According to Babeu's website, "Pinal County is the number one pass through county in all of America for drug and human smuggling. Once elected, Lamb promised he would focus on building relationships within the county. All of Lambs activities outside Pinal County raise the question of whether he is making money off this work. This summer, he made a short video saying he would not require, or ask, his staff to get vaccinated. By 2016, he had moved to Pinal County and decided to seek the sheriffs job, running as a Republican and, in his words, a constitutional conservative; he made a point of opposing abortion rights in his campaign, but he ran without the same cowboy image he has today. For example, nearly $88,000 went to programs designed to boost morale or provide recreation for the Sheriff's Office such as golf outings or tickets to sporting events and banquets. Kennedy pointed to the provision about private gain, as well as one requiring equal protection of all citizens, without allowing personal opinion, party affiliations, or consideration of the status of others to alter or lessen this standard of treatment., Asked to respond, Vale said Lamb keeps a strict division between his work as the Pinal County sheriff and his image as the American Sheriff. Vale added, All of his activities, both as sheriff and in his private time, are vetted through the [Pinal] County attorney. The attorney, Kent Volkmer, told me Lamb has consulted with him, including on Protect America Now and the American Sheriff Network, but said he does not review every single appearance Lamb makes outside his capacity as sheriff. (In response to the incident, Texas passed a state law that forbids law enforcement agencies from partnering with reality television shows.) ", The following day, on September 7, De-Rose sent an e-mail directly to Orozco ordering him to "cease and desist. Babeu pulled out of the 2012 race in the middle of the debacle and set his sights lower, vying for - and winning - re-election as sheriff. true. ", Babeu: "You have crossed the line. Brandon Bell/Getty Images. KJZZ is a service of Rio Salado College, and Maricopa Community Colleges Lambs advocacy follows in the tradition of constitutional sheriffs, who for decades have propagated the idea refuted by constitutional experts that sheriffs are the supreme legal authority in America, above even the president and the Supreme Court, and that they can choose not to enforce any law they consider unconstitutional. Gov. [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]. Babeu's statement said that "Border Patrol agents were shot at by drug smugglers last month on the Tohono O'odham Reservation south of Pinal County," but it's unclear whether the shooting involved . for 1+3, enter 4. Explaining their use of RICO funds, Gaffney also said, Any request for RICO Funding by our office as you are aware has to be submitted in writing to either the County Attorneys Office if it is State RICO Funds.. PAUL BABEU: We were notified just recently that he had to make a decision today either to resign from chief deputy, to run, or to pull out of the race, today. Papi. In a written statement, he wrote "The investigation determined that Babeu did not commit any criminal violations and further concluded that, although Orozco conducted himself in a manner that may constitute a violation of the law, there was no reasonable likelihood of conviction on anything more than a misdemeanor charge. | (According to Vale, however, Lamb has not officially endorsed Lake or any other candidate in the race.). On Jan. 6, the day rioters stormed the Capitol in Washington, Lamb appeared at a rally in Phoenix to protest the presidential election results. Babeu was tapping RICO funds to pay for Sheriff's Office travel as early as 2011. independent local journalism in Phoenix. There was an older Latino man named Randy wearing a snap-pocket shirt who had recently retired from a wild horse-and-burro program at the nearby prison and asked Lamb if he knew any cowboys. 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. Voyles maintained that he implemented proper controls to ensure RICO funds were not misspent and pointed to audits conducted by the county, the Arizona Attorney Generals Office and the Arizona Criminal Justice Commission. FBI agents conducted an informal search of the Pinal County Sheriff's Office in March, taking items related to Babeu and his administration. The school closed in 2004, following the death of its founder Michael DeSisto. Keating says her JP sibling had been living at the house Babeu is selling until recently, perhaps renting from the. February 16, 2012 Compared with climbing on roofs all day to pick up bird poop, he says, law enforcement seemed safer. He says lawyer Chris DeRose demanded he sign an agreement that he would never breathe a word about