Cari Gerchick

Wolfswinkel Family to Get $1.4 Million in County Settlement Over Legal Abuses; $5 Million in Total Payouts Thanks to Andrew Thomas and Joe Arpaio

Developer Conley Wolfswinkel, his family and company will received $1.4 million in the largest Maricopa County payout yet to victims of the legal abuses of Sheriff Joe Arpaio and former County Attorney Andrew Thomas. As the county just confirmed, the Wolfswinkels are getting more in this settlement ... More >>

More Fallout From Sheriff Arpaio and Andrew Thomas Corruption: Potential Multi-Million-Dollar Settlement Going to Developer Conley Wolfswinkel and Family

The costs keep climbing for the corrupt acts of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio and former County Attorney Andrew Thomas. Late last month, the Board of Supervisors agreed to pay $1.27 million to a former judge smeared with bogus criminal charges, plus another $250,000 to former county Schools Su ... More >>

Sheriff Arpaio's New Office has 574 Square Feet, Says County; Agency Moving From Wells Fargo Building in August

Sheriff Arpaio's new office just might be bigger than your first apartment. When the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office headquarters moves this summer from the downtown Phoenix Wells Fargo building to its new digs on 5th Street and Jackson, the tough-talking, 20-year sheriff will be welcomed into a p ... More >>

Russell Pearce's Bro Lester Pearce Faces Ethics Charges

I've rarely read a legal document so delightful. The one I've just received from the Arizona Commission on Judicial Conduct indicates that Lester Pearce, former Justice of the Peace and brother of recalled ex-state Senate President Russell Pearce, now faces various charges of ethical violations, in ... More >>

Joe Arpaio Scores $93M Building Named for Him? Maybe

See also: Victims Wonder Why Arpaio Let Sex-Abuse Cases Languish See also: Ex-Police Chief's Book Details Arpaio's Negligence in El Mirage Cases See also: The Feds Proved Themselves a Cage of Cowardly Lions in the Arpaio Investigation See also: Inhumanity Has a Price Considering the costly string o ... More >>

Russell Pearce's Wackjob Bro Lester and His Run In with Cari Gerchick

See also: Lester Pearce Submits Public Records Request About Ethics Complaint Against Him See also: Russell Pearce's Bro Lester Pearce, Busted See also: Russell Pearce's Brother, Judge Lester Pearce, Stumped for Brother at LD 19 Meeting See also: Russell Pearce's Supporters in LD 19 Outed as Olivia ... More >>

Lester Pearce Submits Public Records Request About Ethics Complaint Against Him

Lester gets spanked by radio ads on KFYI See also: Russell & Lester Pearce's Hillbilly-Fest: David Schweikert Not Attending, Though Lester Thinks Otherwise (w/Updates) See also: Russell Pearce's Bro Lester Pearce, Busted See also: Russell Pearce's Cortes Scandal: Tom Ryan Challenges the Media, Lest ... More >>

Joe Arpaio's Justice Department Problem Could Cost County Way More Than $25 Million

On Wednesday, we told you about U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy asking Attorney General Eric Holder asking if Maricopa County could be on the hook for repaying up to $25 million in federal taxpayer coin, thanks to the Justice Department's civil-rights case against Sheriff Joe Arpaio.Turns out, alleged ci ... More >>

Thomas Lovejoy and County Reach Deal in Lawsuit Against Joe Arpaio, but It May Not Work Out *UPDATE*: It Worked Out

UPDATE 4/26: The settlement has been approved, according to the AP.UPDATE: Judge Wake issued an order saying the parties will meet on Monday to discuss moving the trial date to the week after the board of supervisors meeting.The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office announced today that lawyers agreed to ... More >>

Maricopa County Paid $1.5 Million to Defend Andrew Thomas, Lisa Aubuchon and Rachel Alexander

The bill to defend a gang of rogue prosecutors in Maricopa County: $1.5 million.At least former County Attorney Andrew Thomas and his bad-girl deputies, Lisa Aubuchon and Rachel Alexander, now all disbarred or suspended, won't be getting any more of their lawyers' bills paid for by county taxpayers. ... More >>

