Live by the Sword...

I love Arizona, but sometimes I feel like I'm on the set of the movie Deliverance.  What's going on with local law enforcement?

We learn today that: 

Authorities are investigating whether a payment made from the state treasurer's office to the Arizona Attorney General's Office for legal fees influenced the prosecution of former state treasurer David Petersen.

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio confirmed Thursday that his office is investigating a $1.9 million payment the AG's Office received last year. Arpaio said he was trying to determine if the money was part of an arrangement to secure leniency for Petersen, who at that time was under criminal investigation.

So the Sheriff is investigating a payment from the Treasurer's Office to the AG's office.  Doesn't that seem strange to you?  Do you think that Terry Goddard has incentive to extort money from another state agency in exchange for going easy on David Petersen?

I'm quick to say that there's probably nothing there.  But I'm also quick to say that if you live by the sword, you die by the sword.  The investigation of Goddard is the latest in a series of investigations that seem to be groundless. 

Take the original charges against Petersen: 

The guilty plea capped a monthslong criminal investigation into ultimately unproven accusations of misuse of public money.

Petersen was charged only with the single misdemeanor charge of filing a false or incomplete financial disclosure statement in connection with $4,200 in commissions he received for selling character-education materials to schools.

Goddard has said his office's investigation found management problems but no evidence that warranted charges on the original allegations

That's right.  Petersen was hounded by the AG, indicted, didn't run for re-election, pled guilty and was removed from office...but the original charges were dropped.  The investigation said Petersen was a lousy manager, but warranted no charges.   Eventually, the AG's tactics lead Petersen to plead guilty to one count of a reporting violation.

That's outrageous.  With as much paperwork as elected officials and lobbyists have to file, you can get dang near anyone on a "reporting violation."

Now we find out that Sheriff Arpaio has a tape of a private conversation that took place among Petersen's family and apparently in Petersen's home--not on the phone, not with an agent wearing a wire, not in an office that was bugged--in his home.  And Arpaio is using the evidence against...Goddard.

At the news conference, Arpaio distributed a recording and transcript of a conversation between Petersen, his son Paul Petersen and other family members dated February 2006, in which David Petersen briefly mentions whether he should discuss the fee with the Attorney General's Office. Arpaio said it was this recording that set off the investigation.

Paul Petersen, an attorney and public information officer for the county Assessor's Office, said he was outraged when he learned of the tape recording, which may have been made at his father's home. He called the tape "probably illegally obtained,"

So Petersen was eventually forced to plead to a charge that was lame and now Arpaio has a tape from a Petersen bug and he's using it against Goddard. 

Frankly, the charge against Goddard is probably as bogus as Goddard's charge against Petersen.  It may even be as bogus as Goddard's charge against former Mine Inspector Doug Martin. 

You remember that story.  One of Martin's employees ordered a pick up truck for the office and didn't go through the proper procurement channels.  Martin ended up driving a truck that was "loaded with options" and purchased from a local dealer.  The "conflict of interest" and any personal benefit was restricted to Martin driving the truck during off hours. 

While the truck may have had plenty of options, Martin didn't.  He was removed from office and Goddard managed to announce the coup a week before the election. 

Former Arizona State Mine Inspector Doug Martin pleaded guilty Thursday in Maricopa County Superior Court to a felony conflict of interest charge.

Martin, 67, was accused of trading in a state-owned vehicle for a new pickup truck that was “loaded with options” that he used for work and personal matters.

Read those two paragraphs again and tell me about the crime.  He used a new truck for work and personal matters?  That's it?  He's hounded, removed from office and pleads guilty to a felony because he drives his truck home?  Was Martin the only guy in state government who drives his truck home?

So now Arpaio is investigating whether Goddard's deal to settle the trumped up charges on Petersen included a nearly $2 million transfer from the Treasurer's Office to the AG's office. 

Golly, if that happened, it sounds more like a paperwork violation, perhaps it's poor management oversight, maybe it has appropriations implications but it's probably technical and after all, Goddard probably didn't benefit personally. 

Welcome to the club Terry. 

Maybe we will read that the original charges have been dropped.  There's nothing to them.  But after a monthslong investigation, we will find that Goddard's financial reports aren't in perfect order.  Maybe he picked up his laundry while in a state car.  Maybe the official AG van that's covered with his name is loaded with options.   Maybe he hired an undocumented nanny in the 80s.  Maybe he cut class in high school. 

Maybe he broke the law when he seized $18 million in a fraud investigation, bypassed the Legislature, and used the money to build a State Crime Lab in Tucson.  Tucson is such a nice base to lock up when you are running for Governor. 

Are those charges bogus?  Probably.  Are they serious?  Absolutely.  Just ask David Petersen and Doug Martin. 

Comments

[john]

Looks like Sheriff Joe is jumping on the Andy Thomas for Governor bandwagon early. Why would this payment have anything to do with Peterson's case and for that matter, why would Peterson have had anything to do with it? He barely went into the office during his tenure as Treasurer.

For that matter, how come no one is complaining about all these Drug Free AZ ads featuring Andy Thomas like they did about Janet on the Tourism billboards? Does anyone really think that goofy mustache boy Thomas is going to dissuade kids from doing drugs.

[Tim]

The drug ads are effective, serve a public purpose, and are a continuation of the tv spots done by Romley (who also sports a moustache), unlike the tourism ad touting AZ as a destination, on a billboard in downtown Phoenix. By the way, have you seen Goddard's infomercials? Or Fife's alien on CNN? If so, maybe you just watch too much tv.

[Cindy]

Naw, this is all about Romley. Sheriff Joe and Rick Romley hate eachother and this is pure payback.

Where I would normally see any jumping on Goddard a good thing ( the lucky bastard has been free of scandals this past year ) I really don't like how Joe had this tape recording of Peterson's dinner table and where the hell did he get this recording?

Someone should do an investigation into the Sheriff as well.

[Faith]

Romley? What does he have to do with this?

No, clearly this is all about Burt Reynolds. Just look at Greg's subtle juxtaposition of the picture of Sheriff Buford T. Justice next to the mention of Deliverance.

Next thing you know they'll be cops chasing Goddard down I-10 in Martin's truck, leading to the inevitable prison football game. ;-)