the affair. | AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta. See also: Babeu's Suspicious Past as School's Headmaster LAMBERT: Babeu says the federal government was refusing to allow Henry to both supervise federal funds in the Pinal County Sheriffs Office and run for sheriff. A man with tattoos and well-groomed blond facial hair wearing a Proud American T-shirt (a design sold by the right-wing shock jocks the Hodgetwins) ran across the parking lot for a photo with the sheriff. The grand jury probe is a criminal investigation, according to a letterfrom Elizabeth Strange,the acting U.S. attorney for Arizona. A notice of claim -- a precursor to a lawsuit -- usually is filled with enough details to establish the basis for a lawsuit, and probably would reveal details about this fresh rift between Karns and Babeu, seemingly one-time allies. Sheriffs in almost every state operate independently with limited oversight, giving them the freedom to engage in political advocacy and appear in the media. [20], In 2011 and 2012, the Pinal County Sheriff's Office collected $7 million worth of surplus military equipment. Another man walking by said, The sheriff is a good dude. Everyone gathered for a picture, just one more. That morning I came home, and I told my wife I was gonna be a cop, he concluded. Florence is the county seat. A Republican, he was elected in 2010 to represent the neighboring 1st congressional district . Records show Babeu spent more than $53,000 to send 25 people to a weeklong conference in St. Louis at which he received a national award. The back of Lambs black Chevy Silverado 2500 HD contains his workaday weaponry, including an AR-15 SBR. CLARIFICATION: This article has been updated to include the results of an into allegations made against Sheriff Paul Babeu. He was Pinal County's first Republican sheriff. Get the latest updates in news, food, music and culture, and receive special offers direct to your inbox. He withdrew from the race prior to the primary. He was defeated in the general election by Democrat Tom O'Halleran. including yourself & your family. He lost in the general election to Democrat Andrea F. Nuciforo, Jr. Days after stepping down from a position with Mitt Romney's presidential campaign, Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu sat down with CNN's Wolf Blitzer to talk about recent allegations that he. "I will likely get the compensation back that your actions are costing my family, unfortunately not from you personally, but from the poor taxpayers of Pinal County who will likely continue to suffer such actions due to what you continue to do," Karns writes to Babeu. Lamb often invokes the importance of the rule of law but says of the Jan. 6 rioters, I guarantee you those people are very loving, Christian people. They contended the foundation operated as a pass-through for funds for Babeu and Voyles. ", DeRose wrote: "If you are serious about an amicable resolution to this, it is critical that no further offensive actions against my client be taken in the meantime. He was Pinal County's first Republican sheriff. "It is truly puzzling why Captain Karns overreacted to an organizational change that has yet to take place, and I can only surmise that some other issue is in play that made him lash out," Gaffney says in his statement. Newly elected Sheriff Mark Lamb was ordered by subpoena to deliver records to the grand jury evidencing misuse of county, state or federal RICO funds by Pinal County Sheriffs Office employees.. Paul Raymond Babeu (pronounced BAB-you; born February 3, 1969) is an American politician and member of the Republican Party who was sheriff of Pinal County, Arizona, from January 1, 2008, to January 1, 2017. Burghart, the researcher of far-right movements, sees Protect America Now and the coalition it is building as a dangerous force, arguing the group represents the next step for the constitutional sheriff movement and its elevation of the power of sheriffs. Contact ABC15 Investigator Dave Biscobing at dbiscobing@abc15.com. [1][6], Babeu served as headmaster and later as executive director the DeSisto School in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, a school for troubled youths, from 1999 to 2001. [5], Babeu was awarded two Life Saving Medals in the performance of his duties as a patrolman in Chandler. If Fox calls, what are they going to do for me? But it didnt take long for him to begin leaning into national issues. Sheriff Paul Babeu is a decorated lawman, Iraq war veteran, and a corruption fighter. Please dont. Get the latest updates in news, food, music and culture, and receive special offers direct to your inbox. 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. [1] In 1992, Babeu was elected to a four-year term as a Berkshire County, Massachusetts, commissioner. Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training Board, for TV commercials featuring that damning home video. The FBI declined comment Wednesday. Lamb, 49, has jurisdiction over only Arizona's third most populous county, a stretch of desert. The foundation used RICO funds from Pinal County to help support Sheriff's Office activities and functions. When reached Tuesday, a spokesman declined to comment. [11][12], Babeu joined the Massachusetts National Guard as a 21-year-old. On October 23, 2011, Babeu announced the formation of an exploratory committee to run for U.S. Congress in what would become Arizona's newly redrawn 4th congressional district. Copyright 2023 KJZZ/Rio Salado College/MCCCD. Lamb says the new network is important because we just felt like it was important to give [sheriffs] their voice back. When I asked if Lamb was concerned about a repeat of what happened in Texas, Vale dismissed it saying that lots of things are out of [the sheriffs] control. One episode features deputies tasing new recruits as part of their training, and watching as they scream pain. The state ethics committee investigated Lamb for intervening to stop the seizure of a Republican lobbyists land, for which the lobbyist was behind on paying property taxes, but the investigation was dropped after accusations of impartiality. The hosts called him. "Jose came to our firm because he felt he was being intimidated, and he was in fear for his life," Weiss-Riner says. Karns, however, would have faced a nearly $15,000 pay cut. The audit found that for 39 of 82 awards reviewed, the county could not provide an application or written proposal from the organization that received the money. The Show highlights the creative builders, makers and designers that are sharing their talents with Arizonans. See also: Babeu Turns Distortion of Truth Into an Art Form Orozco: "Dont threat me. [31] On August 30, 2016, Babeu was declared the winner of the Republican primary. This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions. He insists he doesnt have political ambitions beyond the sheriffs office, though. Help us fight for you and support local journalism.Subscribe to azcentral.com today. The spokesman confirmed that Babeu would continue to run for U.S. The FBI is asking new questions about Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu and his offices use of seized criminal money. Babeu has been a national leader on the need to secure our border and stop illegal immigration and drug and human trafficking. What started with an online invitation from Babeu for the two to get together, he says, turned into not only a personal relationship but a professional one. The board is meeting Wednesday, and Babeu's request is on the agenda. BABEU: Clearly theres a disconnect with the federal government enforcing the law, doing their job and what were doing on the ground. "We never found proof of criminal activity," he said. and help keep the future of New Times, Use of this website constitutes acceptance of our, Babeu's Mexican Ex-Lover Says Sheriff's Attorney Threatened Him With Deportation, Babeu's Suspicious Past as School's Headmaster, Babeu Turns Distortion of Truth Into an Art Form, Babeu Sticks It to Taxpayers and a Volunteer Rescue Team. Lamb chalked that up to an accountants error. The Arizona Attorney General's Office said Wednesday it would not prosecute former Sheriff Paul Babeu and former County Attorney Lando Voyles for what it described as "eyebrow-raising" expenditures. [3][4], Babeu holds an associate degree in law enforcement from the Arizona Law Enforcement Academy. "There wasdefinitely sloppy record-keeping and a lack of checks and balances," Ryan Anderson, the AG's director of communications, said. . Time on the screen says 5:02 p.m. . They just happen to support President Trump a lot. When I asked about the roughly 140 law enforcement officers who had been injured or killed while on duty at the Capitol doing a job Lamb also professes to cherish he demurred, saying he hadnt been there and couldnt say what was or wasnt true. Better get an attorney. See additional photos from text-messages between Sheriff Babeu and his ex-lover. Records show Babeu spent more than $53,000 to send 25 people to a weeklong conference in St. Louis at which he . A local newspaper also accused him of having an affair with a woman who died over the summer in a car accident, but Lamb denies that he has been involved with any women outside his marriage. He asked the auditor general to recommend the best way to use those funds. Lamb says the network takes its inspiration from Live PD, an A&E show that ran from 2016 until 2020, when it was canceled after deputies in Williamson County, Texas, were caught on camera tasing a man named Javier Ambler, and ultimately killing him. Thats illegal. Babeau said he intended to balance the department's budget by auctioning the equipment. After the relationship ended, Orozco claims that Babeu threatened Orozco with deportation to guarantee his silence. Lamb fires his service pistol, a Glock 34. The audit also found that $151,645 of the community outreachmonies awarded to the foundation went to unauthorized uses benefiting the County Attorney or Sheriff's Office programs. Pinal County Sheriff's Office Captain Jeffrey Karns, who retired today, lambasted Sheriff Paul Babeu in an e-mail he sent not only to Babeu, but to all PCSO staff. "We're doing the best we can," Lamb said. 