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. February 2, 2017 [29], On August 31, 2012, the Arizona solicitor general exonerated Babeu after an investigation. Another $63,772 distributed from the foundation went to public service announcements for both offices. Arizona's forfeiture laws direct proceeds into the coffers of the prosecutors and law-enforcement agencies involved in seizing the items. Once elected, Lamb promised he would focus on building relationships within the county. "One of the reasons is that record-keeping was so poor.". Paul Raymond Babeu (pronounced BAB-you; [1] born February 3, 1969) is an American law enforcement officer, politician and member of the Republican Party who was sheriff of Pinal County, Arizona, from January 1, 2009, to January 1, 2017. The trailer for the new network features lots of shots of Lamb, his profile against a desert sunset as the camera pans slowly over the shadows of cacti. 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. Lamb said this month that he is reviewing every aspect of RICO expenditures before releasing funds and wants to create a new approval and review process. He won the Republican nomination against Peter Abair. In fact, Lambs constituents seem to love him: He was unopposed when he ran for reelection last fall and won another four-year term with 97 percent of the vote. has expressed sympathy for the Jan. 6 rioters, spoke at a recent anti-vaccine rally in Phoenix, along with an estimated 138 currently serving sheriffs, unabashed member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, defeated Babeus anointed successor in the primary, promised he would focus on building relationships within the county, has appeared with the Federation for American Immigration Reform, 650 employees and a $39 million annual budget, with a stated mission of educating Americans, The Arizona Republic investigated his charity, The state ethics committee investigated Lamb, A local newspaper also accused him of having an affair, a design sold by the right-wing shock jocks the Hodgetwins. A Republican, he was elected in 2010 to represent the neighboring 1st congressional district . Instead, his pro-sheriff messaging with media savvy and Trump-y politics thrown in the mix seems designed for a wider audience. Lamb says he was always interested in guns but didnt plan for a law enforcement career. The board is meeting Wednesday, and Babeu's request is on the agenda. [8] In the general election, Barrett won re-election and defeated Babeu 53%-47%,[1] a difference of just 353 votes, in an election with an unusually high turnout rate of 75% among registered voters. Karns' scathing message -- addressed to 661 employees -- appears to be sparked by Babeu's request before the Board of Supervisors to reclassify command staff from "covered" employees to "at-will" workers. The new FBI interviews are the latest issue to hit Babeu as he attempts a second run for Congress. Senate. (Many job-safety rankings consider being a roofer more dangerous than being a police officer.). We dont go to a shooting range as much as an open, sandy field that Lamb says belongs to a friend of his. [24], A spokesman for Babeu denied the allegations and described them as "sensationalist". In the open primary, Babeu ranked first but failed to reach the 50% threshold. The 34-year-old from central Mexico charges that the sheriff's lawyer warned against mentioning the affair with Babeu. He graduated from the Arizona Law Enforcement Academy as the #1 overall police recruit and was voted by his fellow officers as the class exemplary officer. [27], Babeu dropped his congressional bid on May 11, 2012; instead he sought re-election as sheriff. He led Barrett by just 145 votes. I dont think that Black Lives Matter is productive for the Blacks, Lamb also told me. Lamb supported the stop the steal campaign in Arizona and has expressed sympathy for the Jan. 6 rioters. 4:00AM. Lamb is at far right. Now, with the public's memory of the scandal fading. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. [1] Babeu has spoken of being molested for several years as a child by at least two Catholic priests, including Richard R. "If what [Babeu's attorney] says is correct [about Orozco's being illegal], either the sheriff had a long relationship with someone he knew was undocumented, while all the time being Mr. Bluster about the border and using it for political gain," or he threatened to deport someone he just broke up with, Merritt says. There was the waitress who told Lamb he needed to gain weight. But ABC15 remains unable to confirm Gaffney's statement. 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. 