Barbara Mundell

Andy Kunasek, Maricopa County Supervisor, to be Paid $123,000 by County Because of Sheriff Joe Arpaio and Andrew Thomas

Another day, another six-digit award by Maricopa County to a victim of Sheriff Joe Arpaio and former Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas. This time it's the chairman of the Board of Supervisors, Andy Kunasek, who was framed for a crime he didn't commit as part of an apparent plan to usurp power ... More >>

The Feds Proved Themselves a Cage of Cowardly Lions in the Arpaio Investigation

Mary Rose Wilcox's Attempt to Force $975,000 Settlement From County to be Heard by Judge Next Month

Lawyers for Maricopa County and Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox have agreed on a schedule to present their court arguments for why the county should pay Wilcox a $975,000 settlement. As one of the targets of failed investigations by Sheriff Joe Arpaio and former County Attorney Andrew Thomas, ... More >>

Mary Rose Wilcox, Barbara Mundell and Susan Schuerman Settlements Will Save Maricopa County Millions, County Says

Pending settlements to Maricopa County Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox, retired Judge Barbara Mundell and county employee Susan Schuerman will reportedly save the county millions.The county says that, the settlements to Mundell and Schuerman (Supervisor Don Stapley's executive assistant) are now final, ... More >>

Maricopa County Mum on Taxpayer-Funded Lawsuit Settlements by County Officials

Several former and current Maricopa County officials received settlements in their lawsuits against Maricopa County last night -- but the county isn't giving up the amounts. No news release for this one -- and it's not hard to understand why. The issue of payoffs is sensitive because public mon ... More >>

Barbara Mundell, Retired Judge, and Susan Schuerman (Supervisor Don Stapley's Secretary) Each Get $500,000 in Settlements From County

Barbara Mundell, the now-retired Maricopa Superior Court Judge targeted in an unethical investigation by county lawmen, received $500,000 from the county to settle a lawsuit.Susan Schuerman, the executive assistant for Supervisor Don Stapley, also received a $500,000 settlement, county officials con ... More >>

Maricopa County Officials File Amended Claims Against County and Sheriff Arpaio; Streamlined to Comply With Judge's Order

Current and former Maricopa County officials have filed new, streamlined complaints against the county and Sheriff Joe Arpaio to comply with a judge's order. Filing anew are: County Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox and her husband, Earl; County Supervisor Don Stapley; retired Superior Court Judges Barba ... More >>

Andrew Thomas: County Supervisors and Judges Were "Openly Thumbing Their Nose at the Law"

Andrew Thomas said he had no animosity toward County Supervisor Don Stapley, who he had charged in December 2008 with 118 counts related to Stapley's alleged failure to disclose some business deals on officials forms.​Andrew Thomas certainly seems to believe his own theories as he defends himself ... More >>

Andrew Thomas' Theories on County Conspiracy (Still) Have Holes

Andrew Thomas defended his actions against county officials today in a State Bar disciplinary hearing. We use the word "defended" loosely here.​ We're biased on this one.Gotta admit it.We watched hours and hours of testimony by former Maricopa County Andrew Thomas today, and the guy definitely ... More >>

Former Chief Deputy Dave Hendershott Struggles to Explain Bad Conspiracy Theory in Testimony During Andrew Thomas Disbarment Hearings; Sheriff Arpaio May Take Stand on Wednesday , Court Says

Dave Hendershott, Sheriff Arpaio's disgraced former chief deputy, struggled to explain his grand conspiracy theories in the Andrew Thomas disciplinary proceedings today.​ Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio's former chief deputy, Dave Hendershott, wearing a bold red tie and suit jacket, testifi ... More >>

Ed Moriarity, Lisa Aubuchon's Pro-Bono Lawyer in Bar Discipline Case, Makes for Good Theater -- but Not Good Defense