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. and help keep the future of New Times, Use of this website constitutes acceptance of our. Join the New Times community and help support [28] He was re-elected by a large margin on November 6, 2012. Career as Pinal County Sheriff and runs for higher office, 2012 United States House of Representatives elections in Arizona District 4, 2016 United States House of Representatives elections in Arizona District 1, "Sheriff-elect Babeu won't finish year with Chandler police", "Babeu says he was victim of priest abuse", "Arizona sheriff Paul Babeu, originally from Western Mass., resigns from Mitt Romney's Arizona campaign after misconduct allegations by former lover", The Republican (Springfield, Massachusetts), "MA State Senate Berkshire, Hampden, Hampshire & Franklin Race", "It's official: Barrett and Babeu will square off again in race for mayor of North Adams", "Babeu kicks off his campaign with event at the Holiday Inn", "Legal trouble dogged Mass. (Many job-safety rankings consider being a roofer more dangerous than being a police officer.). "[18] Babeu also helped U.S. PHOENIX - Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu comes out and admits he's gay on Saturday a day after he's accused of a major scandal. | Forfeiture laws, in general, created a multimillion-dollar "slush fund available to (law enforcement) with little or no oversight," the lawsuit said. And on Facebook, Babeu is still Pinal County's top law dog. The Pinal County Sheriff's Office website, which still lists Karns as leader of the Sheriff's Office Patrol Division, says of the captain: Although the board hasn't considered the matter, Karns' e-mail states that a member of Babeu's "executive staff relayed the message" to him that once he became an at-will employee, he would face termination. The sheriff didn't dispute the authenticity of any text messages or photos appearing with this article.). (In the two weeks after a police officer killed George Floyd in Minneapolis last year, some 10,000 protesters were arrested around the country, compared with about 600 Jan. 6 rioters so far.) State auditors found Babeu and Voyles failed to follow procedures and spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on unauthorized purchases. The sheriff at the time, Paul Babeu, had faced a series of scandals, including an affair with a man who alleged Babeu had threatened to deport him if he exposed their relationship. Babeu and Voyles this month demanded an apology from Volkmer, saying he unfairly maligned them and subjected them to disparaging statements over the use of RICO funds. Questions about the foundation also were raised in a 2015 federal lawsuit by attorneys from Perkins Coie and the American Civil Liberties Union. Im just speaking . In July, the American Civil Liberties Union and international law firm Perkins Coie jointly filed a lawsuitagainst the Pinal County Sheriffs Office and the Pinal County Attorneys Office. and you didn't care.". Attorneys for Babeu, Voyles and his former chief of staff, Dwight Fujimoto, accused Volkmer of making false claims. Since taking office, Lamb also has appeared with the Federation for American Immigration Reform, an anti-immigration organization that the Southern Poverty Law Center considers a hate group. Become a member to support the independent voice of Phoenix Because sheriffs are not usually term-limited, Lamb can stay in office as long as he gets reelected, or until he decides to run for another office, as many other sheriffs have though Lamb says he is happy where he is. The lawsuit claimed the county agencies were misusing RICO funds and funneling money through the Arizona Public Safety Foundation. "[10] Babeu was not named in any allegation during the investigation by the state. Pinal County Sheriff's Office Captain Jeffrey Karns, who retired today, lambasted Sheriff Paul Babeu in an e-mail he sent not only to Babeu, but to all PCSO staff. Lamb was a fixture on the show, as well as a host of a spinoff, Live PD: Wanted, which focused on catching fugitives. But in a solidly conservative part of Arizona, Lamb so far has had plenty of leeway for more and more activities outside the county. Karns' scathing message . Paul Anthony Gosar (/ o s r / GOH-sar; born November 27, 1958) is an American far-right politician and dentist who has represented Arizona's 9th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2023 and represented Arizona's 4th congressional district from 2013 to 2023. County officials have confirmed they are cooperating with federal investigators. Babeu served as the Police Association president for the Chandler Police Department and on the board of directors for the Arizona Police Association.