Gary Donahoe

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

Mark Dixon Disses Disciplinary Judge William O'Neil, Who He Says was a "Close" Friend, in Affidavit Filed by Lisa Aubuchon

Mark Dixon of Casa Grande is ticked off at Arizona Supreme Court Disciplinary Judge William O'Neil, that much is clear.O'Neil, former presiding judge for the Pinal County Superior Court, had the contractor come out to his property to do maintenance and they had a "very close friendship," according t ... More >>

Andrew Thomas Compares Himself to Gandhi and Martin Luther King in Press Conference

Disbarred, disgraced and unrepentant, former Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas compared himself to such men of conscience as Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., as he addressed reporters this morning in downtown Phoenix, one day after being stripped of his license to practice law by ... More >>

Federal Lawsuit Against Sheriff Joe Arpaio and Former County Attorney Andrew Thomas to Proceed; No Immunity, Judge Rules

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio and former County Attorney Andrew Thomas were blasted in a court ruling on Monday, the day before Thomas found himself disbarred. As we pointed out earlier today, the 247-page opinion by the state Supreme Court panel that disbarred Thomas made it clear that Arpaio ... More >>

Andrew Thomas' Logic "Absurd," Says State Bar Counsel in Final Closing Argument; Disbarment Recommended -- Again -- for Former Prosecutors Thomas and Lisa Aubuchon

Independent lawyers for the State Bar of Arizona again recommend disbarment for former Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas, referring to his arguments with words like "absurd."Thomas' former sidekick, Lisa Aubuchon, should also be stripped of her law license, says the 37-page reply (see below) to ... 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 >>

Right-Wing Bloggers Jump Into County Fray -- and Facts Be Damned

Right-wing slant? No problem. Right-wing "facts" that aren't really facts? Problem.​ The public can be forgiven for not fully understanding the ongoing mess of Maricopa County politics, and why a former county attorney stands to lose his law license. But, dang it, people who publish articles ... More >>

Lisa Aubuchon Displays Bizarre Thinking in State Bar Discipline Hearing

Lisa Aubuchon, former deputy county attorney, testifies yesterday in the State Bar disciplinary proceedings. She stands to lose her law license after allegedly fudging the attempted prosecutions of county officials.​Lisa Aubuchon lives in an alternative universe.True, we may have watched too many ... More >>

Andy Thomas/Lisa Aubuchon Thought Office Investigators Were Good Nazis But Were Wrong

One of the more telling moments during fired deputy county attorney Lisa Aubuchon's remarkable testimony at yesterday's disciplinary hearing was her twisted take on office investigators Mark Stribling and Tim Cooning.Andrew Peyton Thomas​It came during Aubuchon's Twilight Zone-like account of what ... 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 >>

Andy Thomas' Hit Lady Lisa Aubuchon Testifying At Disciplinary Hearing

An unrepentant Lisa Aubuchon is testifying at the moment before a hearing panel that is considering serious disciplinary action against her, her ex-boss County Attorney Andrew Thomas and another attorney.LAndy Thomas: His testimony is forthcoming.​Aubuchon has been trying to explain the litany of ... More >>

Joe Arpaio Dissembles on the Stand in Andrew Thomas Disciplinary Hearing

Maricopa County's own Teflon Don, under oath and unable to recall...In a performance worthy of a Mafia don, Sheriff Joe Arpaio dissembled under oath today in a disciplinary hearing for disgraced former Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas, and Thomas' ex-underlings, former Deputy County Attorneys ... 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 >>

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 >>

Russell Pearce's Lawyer Is Full of Bunk

Andrew Thomas' Hitwoman Lisa Aubuchon Shot Down on Appeal of Dismissal

Aubuchon: "delusional hubris" personified Bunny boiler. Sorry, all I could think of as I read through Maricopa County Hearing Officer Harold Merkow's report on former Deputy County Attorney Lisa Aubuchon and her ongoing appeal of her dismissal, was Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction. What will it take, ... More >>

Andrew Thomas and Lisa Aubuchon are Criminally Corrupt, Dishonest Conspirators and Just Plain Sucky Lawyers, Says Formal State Bar Complaint

Photo illustration: Ray SternAndrew Thomas and Lisa Aubuchon: The conspiracy was all theirs.​ The real conspiracy was on the other side.Former Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas and his lackey, Lisa Aubuchon, while alleging high crimes and conspiracies against county leaders, were conspiri ... 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 >>