Maricopa County Supervisors Decide Not to Fund Appeals, If Any, for Andrew Thomas and Rachel Alexander

Disbarred former Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas can no longer rely on taxpayers to pick up his legal fees.The Board of Supervisors decided yesterday during executive session not to fund Thomas' appeal of his disbarment, should he file one, county spokeswoman Cari Gerchick says.His former und ... 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 >>

Joel Fox, Fired Deputy, Wants to Delay Appeal Hearings if Feds are Investigating Case as Criminal Matter

A judge wants to know whether a criminal investigation is open on Joel Fox, the fired Maricopa Sheriff's Office captain at the heart of the infamous "SCA" campaign-financing scandal. Which is great, because so do we. Fox has been fighting to get his job back in a lengthy appeal proceeding that beg ... More >>

County Stalls Release of Records on Employee Disciplined for Releasing Records

Earlier this month, Maricopa County moved at lightning speed to turn over documents to a newspaper about a fired sheriff's deputy.Now, county officials are taking their sweet time to release records related to the discipline of the fall guy (or gal) who handed over those deputy documents. Part of o ... More >>

Maricopa County Employee Faces Possible Punishment for Releasing Joel Fox Documents to Arizona Republic

Joel Fox​ An unnamed Maricopa County employee is in hot water after releasing records relating to the firing of former sheriff's office deputy Joel Fox.The Arizona Republic's JJ Hensley reported this morning that documents obtained by "county administrators" last week detail why Fox was fired. ... More >>

Andrew Thomas' Rachel Alexander: "Incompetent" Bankruptcy Lawyer with a $128K Price Tag, and Counting

alexanderbankruptcylawfirm.comWould you hire this former hatchetwoman for Andrew Thomas as your bankruptcy lawyer?What I love about so-called "conservatives" who regularly rail about entitlement programs is that these same limited-government types are often the first ones to turn around and take a h ... More >>

Babeu Report and Investigation Into Sheriff Joe Arpaio's Office to Cost Maricopa County Up to $102,000

Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu talks to the press on May 3 about the findings in his office's six-month investigaton of Sheriff Arpaio's office.​ A six-month internal investigation of the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office that resulted in two of Arpaio's top men being fired will cost the count ... More >>

Dennis Burke Won't Prosecute Sheriff Arpaio or His Employees Over "Exorbitant" Extradition Costs

​ Extraditions performed by the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office were "inexplicably exorbitant" but not a criminal misuse of public funds, U.S. Attorney Dennis Burke has decided. At the request of County Manager David Smith (see below), Burke's office conducted a review of how Sheri ... More >>

The Feds Have Evidence That Joe Arpaio Broke the Law -- When Will The Indictments Come?

Joe Arpaio's Tech-Guy Bob Rampy's Crybaby, 750K Claim Against the County

KPHOCommander Rampy wants $750K of taxpayer money because the media wrote about himWhat is it about certain former and current Maricopa County law enforcement officials that makes them think they're a privileged class, entitled to make bank from county coffers whenever their feelings get hurt?We all ... More >>

Joe Arpaio's Pal Paul Babeu Sends Bill To Maricopa County on Munnell Memo Investigation

$46K sounds like a steal if Hendy's fired. If not, someone has some 'splainin' to doSo we don't yet have Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu's report on his department's investigation into allegations contained in the now infamous Munnell memo, but we do have a bill for services rendered.It totals just ... More >>

No-Burn Days in 2010 Generated 559 Complaints, but Little Action by Maricopa County

  ​Hundreds of people called Maricopa County this year to complain about people violating restrictions on wood-burning. Despite the Valley's ongoing problem with bad air, though, those calls resulted in almost no action by the county. The county's Air Quality Department an ... More >>

Lawsuits by County Officials Vs. County Move to Federal Court

  Image: Ray Stern Maricopa County Supervisors Don Stapley and Mary Rose Wilcox.​A $10 million lawsuit filed by Maricopa County Supervisor Don Stapley last Thursday against the county will likely end up in federal court. Lawsuits alleging abuse of power, defamation, civil right ... More >>

No-Burn Days Go Unenforced in Maricopa County for Christmas; Zero Warnings and Citations Issued

  Image: Wikimedia Commons​Nobody can label the folks over at Maricopa County's Air Quality Department a bunch of Scrooges. After a warning last week that no-burn days on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day would be enforced, exactly zero warnings and citations were issued, a c ... More >>

Paul Babeu's Joe Arpaio Probe: Who Pays for It?