[5]. Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu's campaign launched a counterattack late Monday on a key source for a story broadcast Sunday by a Phoenix TV station. He said the county has implemented a new system of checks and balances that require multiple levels of approval, explanations of how recipients intend to use moneyand receipts documenting expenses. While Lamb has gotten more and more scrutiny in Arizona, he has mostly brushed it off. ", A couple of minutes later, Babeu followed with: "And you say you have loved me? RICO refers to anti-racketeering laws that give authorities wide latitude to seize assets in criminal cases even if charges are not filed and then fund operations with the proceeds. Doug Ducey in 2017 signed a lawto increase oversight ofRICO expenditures and give people a better ability to challengeforfeiture laws. In his book, he describes spending much of his childhood in Hawaii, where, he told me, I was a minority., Lamb, an ardent defender of the Second Amendment, practices at a shooting range in Pinal County, Ariz. The audit said those expenditures effectively bypassed the county's purchasing procedures, which require various levels of approval. Babeu made that announcement after reports surfaced that he had tried to have a former boyfriend deported. The sheriff denies funding was a problem, saying he raised more money in his 4th District congressional bid than either of his opponents. Babeu was tapping RICO funds to pay for Sheriff's Office travel as early as 2011. About 1,000 Trump supporters had descended on the state Capitol; one group of them brought a guillotine. . Get the latest updates in news, food, music and culture, and receive special offers direct to your inbox. Auditors said sheriff's employees traditionally were involved in the foundation's business, including serving on boards and handling accounting functions. The pandemic has given Lamb, like much of the GOP, a new pet cause. [33], Babeu's tenure as sheriff ended on January 1, 2017, after his term expired. Theres no question Lamb is a performer, but his calls to citizen action worry experts who see a segment of American law enforcement becoming a power base of its own one that could further undermine trust in government authority. The lawsuit accused Babeu and Voyles of exploiting Arizona's forfeiture laws, which provide little to no oversight on spending, plaintiff's attorneys said. ", Antonio Bustamante, a criminal defense attorney and immigration activist, tells New Times that if the allegations against Babeu are true, "To use a position of authority. Lamb said he had no opinion on the AG's decision not to prosecuteBabeu and Voyles. For example, Lamb, an ardent defender of the Second Amendment, has spoken in support of the formation of private militias well within the Constitution, he told a group of supporters in March and emphasized the power of sheriffs in Arizona, an open-carry state, to call local civilians into service to suppress all affrays, insurrections and riots that comes to the attention of the sheriff. Last year, as Black Lives Matter protests swept across the country, he formed a local civilian posse to assist his office with law enforcement, even though there were no such protests in Pinal County. Lambs nose for PR is apparent, and it extends beyond Protect America Now. Protect America Nows 69 member sheriffs, who come from states including California, New Mexico, Virginia and South Dakota, also appear on right-leaning media to advocate for smaller government in all areas except immigration. Robert Tsai, a constitutional law professor at Boston University, told me he sees Protect America Now as political in nature an effort to leverage sheriffs in mainstream Republican politics, while also branding [sheriffs] for future political careers. Lamb says Protect America Now is not a political organization, but that its efforts are viewed as political sometimes. Yet Protect America Now, a 501(c)4, was founded in June 2020 by a group that includes Nathan Sproul, an Arizona-based Republican strategist. [1] Babeu was a 2012 Republican candidate who sought election to the U.S. House to represent the 4th Congressional District of Arizona. Since taking office in 2017, Lamb has become the face of a new online streaming service called the American Sheriff Network and of a nonprofit coalition of sheriffs called Protect America Now; he also founded a charity, the American Sheriff Foundation. Super Fans, Mascot Mania, and All-Stars: Suns and Nuggets Get Ready to Rumble, Fight Night: How Phoenix Became a Hotbed for Mixed Martial Arts Champions, New Attainable Not Necessarily Affordable Housing Coming to Downtown Phoenix, Katie Hobbs Gets Singed After Unwrapping Tamale-tastrophe, I Love the Rivalry: Fans Soak Up U.S.