/research/the_notorious_record_of_maricopa_county_azs_sheriff_joe_arpaio/
It’s just like Climate Change. People point to activity at the North Pole as though 10% of the ice were hundred percent of the issue. Meanwhile, 90% of the ice is growing at the South Pole and total ice is at an all time record.
Wow. Ignorance worn like a badge of honor. Proof you literally have no idea what you’re talking about. Now everyone knows for sure.
Your smear articles don’t hold up to even casual scrutiny.
1. The total deaths in Arpaio’s jails are below the national jail death rate.
2. The suicides in Arpaio’s jails are below the national jail suicide rate.
Source: Deaths in Custody Statistical Tables, Morrison Institute average jail census counts, Bureau of Justice
So, let’s hit the data again. Since 2007,
1. Maricopa County murders are down 47%
2. Maricopa County robberies are down 39%
3. Maricopa County Burglaries are down 28%
4. Maricopa County Car Thefts are down 67%
This data makes another one of the smear headlines totally false.
This data is even more dramatic for low income Hispanics. They are by far the disproportionate victim of these crimes. This means that Arpaio, more than any other public official, has been the protector of their right to life liberty and pursuit of happiness.
Both sets of data above have never been covered by our university research, the Arizona Republic or Horizon.
The problem with your cherries, disgraced former Arizona politician John Huppenthal, is the presumption that someone other than fat old racist Joe wouldn’t have done as well or better, and that creepy Joe is 100% responsible for said cherries.
But that would require the ability to think for yourself instead of just parroting talking points.
Anything to offer besides a sneer and an insult? Beat up by a pack of morons? Yes. Disgraced? Only in your dreams.
What I did was point out the logical fallacy in your post, using an amount of respect for you to match the amount of respect you have shown for minorities and others in general.
What I offered, beyond the smear and insult, is called critical thinking.
Please do tell…who are the “scum” you refer to? Surely you aren’t speaking about human beings that way…so please. Enlighten us.
PS…you have no idea what you’re talking about…None.
Arpaio has spent his time as sheriff pissing all over the US Constitution.
Arpaio supporters claim to love the US Constitution.
Arizona. Must be the heat.
Here’s hoping he gets jail time.
how about suing those who signed joe’s nominating petitions for sheriff to get our money back.
But we are just plum out of money to educate our children. They. Need.To.Go!! Every last Republican enabler needs to be voted out of office…we will never pull ourselves out of the damn ditch if we don’t.