The President Acknowledges the DOJ Investigation Against Arpaio! How Many Days Before Arpaio is Indicted!

Message to my readers: Yesterday, our President, Barack Obama, hosted a meeting for Latino Voters. I asked a question re: the Arpaio "Abuse of Power" investigation and his Racial Profiling tactics in Maricopa County. I asked when will we hear the results of this DOJ Investigation. It was reported in Huffington Post as follows: "Senior Editor Gabriel Lerner asks a question from a HuffPost LatinoVoices reader concerning Sheriff Arpaio, Obama says he won’t speak to specific cases, but that he is concerned by Arizona’s laws in regards to racial profiling." Now, USA Today News is reporting further on the President's response to my question:
USA Today reports: President Obama and Arizona-based Sheriff Joe Arpaio -- noted for his roundups of illegal immigrants -- are mixing it up. In a roundtable on Hispanic issues Wednesday, Obama said his Justice Department challenged the Arizona immigration law backed by Arpaio because "we thought that there was a great danger that naturalized citizens -- individuals with Latino surnames -- potentially could be vulnerable to questioning." "The laws could be potentially abused in ways that were not fair to Latino citizens in Arizona," Obama said.

Arpaio, interviewed on Arizona television (see link), said he resented the president's suggestion that he engages in racial profiling. "I'm an equal-opportunity guy," Arpaio said. "I enforce all the laws."

During the Hispanic roundtable, Obama was asked to comment on a reported civil rights investigation of Arpaio's office. "Well, I have to be careful about commenting on individual cases," Obama said. "That's handled typically by the Department of Justice or these other agencies. What I will say is this: that the approach that's been taken to immigration in Arizona, I think, has not always been as productive as it's been."

Arpaio said:
"He's a lawyer; he is pretty sharp to avoid direct questions. ... He made some comments talking about people being stopped because of their name. He didn't like the 1070 law, he connects me with 1070. And my answer is: I am just doing my job, and I arrest everyone that violates the law, and I am not going to stop."
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My response to Arpayaso and his masked volunteer goons: WE THE PEOPLE are very aware of your Abuse of Power and your Racial Profiling. The Mayors and Officials of Arizona demanded that the DOJ investigate your abuse. The DOJ has been investigating your abuse. It is only a matter of time before You and Your Masked Goons are indicted for your Abuse of Power. WE THE PEOPLE are counting the days before your indictment is announced! God Bless America! God Bless Our President Barack Obama!

Arpaio and His Masked Goons SUED for Police Brutality! Arpaio already Lost over $50M in Law Suits for Brutality and Abuse!