PCSOShould Babeu get funds from Maricopa County to pay for the Munnell memo inquiry? Who will pick up the tab for Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu's investigation into the allegations made in MCSO Deputy Chief Frank Munnell's memo? And should Maricopa County pay for any of it, particularly considerin ... More >>

Joe Arpaio Spying on County Lawyers? Would Anyone Be Surprised?

Morten OddvikThe new sign over the door of MCSO offices? Seems appropriate...What's one to make of the recent back and forth between Maricopa County and sheriff's office lawyers regarding allegations of spying by the MCSO?The claims came to light in a recent item by Arizona Republic reporter Yvonne ... More >>

Andrew Kunasek Allegation Denied by County; Sheriff's Office Smear on County Supervisor Came Without Details

County Supervisor Andrew Kunasek is the subject of an investigation -- or just a vicious, political smear -- by the Sheriff's Office.​County officials say they aren't sure what the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office is talking about when it comes to yesterday's serious, but vague, allegation ... More >>

Joe Arpaio Protesters Score Nearly $500K in Settlements from Maricopa County

From left, Jason Odhner, Kristy Theilen, Monica Sandschafer, and Joel Nelson, after being released from the 4th Avenue Jail following their arrests for "clapping" at a public meeting in 2008 A group of seven activists either arrested or cited by the sheriff's office as ... More >>

Joe Arpaio Could Be Booted from Pricey Wells Fargo Pad by 2011

They're evictin' me, ma! Sniff. Is hobo row next?For those of you who've been wondering whatever happened to those plans to kick Sheriff Joe Arpaio out of his pricey executive suites in downtown Phoenix's Wells Fargo building, the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors has a plan to get Arpaio into a ... 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 >>

News of Mexicans With Chicken Pox Overblown by Sheriff's Office; 160 Inmates Not Quarantined Two Months Ago

Image: Wikimedia Commons​ Maricopa County health officials denied reports by the Sheriff's Office that 160 jail inmates had been quarantined two months ago because of four illegal immigrants with chicken pox. Officials also downplayed a news release issued by Sheriff Joe Arpaio's office last ... More >>

Sheriff Joe Arpaio Could Face Arrest Warrant Thanks to Supervisors Subpoena

Sheriff Joe Arpaio must comply with a subpoena by May 7 or face some serious repercussions.​The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors are demanding documents from Sheriff Joe Arpaio related to a possible misappropriation of detention funds -- and if he doesn't comply, a county spokeswoman tells New ... More >>

Russell Pearce for Sheriff? Yes, It Could Get Worse than Joe Arpaio

Pearce still lusts after Arpaio's power. Be afraid, very afraid.There's been a whiff of brimstone in the air with the rumor that state Senator Russell Pearce, the most bigoted public servant in Arizona (and that's saying a lot), has been actively lobbying Maricopa County to become its replacement sh ... More >>

Motor Coach Industries Lawsuit OK'd by Maricopa County, but Officials Still Won't State Allegations

  Fulton Brock was the only Supervisor to vote "no" on a plan to sue the company that sold a bus to the Sheriff's Office.​The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors has authorized a lawsuit against a company that sold Sheriff Joe Arpaio's office a $465,000 bus But county officials still ... More >>

Motor Coach Industries Expected to be Sued by Maricopa County Over Sheriff Bus Purchase; County Vague on What Company Did Wrong

​ Maricopa County officials can't sue the Sheriff's Office for buying a $465,000 bus without their approval, so now they want to sue the bus company. Precisely why Motor Coach Industries would be sued over the internal squabble remains unclear. The county has maintained in this month ... More >>

