RICO seizures and spending by the Pinal County Sheriffs Office and County Attorneys office have been heavily criticized by several watchdog groups during the past year. Melissa Weiss-Riner, Orozco's attorney, confirms her client's account. More recently, he was a consultant on Kanye Wests quixotic 2020 presidential campaign. and help keep the future of New Times, Use of this website constitutes acceptance of our. [5], At age 17, while still in high school, Babeu campaigned against a proposed raise for North Adams, Massachusetts, City Council members. The following February, Jose Orozco, who was an undocumented immigrant, claimed that Babeu and Orozco had been lovers since meeting in 2006 on an online dating site. Join the New Times community and help support Lamb is at far right. The county also enjoys relatively low levels of crime. Jessica Pishko is a writer and a lawyer who is working on a book about sheriffs. The audit highlighted 31 awards, totaling $683,406 that went to the Arizona Public Safety Foundation. There are restrictions about how these funds can be used. Babeu and Voyles mismanaged more than $2 million, the FBI launched a probe into RICO expenditures, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. The groups website lists seven additional sheriffs at least five of whom have been accused of some form of misconduct as advisory committee members. Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu who became the face of Arizona border security nationally after he started stridently opposing illegal immigration threatened his Mexican ex-lover with. Sheriff Paul Babeu is a decorated lawman, Iraq war veteran, and a corruption fighter. Lamb chalked that up to an accountants error. Today its closer to 100, and a faint whisp of cloud floats in the sky, daring itself to cover the blazing sun. Join the New Times community and help support He clearly has politicized law enforcement, and that covers a lot of territory, Reveles says, calling Lamb a self-centered, extremist, anti-immigrant individual. Some Pinal County residents have called for an audit of the sheriff offices finances. Make a one-time donation today for as little as $1. ", Babeu: "You have crossed the line. Paul Babeu says "drugs and stuff like that." Note: The following comments begin 1:00 into the clip. [24], A spokesman for Babeu denied the allegations and described them as "sensationalist". "[18] He reported, "Pinal County contains an estimated 75-100 drug cartel cells and listening posts/observation posts, used to facilitate the illegal transportation of people and narcotics into the United States. Another patron of the diner walked by. Gaffney did not identify the other Sheriffs Office or the FBIs top level supervisor. Babeu's and Voyles use of RICO funds has been questioned for years in lawsuits and investigations. One Instagram post from his account reads, No vaccine, no mask..I did test positive though for Americanitis! underneath a photo of Lamb leaning back on a bench and smiling. Lamb fires his service pistol, a Glock 34. . Last month, the Goldwater Institute, a conservative Arizona watchdog group, echoed concerns over Pinal Countys RICO spending and requested files from the Sheriff and County Attorney. "[10] Babeu was not named in any allegation during the investigation by the state. And he still believes there was, as he put it to me, a significant amount of concerning information about the integrity of the election. Robert Anglen investigates consumer issues for The Republic. | See also: Babeu's Suspicious Past as School's Headmaster Auditors said Babeu and Voyles also sent$683,406 to a nonprofit called the Arizona Public Safety Foundationmanaged by members of the sheriff's staff, a potential violation ofconflict-of-interest laws. local news and culture, Monica Alonzo In the open primary, Babeu ranked first but failed to reach the 50% threshold. He was Pinal County's first Republican sheriff. On his person, Lamb has a 9mm Glock pistol, plus a long knife, a taser, handcuffs and extra ammunition, including a magazine with a Punisher skull on it. Babeu camp attacks sister over new allegations (updated) independent local journalism in Phoenix. The FBI declined comment Wednesday. Time on the screen says 5:02 p.m. . Lamb, who oversees a medium-sized sheriffs office with 650 employees and a $39 million annual budget, sums up his core beliefs, on everything from immigration to policing to guns, as supporting the rule of law. He repeated the phrase often during our conversations. Babeu is vice president of the Arizona Sheriffs' Association[15] and was named the National Sheriff of the Year in 2011 by the National Sheriffs' Association. Newly elected Pinal County Attorney Kent Volkmer said he also has asked the Arizona auditor general to review Pinal County's asset-forfeiture records to determine if monies were properly used. Babeu was born on February 3, 1969, in North Adams, Massachusetts, to Raymond and Helen Babeu. [21] After an Arizona Republic newspaper report, the Defense Logistics Agency directed Babeu "to retrieve vehicles and other equipment his office distributed to non-police organizations".[22]. Building off his social media popularity he has more than 300,000 Facebook followers, high for a sheriff and his desire to elevate law enforcement, this past May he announced the launch of the American Sheriff Network, which for $4.99 month allows viewers to watch 10- to 20-minute segments showing sheriffs and their deputies as they respond to calls for service a mix of sheriff propaganda and reality television.
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