PHOENIX (CN) - Sheriff Joe Arpaio's deputies working off-duty security at the Phoenix International Raceway mercilessly beat and Tasered a man and his son "without provocation or cause," the family says.
Michael Wyman, his wife Jan and his son Wade "were enjoying a day with friends at the NASCAR race at Phoenix International Raceway" on Nov. 13, 2010, according to their complaint in Maricopa County Court. The family decided to go to the racetrack's Speed Cantina, where Maricopa County Sheriff's deputies provide security.
Michael Wyman said he was approached by a friend who he had not seen in a long time, and after he greeted the friend with "a high five and bear hugs," Deputy Preston Boyer "without verbal warning or command and without provocation or cause, approached Michael from behind and began to choke Michael using a choke hold."
Michael, "disoriented and unable to see his unidentified attacker, grabbed onto his assailant's arm to try to loosen the choke hold so he could breathe and to free himself," he says. Another sheriff's officer then pushed his wife aside "and Tasered Michael in the back," according to the complaint.
As Michael lay on the floor, the family says, a second sheriff's officer Tasered him again. His wife "begged the MCSO deputies to stop, but a deputy shoved Jan in the chest with both of his hands and ordered her to get back," the complaint states.
When the Wyman's daughter, Melissa, also pleaded with the deputies to stop, a deputy threatened to Taser her too. A deputy threatened to Taser the friend that Michael had high-fived, as well.
Jan Wyman says she went to her husband, who was lying face-down on the ground, "to hold his face off of the ground, his mouth foaming and his body still rigid and convulsing from the electrical shocks," and deputies ordered her away and threatened to Taser her again.
Although her husband "was disabled and immobilized by the Taser shocks, the MCSO deputies then stomped on Michael's arms, kicked him, and handcuffed him," according to the complaint.
The Wymans' friends told the deputies "there was no reason for the deputies' conduct," and one friend, a Phoenix firefighter, told deputies "that they could not continue to Taser Michael after Michael was handcuffed." Ron Wilson identified himself as a Phoenix firefighter, but a deputy told him "he did not 'care who the fuck' Wilson was and then threatened to Taser Wilson, too," the complaint states.
When the son, Wade Wyman, asked the deputies why they were assaulting his father the deputies "began to shove Wade backwards, and continued to shove Wade even after he raised his hand to indicate that he was not resisting nor was he attempting to touch the MCSO deputies." Then the deputies Tasered Wade, and one deputy "kicked and kneed Wade in the ribs as he handcuffed Wade," the lawsuit states.
Michael and Wade were moved behind a gated area, where they sat for an hour before the deputies decided to search them. In response to orders, Michael stood up and spread his legs to be searched, but one deputy "laughed and said, 'Oh, I guess you aren't listening!' and kicked and stomped on Michael's right leg and foot."
Two deputies restrained Michael's arms "while the first deputy continued to kick him; the kicks and stomps struck Michael's Tasered leg and the inside of his foot," the Wymans claim.
Michael Wyman says he was hospitalized after the "unprovoked and unjustified attacks," and underwent multiple surgeries "on his Tasered calf and broken foot."
Criminal charges were filed against Michael, and dismissed; no criminal charges were ever filed against Wade.
The Wymans seek punitive damages for gross negligence, assault and battery, false arrest, intentional infliction of emotional distress and malicious prosecution.
Defendants include Sheriff Joseph Arpaio, the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, Preston Boyer, William R. Cox, George Inuaki, Michael Martinez, Ryan Neville, Nicholas Perez, and Dominick Reaulo.
The Wymans represented by Daniel Treon with Treon & Shook

Proof Arpaio Abused Power & Misappropriated $100 Million in Funds! Feds are On to him! Next -- Jail Time In Pink Underwear!

Joe Arpaio's Former Bookkeeper Loretta Barkell Speaks Out - Arpaio Misappropriated $100 Million Dollars!
azcentral reports:
Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio's former longtime chief financial officer says the sheriff, for years, knew of financial problems within the agency, disputing his claims that he had no idea they existed. Loretta Barkell, who retired in March, said she repeatedly warned Arpaio and then-Chief Deputy David Hendershott that they could not use restricted jail funds to pay for other functions, such as patrol (aka: racial profiling Latino Neighborhoods), human-smuggling enforcement (aka: riding in a car with your abuela) and public-corruption investigations (aka: investigating his many political enemies even though they were innocent). Barkell made her statements in an exclusive interview on Thursday with 12 News reporter Joe Dana. In agreeing to the lengthy interview, Barkell said she was tired of Arpaio and other sheriff's officials blaming the financial problems on rank-and-file staff who did what they were told.

Arpaio has repeatedly (LIED) denied knowledge that his agency was misappropriating the public funds, characterizing the problems as a "computer glitch" and "bookkeeping errors." Barkell said Arpaio, Hendershott and other senior staff had known of the problems for years (and continued to do so -- aka Abuse of Power). She said she cautioned them time and again over the past 10 years that they could not use the detention money for other functions.

"The former chief deputy and the sheriff, and all the executive staff on the 19th floor, they made those decisions on where to place personnel, they knew about what they call a 'cross-fund issue,' where they could not move certain positions or individuals from . . . the detention side to the patrol side," Barkell said. "They had been told every year, several times a year (that) they could not do that."

Asked what the sheriff's response was (he knowingly BROKE THE LAW), Barkell said, "The sheriff waved his hand and said he was not allowing the bean counters to manage his operations, that the budget people, the accounting people, personnel people would have to figure it out and fix it. But he was not going to change his decisions on how he was managing his staff."

Arpaio and his goons are currently under investigation by the Dept of Justice for Abuse of Power and Misappropriation of Funds. Barkell has testified in the hearings. The DOJ will announce the results of their investigation in the weeks/months ahead.

