Dennis Burke

"Fast and Furious" Report Pegs Phoenix ATF Office, U.S. Attorney's Office of Arizona

The Justice Department's inspector general has released the agency's novel-length report on the "Fast and Furious" gunwalking scandal, which mostly calls out the ATF's Phoenix office and the U.S. Attorney's Office of Arizona for the botched operation.Attorney General Eric Holder released a statement ... More >>

Governor Brewer to Ponder Medical Marijuana Lawsuit Ruling While Keeping Her Ban on Dispensaries; Supporters of Law Praise Ruling

Governor Jan Brewer and her legal counsel will study today's dismissal of her lawsuit against the medical marijuana law while keeping a ban on dispensaries, a spokesman says.Brewer, with the help of state Attorney General Tom Horne, filed the federal complaint back in May, claiming a letter by a for ... More >>

James Chaney, Owner of Tempe Pot Club Raided by DEA, Also Suspected of Possessing Meth

The owner of a Tempe medical marijuana club raided by the DEA last week was already being sought by cops for possession of methamphetamine, records show.James Chaney, 37, was arrested along with co-worker Rachel Beeder, 25, on September 29 during the morning raid of the Arizona Go Green Compassion C ... More >>

Governor Jan Brewer Says Feds' New Letter on Medical Pot Proves She Took "Proper Course of Action" in Derailing Dispensary Program

Governor Jan Brewer​Governor Jan Brewer believes that a "clarification" by the feds on medical-marijuana programs proves she took the "proper course of action" in halting the voter-approved dispensary program.Brewer and state Attorney General Tom Horne filed a declaratory judgment in federal ... More >>

Two Former Pima County Sheriff's Deputies Charged for Allegedly Ripping Off Drug Dealers

​The United States Department of Justice announced today that two former Pima County Sheriff's deputies have been indicted on charges that they used their positions as law enforcement officials to help three other men rip off drug dealers and steal government-seized narcotics.Francisco J. Jimenez, ... More >>

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

Governor Brewer Fails to Defend Will of Voters in Attack on Medical Pot; Supports Enforcement of Federal Drugs Laws

Governor Jan Brewer is failing to stand up for Arizona's voters following the Arizona U.S. Attorney's threat to arrest participants of the state's new medical marijuana program.​ Governor Jan Brewer ought to just come out and admit it: She's thwarting the will of voters who approved Ari ... More >>

Morning Poll: Is Terry Goddard Really the Best Senate Candidate Arizona Democrats Can Come Up With?

Is Terry Goddard the best Democrats can come up with?​Yesterday, a poll conducted by left-leaning pollsters at Public Policy Polling released results of a poll showing that assuming Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords doesn't run for the Senate seat getting vacated by Senator Jon Kyl, former Arizona ... More >>

Jared Loughner Federally Indicted for Murders of All Victims -- Not Just Federal Employees

Jared Loughner, the lone suspect in the Tucson shooting rampage, has been formally charged with murder.​The U.S. Attorney's Office announced this morning that a 49-count federal indictment has been returned charging Jared Loughner, the lone suspect in the January 8, Tucson shooting rampage, ... More >>

Jared Loughner Indicted for Attempted Murder of Gabrielle Giffords and Others. More Charges Expected

Jared Lee Loughner was indicted on three counts of attempted murder by a federal grand jury.​A federal grand jury returned an indictment yesterday against Jared Lee Loughner for the attempted murders of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and two of her aids,Ron Barber and Pamela Simon."Today, the Gr ... More >>

State Case Against SCA & Joel Fox Appears Dead; No Indictments Coming on Goddard's Watch

  Joel Fox​State Attorney General Terry Goddard will leave office without resolving the case against Maricopa County Sheriff's Office Captain Joel Fox and the shady SCA fundraising group. And that, it's safe to say, means almost no likelihood of criminal charges - o ... More >>

Bill Montgomery Meets With Elected Officials, Forms Transition Team; Likely County Attorney Getting Early Start

Bill Montgomery, the likely next County Attorney, has formed a transition team and is meeting with elected officials.​ Bill Montgomery hasn't been elected Maricopa County Attorney yet, but he's already formed a transition team and has been meeting with elected officials. Can't say we blame hi ... More >>

Michael Turney Gets 10 Years for Bomb Possession; Stepdad of Missing Girl Planned to Attack Local Union

Michael Turney​Michael Turney, the stepfather of a girl missing since 2001, was sentenced today to 10 years in a federal prison for possessing a large cache of fully functional, homemade bombs.He pleaded guilty back in April.Federal agents who raided Turney's home at 17218 North 34th Street in Dec ... More >>