​Ed Moriarity, Lisa Aubuchon's pro-bono lawyer from Montana, has helped represent celebrity clients from Imelda Marcos to Karen Silkwood.According to his former partner, Gerry Spence, Moriarity was born in a mineshaft.Since his opening statement in the State Bar disciplinary hearings for former Ma ... More >>

Andrew Thomas and Lisa Aubuchon's Defense in Disbarment Hearing Looks Weak in Opening Statements

Image: Ray SternAndrew Thomas wasn't at today's State Bar disciplinary hearing -- which was probably a good thing for his ego.​ Did a cabal of county supervisors, judges, lawyers and others work together to block legit police investigations into allegations of public corruption?Or did a poli ... More >>

Joe Arpaio and Andrew Thomas' Bullying of County Officials Could Cost Taxpayers More Than $13 Million

America's self-proclaimed "toughest sheriff," Joe Arpaio.​The numbers have been tallied. If county officials get their way, lawsuits filed against Maricopa County over alleged wrongdoing by Sheriff Joe Arpaio and former County Attorney Andrew Thomas will cost taxpayers more than $13 million.Three ... More >>

Andrew Thomas and Joe Arpaio "Corruption" Case Against County Judge: a Dog

Back from Maricopa County Sheriff's Office headquarters in downtown Phoenix, where we spent a few hours looking through public files involving the infamous, spectacularly overblown (yet never prosecuted) "bribery" case against Superior Court Judge Gary Donahoe. Conclusion: & ... More >>

David Smith, Maricopa County Manager, Gets No "Credit" for Not Suing County, Thomas Spokesman Says

  David Smith gets no "credit" from Andrew Thomas for deciding not to sue the county.​While Andrew Thomas won't stoop so low as to take our call, his debate-loving spokesman, Barnett Lotstein, nearly always calls us back. We just heard from him on our question, posed in an e ... More >>

Resolution Process Considered for Claims Related to Actions of Joe Arpaio and Andrew Thomas; Plan Involves Hiring Dispute Expert Kenneth Feinberg

  Photo: Wikipedia Dispute master Kenneth Feinberg may get the job of resolving millions in claims against Maricopa County by county officials.​The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors are expected to vote Wednesday on whether to hire dispute expert Kenneth Feinberg to handle claims a ... More >>

David Hendershott's Complaints Vs. Four Judges Dismissed by Judicial Conduct Commission

  ​The Arizona Commission on Judicial Conduct has dismissed all four complaints filed against local judges by David Hendershott, chief deputy under Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio. The commission "found no clear and convincing evidence of ethical misconduct" and voted to dismiss the c ... More >>

Maricopa County Superior Court's Norm Davis Officially Takes Over as Presiding Judge

Norm Davis, a steady-as-she-goes gent we dealt with when he presided as the chief judge in both Juvenile and Family Court, started his five-year term today as the presiding judge of Maricopa County Superior Court. ​  What we like about Judge Davis (that's a photo of him from a few ... More >>

Bomb-Threat Caller in December Maricopa County Court Evacuation had Made Similar Threat to Public Defender's Office Two Days Earlier

Image: Ray Stern Investigators determined the December 2 bomb threat was made from this phone on Third Avenue, which is hidden from the sight of a surveillance camera.​ The person who called in a bomb threat that cleared out the Maricopa County Superior Court building on December 2, one day ... More >>

The Court Tower Conspiracy: Andrew Thomas and Joe Arpaio's Court Tower "Cover-Up" Sounds Like a Good Story, But It's Pure Fiction

Josh Bernstein of ABC-15 Ripped by Boss in E-Mail; Told to Cover Sheriff Joe Arpaio More Aggressively

Image: www.abc15.com Josh Bernstein needs to find his shovel, says his boss.​ Yikes. We're working overtime today to make sure the boss doesn't send us a memo like the one Josh Bernstein over at ABC-15 recently received. To paraphrase: Stop smooching Sheriff Arpaio's rear-end and start kick ... More >>

Probe of Other County Attorneys Denied; State-Appointed Referee Also Declines to Force Hiring of Special Prosecutors