Arpaio Accused Of Misspending Nearly $100 Million

HP Reports: Joe Arpaio's Office Accused Of Misspending Nearly $100 Million PHOENIX — An examination in Arizona's Maricopa County has found that the sheriff's office, widely known for efforts against illegal immigrants, inappropriately spent $99 million from two jail funds over the last eight years to pay for other law enforcement operations – including immigration patrols. The $99 million figure released Wednesday is an update to an estimate made in September by budget officials who said the sheriff's office was believed to have used $60 million and $80 million over four or five years from a jail tax on other purposes.

Since then, officials said they discovered that the sheriff's office had inappropriately spent money from a second jail account. Maricopa County officials also said that Arpaio's office had spent the money on unsuccessful criminal cases brought against two county officials and a judge.

"This is really a disaster for the county," said County Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox, who along with another colleague faced criminal charges in cases that were investigated by Arpaio's office and eventually dismissed. The findings by county budget officials discussed at a meeting Wednesday were sent to federal prosecutors who were already investigating Arpaio on abuse of power allegations. The sheriff has gained notoriety in part for his special traffic patrols that target (brown) people who are in the country illegally. The sweeps – Arpaio's most visible immigration enforcement tactic – have drawn heavy criticism from civil rights advocates who accused the police agency of racially profiling countless Latinos.

Arpaio has denied the allegations. Arpaio was not at Wednesday's meeting because he was at the scene of an immigration raid at a business. But interim Chief Deputy Sheriff Jerry Sheridan said there was nothing criminal about the mistake, which he blame on an outdated payroll system. He said the system failed to adequately track when jail officers were transferred to regular patrol.

Message to the DOJ: Please move forward quickly and arrest Arpaio and his goons for their crimes and abuses!

DOJ Suing Arpaio for Refusing to Cooperate on his Abuse of Power Investigation. Now He's Crying Crocodile Tears!

azcentral.com reports:
Sheriff Joe Arpaio has been sued by the U.S. Justice Department for refusing to cooperate with a civil-rights probe into police practices and jail operations. Arpaio said the lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Phoenix, is disappointing given that he and his office were cooperating on the federal probe. "I thought we were really close to getting this resolved," the sheriff said. (the Sheriff made this claim however previous reports indicate he has refused cooperation)

The lawsuit comes after weeks of the DOJ pleading for cooperation, threats to strip the county of federal funding, and a meeting in Washington last week among attorneys to discuss the investigation. A spokeswoman for the Justice Department has said this is the first time in the last 30 years that a police or sheriff's agency has refused to cooperate with a Title VI investigation. Thursday's action marks the first time the agency is suing to compel access to documents and facilities.

Since March 2009, the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division has been investigating Arpaio's operation amid accusations of discrimination and unconstitutional searches and seizures related to the sheriff's immigration-enforcement efforts. The investigation is being conducted under the authority of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which forbids discrimination related to programs that receive federal funds. The civil-rights probe is not related to a separate federal abuse-of-power investigation of Arpaio's office that has been the subject of grand-jury testimony. In the 1990s the Justice Department investigated Arpaio for civil rights abuses in Maricopa County Jails and then, he cooperated, leading to a consent decree to change certain jail conditions.

Arpaio's initial decision not to cooperate with this investigation has led the Sheriff's Office and the Justice Department into uncharted territory. But Arpaio has changed course in recent weeks, implying that his office is trying to cooperate with federal civil-rights investigators. "Can't they wait another week?" Arpaio asked. "Why can't they give us a little more time." "I thought we were really close to getting this thing resolved.

Arpaio appeared with Arizona Sen. Russell Pearce and Rep. Steve Montenegro (two other ANTI CIR zealots) at a press conference Thursday to promote a political non-profit group the men are affiliated with, but he quickly found the event dominated by news that the federal government had sued his agency. "They can sue me but as Russell always says, 'take the handcuffs off the cops'," Arpaio said. "I'm not going to be intimidated by the federal government going to court against us." The sheriff's failure to cooperate could cost the county millions of dollars of federal funding. Last year, the county received $113 million in federal funds, according to county records; of that, the Sheriff's Office received $3.8 million. County officials must agree that they will not discriminate in order to receive those funds.