Andrew Thomas May End Up Disbarred, But He Really Belongs in a Prison Cell

Terry Young, a Former Deputy Now at Surprise PD, Attended Meeting Concerning Plan to Charge Judge, Report Says

Terry Young, now an internal affairs supervisor with Surprise PD, sat in on a meeting in which bogus charges against a judge were cooked up, a report says​ A former deputy with the Maricopa County Sheriff's hired to shore up operations for Surprise police attended a meeting last year in which ... 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 >>

Feedback from the Issue of Thursday, June 10, 2010

Joe Arpaio, Andrew Thomas and the Hunt for Judge Gary Donahoe

Gary Donahoe Files Claim for $4.75 Million Against County, Alleging Abuse of Power by Andrew Thomas and Joe Arpaio

  Judge Gary Donahoe wants $4.75 from the county, alleging abuse of power in the bogus prosecution against him.​Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Gary Donahoe filed a $4.75 million claim against the county for alleged abuse of power by former County Attorney Andrew Thomas and Sherif ... More >>

Andrew Thomas, Candidate for Attorney General, Refuses to Discuss Why He Charged Judge Donahoe With Bribery; Evidence Never Presented

Former Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas has a nice, little campaign going for state attorney general -- and he might even win. Thomas talks a lot about illegal immigration. One thing his campaign hasn't addressed, though, is why Thomas charged Superior Court Judge Gary Donahoe with briber ... More >>

Lisa Aubuchon Drove Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas' Political Prosecutions -- Now the Feds May Have Them Both In Their Crosshairs

MLK Invoked by Judge Gary Donahoe for Inscription on Court Tower Beam

Remember Gary Donahoe, the Superior Court judge accused late last year of "bribery" by County Attorney Andrew Thomas and Sheriff Joe Arpaio?   ​Though that skanky dog of a case was dropped before it really ever got going (we never will forget this press conference), the boys succeeded in ... More >>

Judge Gary Donahoe's Contempt Ruling In Arpaio Detention Officer Case Upheld, but Odd Sanction Remanded

The Arizona Court of Appeals today upheld a Maricopa County judge's contempt-of-court ruling against a sheriff's detention officer who lifted legal papers from a criminal-defense attorney in open court and had them copied. Gary Donahoe, who until recently was the county's presi ... More >>

Judge Gary Donahoe Prepares to File Legal Claim Against Joe Arpaio, Andrew Thomas and County

Judge Gary Donahoe: Gettin' ready to sue​In preparation of filing a legal claim, Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Gary Donahoe is demanding that county officials preserve all evidence related to the investigation against him. A letter from Michael Manning, the local lawyer Donahoe ... More >>

Joe Arpaio and Andrew Thomas Subjects of Long Story Today in American Bar Journal

Just read a pretty detailed piece in the American Bar Journal about the crazy goings-on in our county -- you know, the Joe Arpaio/Andy Thomas vs. Everyone Else show.   ​It's called "The Maricopa Courthouse War -- An Arizona Showdown Over Populist Politics, Abuse of Power, and P ... 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

Joe Arpaio's Curious Case of the Sneaky Detention Officer Goes to Appeals Court

We just returned from the Arizona Court of Appeals, where a three-judge panel heard arguments in the curious contempt case of Adam Stoddard.   ​Readers surely remember the unprecedented (as far as we can tell) case -- about a sheriff's detention officer who got into a pickle last October ... More >>

Mexican Media Millionaire and Son to be Released From Jail; Will Forfeit Seized Assets if They Flee

You're Mexican. You're been arrested and accused by Arizona authorities of being part of a crime ring that spawned a 102-felony-count indictment. You've got access to a fortune in Mexico. Pretty slim chances that you'll be freed from the Maricopa County Jail, right?Not if you're Mario de la Fuente M ... More >>

Beginning of End for Thomas' Conspiracy Theory? Pinal County Judge Stays Criminal Case of Judge Donahoe

A Pinal County judge has put the criminal case of Maricopa County Judge Gary Donahoe on hold until the state Supreme Court figures out what should be done with it. An article in the Arizona Republic this evening says the stay will be effective until March, when the Arizona Supreme Court considers D ... More >>

Lisa Aubuchon Off RICO Lawsuit -- Thomas Political Appointee Rachel Alexander Takes Over

courtesy of intellectualconservative.com Rachel Alexander will be handling the RICO litigation​Deputy County Attorney Lisa Aubuchon -- long considered Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas' hatchet-woman for politically sensitive cases -- is no longer handling the racketeering lawsuit that ... More >>

Is Nothing Sacred?: Apparently Not in Joe Arpaio and Andrew Thomas’ Wacked Legal World