Former Tucson School Superintendent Sentenced to 8 Years in Prison for "Child Sex Tourism"

Albert Thomas Rogers​A former superintendent of a Tucson school district was sentenced to some prison time today for a vacation he planned last year and some photos cops found at his house.The vacation 52-year-old Albert Thomas Rogers planned wasn't to an exotic beach -- it was to a Mexican hotel ... More >>

Teacher at Phoenix Elementary School Charged With Posession of Kiddy-Porn

www.mcblogger.com​A teacher at a Phoenix elementary school was arrested yesterday after federal authorities found him to be in possession of child pornography after an investigation by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Cyber Crimes Center into Web sites advertising child pornography.Tyler A. ... More >>

Rick Romley Checks Sheriff Joe's Power, the MCSO's Paul Chagolla Gets His Back Up, and U.S. Marshal David Gonzales Scores

Councilman Michael Johnson Cozies up to the Nation of Islam; and the Fault Line Between Brown and Black in Maricopa County

Eric Holder on Joe Arpaio Probe: DOJ Expects "Results," Investigation Ongoing

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder: Still waiting on the "results" of the Arpaio probeWith demonstrators outside the Phoenix federal courthouse clamoring for Sheriff Joe Arpaio's head, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder today characterized the Department of Justice investigation into Arpaio's office a ... More >>

Joe Arpaio's E-Mails to Remain With County Pending Hearing March 29

Sheriff Joe Arpaio still can't get his employees' emails back. Poor dude.​E-mails penned by Maricopa County sheriff's officers -- as well as all other county employees -- will stay for now with Maricopa County officials, and not the Sheriff's Office, a judge has ruled.At a hearing in Tucson ... More >>

Nativists Go Nuts at a Phoenix Walmart, and the Arizona Republic Belittles the U.S. Attorney’s Investigation of Sheriff Joe Arpaio

Joe Arpaio Under the Microscope: DOJ Team in Phoenix, According to Multiple Sources

photo by Adriane GoetzHey, the DOJ's in town, Joe. Time for another sweep?What a difference a couple of days make. Less than 72 hours ago, members of the pro-immigrant community in Phoenix were kvetching to me about the lack of follow-through on the part of the U.S. Department of Justice's Civil Rig ... More >>

Feedback from the Issue of Thursday, December 10, 2009

Feedback from the Issue of Thursday, November 26, 2009

Does U.S. Attorney Dennis Burke Have the Stones to Take on Sheriff Joe?

Ex-U.S. Attorney David Iglesias on Joe Arpaio: "I Would Seek an Indictment" (w/Video)

from CBS 5 KPHOFormer federal prosecutor David Iglesias said he would seek an indictment against Sheriff ArpaioCBS 5's nearly ten-minute segment on Sheriff Joe Arpaio's abuse of power last night did not disappoint. Essentially, reporter Morgan Loew and producer Gilbert Zermeno laid out all of the ma ... More >>

Huffington Post, Amy Goodman Cover Joe Arpaio's Misdeeds; and Don't Forget, Desert Politics is Back on 1190 AM Tomorrow

photo by Adolfo Maldonado and Dennis Gilman.The classic Arpaio snarl, patented in 25 countries, including the Emirate of Kuwait ...Both the Huffington Post's Dawn Teo and Amy Goodman of Democracy Now have produced long pieces in the past week covering Joe Arpaio's recent outrages against those with ... More >>

So Long, Janet? Let the Speculation Begin

Everywhere from Facebook to corporate boardrooms across town, speculation about what will happen with now-Governor Janet Napolitano — and when — is fast and furious. Here's some early-morning water cooler talk: The money is on Napolitano taking the dog of a job (who's going to succeed in th ... More >>

Men Behaving Badly

He-man woman-haters at the Phoenix Country Club? Say it ain't so!

Meltdown

The Phoenix branch of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement bureau is Exhibit A of this country's failed border policies

Reasonable Doubt

Federal judge questions DOC chief's credibility

Covering Tracks

State officials made dubious decisions and then whitewashed their actions

Shades of Green

The new governor appears to have double-crossed environmental supporters in choosing some new agency heads.

Cover-Up (Arizona Attorney General internal memo)

Arizona faces a "Waco-level" threat from Mormon fundamentalists.

Learning Disorder

The Arizona Department of Juvenile Corrections fails the state's worst kids

House Hold

The dearth of affordable housing has reached the crisis stage

Letters

From the week of October 19

Letters