Don Stapley Claim Vs. County Could be Settled by Board of Supervisors; County Leaders Mum on Possibility

  Image: Ray Stern It seems likely that Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox, (seen here with husband, Earl, and attorney Colin Campbell), will file a claim against the county like Don Stapley did last week. ​ The malicious prosecution claim filed against Maricopa County by Don St ... More >>

Don Stapley, Mary Rose Wilcox to Meet With Citizens' Group Tomorrow in Supervisors' Auditorium

Randy Parraz​Critics of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio will have the chance to air their grievances tomorrow before County Supervisors Don Stapley and Mary Rose Wilcox.Stapley and Wilcox, still fresh from their recent victories over attempts by Arpaio and County Attorney Andrew Thomas to ... More >>

Sheriff's Office Gets More Time to Sort Through Recovered E-mails in Racial Profiling Case

Image: Arizona Court of AppealsU.S. District Judge G. Murray Snow​ A federal judge today allowed the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office more time to sort through recovered e-mails for confidential info that doesn't pertain to an ongoing racial-profiling lawsuit. The company that saved the recov ... More >>

Don Stapley Sues Maricopa County, Sheriff Joe Arpaio, and County Attorney Andrew Thomas

  ​Maricopa County Supervisor Don Stapley filed a precursor to a lawsuit today against the county and various elected officials -- including himself -- for alleged malicious prosecution and other grievances. He wants $5 million for his troubles. The notice of claim was fil ... More >>

From Brewer to Arpaio, No One's Listening to the Experts About How to Save Money or Protect Civil Rights and Public Safety When It Comes to Juvenile Corrections

Maricopa County Working With Sheriff's Office This Morning to Locate New Office Space; Wells Fargo Seeks Early Termination of MCSO Lease

​An hour of work this morning produced only scant information about the talks to move Sheriff Joe Arpaio's headquarters out of the Wells Fargo building in downtown Phoenix.Cari Gerchick, spokeswoman for Maricopa County, tells us that Wells Fargo is not evicting the Sheriff's Office from the 18th a ... More >>

County Supervisors Officially Approve Financial Disclosure Policy

  The county's failure to properly mandate the forms back in 1984 became an issue when Don Stapley (above) was indicted.​More than 20 years after they first intended to do so, the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors finally approved a resolution today that will compel county offi ... More >>

County Attorney Applauds Appointment of Special Master for Ongoing Dispute

Ruth McGregor​You can color us very, very surprised.We publicly predicted earlier this morning that Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas will oppose Arizona Supreme Court Chief Justice Rebecca Berch's decision to appoint a "special master" to sort through the craziness in this county.Turns out, ... More >>

Sheriff's Deputies Visit a Half-Dozen County Employees At Home This Weekend

  Sheriff Joe's deputies were busy this weekend.​Deputies with the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office paid visits to at least seven rank-and-file county employees over the weekend, attempting to question them about the court tower project, county spending, and other topics ... More >>

Cari Gerchick, Spokeswoman for Arizona Supreme Court, Another Layoff Victim

El Rushbo proved no match for departing court spokeswoman Cari Gerchick.​More bad news for journalists: Cari Gerchick, one of the more helpful public information officers in Arizona, has fallen victim to budget cuts.Gerchick, who is also a lawyer, announced in an email this afternoon that her posi ... More >>

Walloping Janet Napolitano for Her Prop 102 Stance, The Word-Wrangling Wren Looks to Harvey Milk for Inspiration

Tucson Extremist Roy Warden's Upcoming "Rally" to "Impeach" AZ Supreme Ruth McGregor

Roy Warden: Este pendejo, indeed...Anti-immigrant nutjob and Mexican flag-burner Roy Warden's coming to town Wednesday, December 10 for a "rally" to "impeach" Arizona Supreme Court Chief Justice Ruth McGregor. Well, supposedly. According to e-mails the wacky Warden's sent out to the state Supreme Co ... More >>

The Arizona Supreme Court to the rescue?

Goofball Shockumentary

Not even Hollywood would bite on this one: Loose Change tells what, heh, really happened on 9/11