Thomas Asks for Approval of Special Prosecutors, Wants Inquiry into Statements by Yavapai and Pinal County Attorneys

Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas wants approval of his special prosecutors, now that the state Supreme Court has denied a request to stay the prosecution of Superior Court Judge Gary Donahoe.Judge Gary Donahoe​We're hearing this from Thomas' office, which put out a news release today concern ... More >>

Joe Arpaio Gets (Minor) Victory -- Court Rejects Criminal Sanctions Against Chief Deputy

The court ruled against Sheriff Joe Arpaio in all but one minor issue.​It's not a homerun -- much less a grand slam.But considering how frequently Sheriff Joe Arpaio and County Attorney Andrew Thomas have been spanked by both the appellate and Superior courts lately, we suppose today's opini ... More >>

Lawyers Rally Against Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas

Jonathan McNamara Attorney Tom Ryan denounced Andrew Thomas for filing "patently false and frivolous" charges against Judge Gary Donahoe​ An estimated 300 people turned out to protest the reign of Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas in front of the county courthouse today -- at least two ... More >>

Tough-on-Crime Veteran Prosecutor Scoffs at Thomas/Arpaio "Case" Against Judge Donahoe

A longtime acquaintance of ours sent an e-mail a few hours ago in which he gave us his unsolicited take on yesterday's filing of felony charges against presiding county criminal judge Gary Donahoe (that's the alleged "bad guy" in the photo).  ​​ ​Our acquaintance is anything b ... More >>

County Attorney Thomas and Crew File "Special Action" in Arpaio Detention Officer Flap

We've just gotten word that the Maricopa County Attorney's Office has filed a "special action" with the Arizona Court of Appeals in legal protest of Judge Gary Donahoe's recent jailing of county Detention Officer Adam Stoddard. ​We haven't yet seen the pleading, filed on behalf of Stodd ... More >>

Criminal Complaint Filed Against Judge Gary Donahoe; Today's Hearing on Special Prosecutors Canceled

  ​The Maricopa County Attorney's Office announced this morning that a criminal complaint has been filed against the Superior Court's criminal division chief, Judge Gary Donahoe (at left). Michael Scerbo, spokesman for County Attorney Andrew Thomas, stated in a news release that Donahoe ... More >>

Andrew Thomas Offers No Evidence of Bribery in Judge Gary Donahoe Case -- But Charges Him Anyway

​Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas this afternoon struggled to explain his decision to charge the county's presiding criminal court judge, Gary Donahoe, with three felony counts -- including bribery, obstructing a criminal investigation, and hindering prosecution.But Thomas couldn't offer ... More >>

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 >>

Stapley and Wilcox Indicted; Thomas and Arpaio Launch Fresh Attack on Eve of Judge's Ruling on Special Prosecutors

  ​Maricopa County Supervisors Don Stapley and Mary Rose Wilcox (left) have been served with indictments this morning that accuse them of committing a long list of crimes. Stapley's been indicted on 27 felony and misdemeanor accounts. You're familiar with these accusations ... More >>

Arpaio's Office Blows Its Smear of Judge Gary Donahoe; Analysis of Sentencings Flawed

Judge Gary Donahoe, chief of the Maricopa County Superior Court's criminal section, routinely lets criminals off without prison time, yet jailed a detention officer doing his job. ​ That's the gist of a December 4 news release by the Sheriff's Office which cites six supposed examples of ... More >>

Sheriff Arpaio's Office Plans Statement Tonight in Case of File-Taking Detention Officer, Judge's Office Says

An apology ordered by a judge in the case of a detention officer who took papers from a defense attorney's file doesn't appear to be coming in time for a December 1 deadline. Instead, the judge may receive only a few words tonight from Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio. The Sheriff's Offi ... More >>

Hmmm, County Attorney's Office Says It's Unlikely MCSO Officer Found in Contempt of Court Will Go to Jail or Hold Press Conference

​Since our last post about the Maricopa County detention officer found in contempt of court for taking the papers of a defense attorney in Maricopa County Superior Court, the County Attorney's Office called us back.We asked Deputy County Attorney Tom Liddy, who is representing Officer Adam Sto ... More >>

"Appearance of Evil" Requires Personal Sanctions Against County Attorney Andrew Thomas, Say County Supervisors

A conflict of interest between Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas and the county Board of Supervisors over the investigation of a planned court tower creates the "appearance of evil," a judge has ruled.  Judge Gary Donahoe The background: In the midst of a feud with the County Superv ... More >>