Arpaio believes the inquiry is focused on his immigration sweeps, patrols where deputies flood an area of a city — in some cases heavily Latino areas — to seek out traffic violators and arrest other offenders. Critics say his deputies pull people over for minor traffic infractions because of the color of their skin so they can ask them for their proof of citizenship. Arpaio denies allegations of racial profiling despite the blatantly obvious proof, suggesting people are stopped if deputies may have probable cause to believe they've committed crimes and supposedly that it's only afterward that deputies find many of them may be illegal immigrants. The sheriff's office has said only half of the 1,032 people arrested in the sweeps have been suspected of illegal immigration.

Last year, the federal government stripped Arpaio of his special power to enforce federal immigration law due to his abuse of power and racial profiling accusations. The sheriff continued his sweeps through the enforcement of state immigration laws.

Last year, the nearly $113 million that the county received from the federal government accounted for about 5 percent of the county's $2 billion budget. Arpaio's office said it receives $3 million to $4 million each year in federal funds.

In a separate investigation, a federal grand jury in Phoenix is examining allegations that Arpaio has abused his powers with actions such as intimidating county workers by showing up at their homes at nights and on weekends.

Arpaio Continues ABUSE of POWER, this time with a Superior Court Judge!

As I previously reported, two weeks ago, one of Arpaio's deputies, Adam Stoddard, during court proceedings, took documentation from the defendent's lawyer's folder and copied it, without asking permission from the lawyer or the court. A hearing was held. The deputy admitted he took the paperwork and had it copied. This morning, Stoddard was found in contempt of court for taking documents out of defense attorney Joanne Cuccia's files as she was addressing the court at a sentencing hearing for her client, Antonio Lozano. (Actions caught on video -- check it out here. )

The officer, Adam Stoddard, defended his actions by claiming that certain words on the papers were suspicious. Sheriff Joe himself went on the defensive by attacking the defense attorney, issuing a press release linking the defense attorney Cuccia with two local attorneys (libel?), who were recently arrested on suspicion of smuggling contraband into jails. Cuccia told the judge that the sheriff's associating her with the lawyers suspected of smuggling contraband could damage her professional reputation.

In response, Superior Court Judge Gary Donahoe got creative. He ordered that as punishment, Officer Adam Stoddard hold a press conference and apologize to Cuccia by November 30. If not, he is ordered to report to jail by December 1. That's when Arpaio overstepped his bounds. "My officer was doing his job, and I will not stand by and allow him to be thrown to the wolves by the courts because they feel pressure from the media on this situation," Arpaio says in a press release. "I decide who holds press conferences and when they are held regarding this Sheriff's Office." Arpaio is now refusing to respond to the media and pawned off any media inquiries on the County Attorney's Office -- it has yet to return phone calls.

Reference:

Arpaio Pissed Over Judge's Ruling that MCSO Detention Officer Must Hold Apologetic Press Conference or Go to Jail

Apology ordered in court paper flap

Arrogant Arpaio Deputies Violate Constitution/Attorney-Client Privilege in this Blatant Abuse of Power IN COURT!

The ATTORNEY-CLIENT PRIVILEGE is an evidentiary rule that protects both attorneys and their clients from being compelled to disclose confidential communications between them made for the purpose of furnishing or obtaining legal advice or assistance. The American colonies adopted this approach to the attorney-client privilege, and Delaware codified the privilege in its first constitution in 1776.

In this video, you will see Joe Arpaio and his goons spit on the Constitution as one of Maricopa County's deputies blatantly VIOLATE Attorney Client Privilege in Open Court proceedings as the Trial is underway!

Last week, during the hearing, deputies casually walk over to defense attorney Joanne Cuccia's table as she's addressing the judge, and pick up some of her paperwork. One MCSO guard waltzes out of the room with the docs, and reportedly makes copies, bringing them back as if it was just another day at work. Cuccia flips out, as well she should under the circumstances. And the judge halts the hearing until the matter can be sorted out at a later date.

On Friday, at the deputy's hearing before Judge Gary Donahoe, the deputy, Adam Stoddard, admitted taking the papers saying the security officers were screening defense documents in the case. Judge Donahoe reviewed the paperwork in question on Friday and determined that the documents were subject to attorney-client privilege. Judge Donahoe continued the hearing to next Thursday where he will make his ruling.
References:
Attorney Client Privilege
MCSO Deputies Swipe Defense Attorney's Docs, MCSO Says Deputies "Acted Appropriately"
"Court officer: Paperwork taken for screenings"