Andrew Thomas was said to be appreciative of the Arizona Supreme Court's appointment of retired Chief Justice Ruth McGregor as a referee in the ongoing county feud. Thomas' reaction didn't make much sense then, and it's making even less now that McGregor isn't ... More >>

The Nooses Must Be Cut Down

Yavapai County Attorney Sheila Polk provided the blade. Now it's up to AG Goddard and President Obama to use it

Maricopa Superior Court Getting New Presiding Judge in July; Appointee Isn't Named in Thomas/Arpaio Racketeering Lawsuit -- Yet

Barbara Mundell will step down as presiding judge of the Maricopa County Superior Court this summer, but it has nothing to do with being deemed a criminal conspirator by our local sheriff and county attorney. Mundell took the five-year post on July 1, 2005, so her ... More >>

Wilcox Lawyer Part Two: Now Wants Guarantee Tucson Judge in Case Won't be Accused of Conspiracy

The lawyer for indicted Maricopa County Supervior Mary Rose Wilcox wants a guarantee that County Attorney Andrew Thomas won't accuse the Pima judge assigned to the case of conspiring against him. In a motion filed today, attorney Colin Campbell asks the Superior Court to force Thomas to state p ... More >>

Goddard's Office Denies Conflict in Advice Letter to Court on Sheriff's Investigation; AG's Lawyer is Named in Racketeering Lawsuit

The private attorney who represents the state Attorney General's office against claims of bribery by the Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio is also named in the flimsy -- but serious -- federal racketeering lawsuit launched by the sheriff and county attorney. ... More >>

Arpaio Wants Wilcox's Attorney to Answer Questions Related to Racketeering Lawsuit; Lawyer Wants "Harassing" Action Stopped

The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office is giving Colin Campbell, Mary Rose Wilcox's attorney, until 5 p.m. today to voluntarily talk to a deputy about issues related to a supposed criminal conspiracy among county leaders. Image: Ray Stern Colin Campbell​Campbell, former presiding judge of th ... More >>

Mary Rose Wilcox Charges are Unfounded, Lawyer Says; Claims "Reckless" County Attorney has Conflicts

Maricopa County Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox is a political victim and innocent of the crimes alleged in last week's indictment, her lawyer said today in a news conference. He's at least half right.   Image: Ray Stern Earl Wilcox, Mary Rose Wilcox and Colin Campbell. &nbs ... More >>

Arpaio and Thomas Thwarted Again in Quest to Read Court E-mail

Sheriff Joe Arpaio is thwarted again in his quest to read Barbara Mundell's e-mail. For now, anyway.​The Arizona Court of Appeals has jumped into the middle of the so-called corruption probe that Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio and County Attorney Andrew Thomas have been attempting to esc ... More >>

The Pink Negro: As an Ivy League Lawyer, is President Barack Obama Hard Enough to Confront the Evil Personified by Sheriff Joe Arpaio?

Judge Donahoe Criminal Case Assigned to Pinal County Judge; Stapley and Wilcox Cases Assigned to Pima County Judge

The presiding judge of the Maricopa County Superior Court has assigned the criminal cases of Judge Gary Donahoe and County Supervisors Don Stapley and Mary Rose Wilcox to judges in other counties. ​Presiding Judge Barbara Mundell, (left) who is herself a target of the broad -- and vague -- ra ... More >>

Top Superior Court Judge: Chief Deputy's Complaints are "False, Frivolous and Slanderous"

​The top judge at the Maricopa County Superior Court took a strong stance against four judicial complaints filed by Sheriff Joe Arpaio's chief deputy, calling them "false, frivolous and slanderous." Here's the entire statement released this morning by Presiding Judge Barbara Mundell (pictured ... More >>

Arpaio's Chief Deputy Files Judicial Complaints Against Four Judges

​ An investigation should be launched against four retired and current Maricopa Superior Court judges who committed ethical breaches, Sheriff Joe Arpaio's chief deputy demands in letters to the Arizona Judicial Conduct Commission. The complaint letters by Dave Hendershott (left), dated ... More >>

