Captain Joel Fox of the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office wants to appeal his $315,000 fine for making an illegal donation in the name of the mysterious "Sheriff's Command Association."
Fox filed a request for a hearing and informal settlement conference yesterday, New Times has learned. See below for a link to Fox's request letter.
Fox is the treasurer and only known member of the SCA, which donated $105,000 as an individual contributor over the summer to the Republican Party, which spent part of the money on ads attacking the political opponents of Sheriff Joe Arpaio and County Attorney Andrew Thomas. Fox could escape all or part of the fine if he named the other SCA members, but he has so far declined to do so.
In his request letter, which you can read here, Fox argues a technicality in an attempt to buy himself some more time. The request for informal settlement conference as well as a hearing doesn't necessarily imply Fox intends to concede any part of the legal battle. Rather, he says "a quick resolution can be attained" once the "facts and evidence" are aired.
Then he whines that he's endured "inaccurate media reports and conjectural allegations" and that he looks forward to the chance to present his side. Naturally, Fox doesn't detail what was inaccurate in any media report. Nor does he seem to comprehend that the reason for the all the conjecture is that big secret he's keeping -- namely, which members of the "sheriff's command" are behind the illegal donation.
The date of the hearing or settlement conference hasn't been set. -- Ray Stern
