We knew Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio was desperate to read e-mails penned by judges and court staffers. But even we had no idea he was this desperate. According to documents obtained by New Times, Arpaio has actually agreed to pay Washington, D.C., attorney Carter G. Phillips $990 — per hour…
Barring a sudden change of heart or some hitherto undiscovered legal analysis, U.S. District Court Judge Roslyn Silver indicated today that she will hand the Goldwater Institute a huge victory and strike down the “matching funds” component of Arizona’s publicly funded elections system.Silver made her intention clear in a “draft…
Former homicide detective David Barnes — a key player in our cover story last year about dysfunction in the Phoenix Police Department’s homicide bureau — has been indicted on charges of perjury and harassment. Blogger Jeff Pataky, an associate of Barnes’ and the founder of www.badphoenixcops.com, has also been indicted…
We thought that this time, maybe things would be different.Ha!Last month, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio and County Attorney Andrew Thomas filed a lawsuit against county officials and a few prominent judges, attempting to use RICO laws to show that these public officials are a “criminal enterprise.” Not surprisingly, considering…
It would not be entirely accurate to say that attorney Mark Briggs “stole” $810,000 from a client. “Stole” is such a harsh word, so direct, so ugly. If you believe Briggs and his lawyers, the situation is simply more . . . complicated. Sure, Briggs, then a lawyer at Quarles…
Sounds like Jan Brewer may have missed the memo.As we reported yesterday, the governor’s campaign committee recently filed an affidavit in the pending Clean Elections lawsuit being pursued by the Goldwater Institute — arguing that her campaign was counting on matching funds and would be “irreparably” harmed if U.S. District…
We predicted nearly a year ago that — thanks to a lawsuit from those principled conservatives over at the Goldwater Institute — matching funds could be history for this year’s state elections.But either Governor Jan Brewer didn’t read the story, or she doesn’t buy our legal analysis. According to a…
Mark Weaver, the top campaign strategist for Senator John McCain, believed rumors that McCain’s wife Cindy was having an affair with a Tempe man, according to a new book hitting stores this week.Game Change, the new behind-the-scenes look at the 2008 presidential campaign by veteran reporters Mark Halperin and John…
Joe Villasenor, a senior assistant to Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon, will be placed on “indefinite, unpaid leave” as of this evening, according to his supervisor.Villasenor was arrested December 15 after his wife told Phoenix Police officers that he’d grabbed her arm and shoved her hard enough to send her face-first…
Joe Villasenor, a senior assistant to Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon, was arrested on suspicion of assaulting his wife December 15, according to a police report obtained by New Times.Villasenor is currently on “personal leave,” according to his direct supervisor, Bill Scheel.The alleged assault took place at the North Central Phoenix…
Michelle Miguel was far from a dangerous criminal. When the 34-year-old East Valley resident was arrested by the Chandler Police Department in June 2008, it was for driving on a suspended license and failing to show up at a hearing for a previous DUI charge. Bad judgment, certainly, but nothing…
Dennis Wilenchik, the one-time special prosecutor whose investigation into New Times led to the nighttime arrests of its top executives, has been cleared of all wrongdoing by the State Bar of Arizona.And, sadly, this isn’t one of those New Times spoofs. The State Bar really has dismissed all claims against…
A conservative think-tank is demanding that the city of Phoenix release two years’ worth of “activity logs” for Mayor Phil Gordon’s security detail — a set of records the city has previously refused to turn over.Judicial Watch, based in Washington, D.C., quietly sent a letter to the city on December…
Rachel Alexander, the deputy county attorney now handling the Maricopa County Attorney’s racketeering lawsuit against a host of county officials, was working out of Thomas’ executive office as recently as mid-December, county records show.Indeed, Alexander — a conservative blogger and longtime Thomas supporter — wasn’t transferred to the MCAO’s Major…
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 Thomas’ office filed against a host of county officials.Instead, the RICO suit will be now be handled by one of the few attorneys…
We saw this one coming. The lawyer handpicked by Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon’s public-relations guy to examine a series of payments the mayor made to his girlfriend using his campaign finance funds — former Arizona Supreme Court Chief Justice Thomas Zlaket — has cleared Gordon of illegal activity.Gordon is in…
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 officials to disclose their financial dealings. Today’s vote was a direct result of the criminal charges Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas filed against Supervisor…
We’ve been alternately bored/annoyed by the Arizona Republic’s series of top-10 lists devoted to summarizing the Aughts. We know it’s a good way to fill the paper during a slow news week and all … but, really, they couldn’t come up with anything more interesting than this? And go figure:…
Driving down Central Avenue a few weeks ago, I found myself listening to “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” That’s not so strange. They must play that song a zillion times during KEZ’s month of “continuous Christmas music,” and I’m almost always tuned in. What is strange is that I…
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, we were wrong.In an email, Thomas’ special assistant…
It’s either the most appalling lack of judgment we’ve ever seen — or the most amazing show of confidence in one’s ultimate vindication.Maricopa County Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox, who faces 36 felony counts for failing to disclose loans from the nonprofit Chicanos Por La Causa, even as that agency received…
We wouldn’t wish this job on our worst enemy.Seeking to somehow manage the chaos that has engulfed the justice system in Maricopa County — what with the county’s presiding criminal court judge facing bizarre charges, a host of judges accused of being part of a “criminal enterprise,” and lawsuits on top…
