Sheriff Joe Arpaio and several of his subordinates in Maricopa County, Arizona are facing criminal contempt charges as the result of a ruling filed Friday by U.S. District Court Judge Murray Snow in Phoenix.
Judge Snow’s order formally calls on the U.S. Attorney’s Office to file charges against the 84-year-old lawman and three of his associates is the latest ruling to concern a racial profiling investigation opened against Maricopa County officials following a 2011 lawsuit.
Previously, Judge Snow ruled that Sheriff Arpaio’s office had unfairly targeted Latino motorists in Maricopa County and ordered the department to end its practice of racial profiling. He said in a May 2016 ruling that the sheriff and three members of his office should be charged with civil contempt for violating that order, and doubled down Friday by formally submitting his request to federal prosecutors.
Sheriff Arpaio and Chief Deputy Jerry Sheridan “have a history of obfuscation and subversion of this court’s orders that is as old as this case,” the judge wrote.
Both men have also repeatedly lied under oath, the judge charged, and “there is also probable cause to believe that many if not all of the statements were made in an attempt to obstruct any inquiry into their further wrongdoing or negligence.”
“Criminal contempt serves to vindicate the court’s authority by punishing the intentional disregard of that authority,” Judge Snow added.
Friday’s court order came as the octogenarian authority figure campaigns for a possible seventh term in office. With about two and a half months remaining until November’s election, Mr. Arpaio, a Republican, has already raised close to $10 million in campaign cash from supporters, the Associated Press reported earlier in the week.
In addition to potentially causing issues for the lawman’s ongoing re-election campaign, any disciplinary action taken by the Justice Department may prove problematic for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. Mr. Trump, who has made “law and order” a hallmark of his White House run, has repeatedly praised Mr. Arpaio on the campaign trail since receiving his endorsement in January.
Judge Snow’s request, however, won’t necessarily warrant any reprimands. It’s up to U.S. Attorney John Leonardo to decide if he should heed the court’s request and bring the case to a grand jury. Should that result in charges being filed, than any conviction obtained from there would potentially result in penalties including fines and jail time.
In addition to Sheriff Arpaio and his top deputy, the court order also targets Capt. Steve Bailey and former Arpaio attorney Michele Iafrate. According to Judge Snow, probable cause exists to suggest the lawyer “intentionally advised her client to disobey this Court’s order,” and “that she advised her client to be untruthful in doing so.”
In May’s ruling, Judge Snow said the defendants “have engaged in multiple acts of misconduct, dishonesty and bad faith with respect to the plaintiff class (Latinos) and the protection of its rights.”
“They have demonstrated a persistent disregard for the orders of this court, as well as an intention to violate and manipulate the laws and policies regulating their conduct as they pertain to their obligations to be fair, ’equitable and impartial’ with respect to the interests of the plaintiff class,” he wrote at the time.
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
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