-Mexico Soccer Showdown in the Valley. Burghart says the distinction between the two groups might be more about style that Protect America Now is taking a slicker, more palatable approach, with a much better sense of PR than Mack and his crowd.. Babeu retired in September 2010 after 20 years of service. In a speech, Lamb talked about issues with the vote and blamed the state and federal governments. Become a member to support the independent voice of Phoenix [6], At the end of this term in 1996, Babeu ran for a seat in the Massachusetts Senate based in Berkshire, Hampden, Hampshire, and Franklin. (Asked about the report, Mack said CSPOA denounce[s] all racism and violence.), Mack said Lamb is not an official CSPOA member, but he clearly sees Lamb as one of his own. There were middle-aged women with salon-styled hair hoping to take their picture with him. Babeu, who subsequently came out as gay, denied making threats, and a state attorney general investigation later cleared him of any criminal wrongdoing, concluding that the allegations were not supported by the facts. In 2016, Babeu ran for Congress; he lost, but the sheriff spot was left open for Lamb, who defeated Babeus anointed successor in the primary and took the general election. Through Protect America Now, which was founded by a Republican strategist and two businesspeople working with Lamb and counterparts nationwide, he is marshalling dozens of other elected sheriffs and citizen supporters around these ideas building an army as the group puts it. Ultimately, many residents of Pinal County, which voted 58 percent for Trump in 2020, align politically with Lamb. FBI probe of Babeu and former Pinal County Attorney Lando Voyles. The amount was the largest to any single group over the three years, the audit said. They just happen to support President Trump a lot. FLORENCE, Ariz. The first thing to know about Mark Lamb, the sheriff of Pinal County, Arizona, is that he just plain looks like a sheriff. Pinal County is 5,400 square miles, roughly the size of Connecticut, and much of it is sand. 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. "Albeit it is important to note that I will not seek one dime more than what I lost, since that is the only fair thing to do.". A group of kids gathered around Lambs truck for sheriff-branded stickers. Orozco says he met Babeu in October 2006 on gay.com, a dating website. All but a fraction of the foundation's money came from Pinal County's RICO fund, and the money was used to buy items such as automatic weapons for deputies, supplies, police dogs, horses and feed, according to the lawsuit. We'll be in touch if we look into your question. "That's just the worst kind of hypocrisy. Former sheriffs Joe Arpaio and David Clarke, along with an estimated 138 currently serving sheriffs, are self-declared adherents of the philosophy, which evolved out of the white nationalist, anti-Semitic movement known as posse comitatus, meaning the power of the county. Lamb, although he spoke at a convention for constitutional sheriffs last year and says he appreciate[s] those guys standing up for the rule of law, the Constitution and freedom, doesnt call himself a constitutional sheriff. In 2001, Babeu ran for a rematch against Barrett, but lost again. She says she spoke directly to the sheriff's lawyer, DeRose, about the Babeu camp's threats that Orozco could be deported if he "revealed the relationship." local news and culture, Monica Alonzo Lamb said a recent major request involved $50,000 to pay for computer equipment that will allow investigators to download large amounts of data from cell phones, laptops and other electronic devices without inhibiting use. He takes a hardline approach on immigration, for example, but when it comes to the government telling people to get vaccinated or declaring the 2020 election legitimate he fashions himself as more of a vigilante resister, with a heavy dose of anti-government, sometimes militant rhetoric. | Doug Barrett for POLITICO. As KJZZ's Dennis Lambert reports from Phoenix, Babeu will run for re-election as sheriff instead. Babeu campaigned for the office of Pinal County Sheriff in 2008 and defeated Democratic incumbent Chris Vasquez, 54% to 46%. The decision comes months after state auditors found Babeu and Voyles mismanaged more than $2 million in so-called racketeering, or RICO,funds.
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