Racketeering Lawsuit Against County by Thomas and Arpaio is Weak Conspiracy Theory

The first reason why the racketeering lawsuit filed today against county leaders is probably going nowhere: It's being handled by Lisa Aubuchon, the deputy county attorney who has consistently blown politically sensitive cases for Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas. Under Aubuchon's leadership, ... More >>

Serving Up Stapley: Why’s the Don Stapley Prosecution a Big Joke? Because the Accusers Are Far Shadier Than the Accused

Presiding County Judge Fires Two Commissioners, Including Husband of Top Aide to County Attorney Andy Thomas

Barbara Mundell, Maricopa County's presiding judge, recently fired two of her court commissioners, Wes Peterson and David Anderson. Unlike Superior Court judges, commissioners, who have similar responsibilities, are appointed by and serve at the pleasure of the presiding judge -- and can be fir ... More >>

Thomas Ticked That Stapley Benefits in Criminal Case From Law He Failed to Properly Pass

​ It was a given that Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas was going to be miffed by the recent ruling on Don Stapley's case by Superior Court Judge Kenneth Fields. Thomas has been saying for months that Fields is biased against him and he tried to get the judge kicked off the case. Fields ... More >>

Hendershott Could End Up in Jail Next Week in Showdown Over Password

Dave Hendershott (at right) in pool photograph shot from yesterday's hearing​Chief Deputy Dave Hendershott could end up behind bars next week. We're not kidding.If you followed our earlier play-by-play from the court hearing this afternoon about the Great Computer Takeover, (and we won't be offend ... More >>

Arpaio's Public Records Requests are Cloverfield Monster Size

  Andrew ThomasThis is one Titanic fishing expedition. The requests made of county offices by the Maricopa County Attorney's Office and Sheriff's Office have received a lot of attention because they're so broad, but details about them in the press have been scarce. We figu ... More >>

Arizona AG Terry Goddard's Home Possibly Staked Out by Joe Arpaio's Office; Patrol Car Photographed

Terry Goddard says the presence of a Maricopa County Sheriff's Office patrol car near his Phoenix home Friday morning made his family "uncomfortable." "This is not typical, and it made my wife and son uncomfortable," the attorney general said in a prepared statement. "I hope the deputy was engaged ... More >>

Stapley Case Update: Andrew Thomas Disses Us, Confuses Self With Dennis Wilenchik

  It's true: We've had an ongoing chuckle at the expense of Lisa Aubuchon, the hapless prosecutor assigned to the Don Stapley case. But Aubuchon's most recent filing in this case isn't so much funny as pathetic. For one thing, she disses us. (Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas' offic ... More >>

Three-Time Loser Deputy County Attorney Screws Up, Again

We know it's very bad karma to laugh at people in over their heads, but when it comes to Deputy County Attorney Lisa Aubuchon, we just can't help ourselves. We have nothing against Aubuchon personally; it's just that County Attorney Andrew Thomas appointed her to run his pre-trial division -- and ... More >>

Siege Mentality

County Attorney Andrew Thomas is attempting to capitalize on a national trend by attacking local judges

Power Play

County law enforcement's attack on the judiciary didn't work, but the war's far from over

Who's Sorry Now?

Andy Thomas eats crow to save his political career, but wants us to apologize to Sheriff Joe. Fat chance

Breathtaking Abuse of the Constitution

Joe Arpaio, Andy Thomas and Dennis Wilenchik hit New Times with grand jury subpoenas

Dennis "Demon Dog" Wilenchik’s Day in Judge Ed Burke’s Court

Judicial Blacklash

The County Attorney's Office declared war on a respected judge after he called a prosecutor's actions racist

Lost Hope

Paul Hewitson has spent the Last two years in a place he calls hell.

Crime Victims Who Kill?

Prosecutors press gun charge despite thin evidence; now the accused is dead, allegedly at the hand of his "victims"