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. Get the latest updates in news, food, music and culture, and receive special offers direct to your inbox. Ultimately, many residents of Pinal County, which voted 58 percent for Trump in 2020, align politically with Lamb. Make a one-time donation today for as little as $1. He withdrew from the race prior to the primary. CLARIFICATION: This article has been updated to include the results of an into allegations made against Sheriff Paul Babeu. The hosts called him. "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.". In late January, ABC15 exposed a damning home video showing Babeu praising the abusive and inhumane treatment of special needs children at a boarding school he used to run. He says he once wrote a comment on Chino Valley eNews (on which Babeu had an account), where gay men arrange sexual liaisons. You can actually effect change as the sheriff, he says. The council reduced the pay hike and Babeu, running as an independent, turned his effort into a successful campaign and was elected to City Council at the age of 18. Babeu didn't pay him for his online services, he claims. 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. See also: Babeu Sticks It to Taxpayers and a Volunteer Rescue Team. If approved, the change effectively would strip those affected PCSO employees, primarily PCSO lieutenants, of their ability to appeal to a review board any decision Babeu made to discipline or terminate them. 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. See also: Babeu's Mexican Ex-Lover Says Sheriff's Attorney Threatened Him With Deportation The source: Babeu's sister Lucy. The amount was the largest to any single group over the three years, the audit said. Doug Barrett for POLITICO. Ive never had a desire to run for Senate or Congress, Lamb told me at the caf in Florence, before adding, Im a patriot at heart. The federal grand jury also asked for documents involving funds that were provided to the Arizona Public Safety Foundation, a non-profit agency that received hundreds of thousands of dollars in Pinal County RICO funds. Former President Donald Trump, bottom right, also spoke at the event. "[30], Babeu ran for Arizona's 1st congressional district in the 2016 elections. 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 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.. 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 search was followed byan investigation by a federalgrand jury, which issued a subpoena for records evidencing misuse of county, state or federal RICO funds by Pinal County Sheriffs Office employees.. Raymond Babeu was a longtime employee of the area's electric utility who was also active in local politics. Earlier in March, Gaffney also barred this reporter from entering a press conference held by Sheriff Babeu in a public building. Of 43 groups that did provide one, documentation was incomplete, the audit found. The back of Lambs black Chevy Silverado 2500 HD contains his workaday weaponry, including an AR-15 SBR. "We're doing the best we can," Lamb said. 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 . February 16, 2012 State auditors found Babeu and Voyles failed to follow procedures and spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on unauthorized purchases. He says he commented anonymously that the sheriff was not who people thought he was. The audit highlighted 31 awards, totaling $683,406 that went to the Arizona Public Safety Foundation. Two of Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu's siblings believe their brother is unfit to be a U.S. 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. | [26] Babeu stepped down as co-chair of Mitt Romney's presidential campaign in Arizona, but received the continued support of U.S. Orozco shared text messages between him and Babeu with New Times. BABEU: Clearly theres a disconnect with the federal government enforcing the law, doing their job and what were doing on the ground. Orozco says Babeu told him that he loved him and was with him exclusively. 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. The law requires prosecutors to get approval from county boards of supervisors before using RICO funds. RICO refers to the anti-racketeering laws that give authorities wide latitudeto seize assets in criminal cases even if charges are not filed and then fund operations with the proceeds. Lately, Lamb has been supporting the campaign of Kari Lake, a Trump-endorsed former Fox anchor running for Arizonas open governors seat in 2022. Join the New Times community and help support 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. "What we're focused on is making sure we're as transparent as possible," he said. Pinal County is 5,400 square miles, roughly the size of Connecticut, and much of it is sand. They said he accused them of criminal conduct. Make a one-time donation today for as little as $1. In addition, in 77 of the 82 awards reviewed, the county could not provide a memorandum of understanding showing how the money would be used by the group receiving the award. Lamb, too, is a client; his PR representative, Vale, is employed by Sprouls strategy group. I asked Sean Kennedy, a professor at Loyola Law School who is on the oversight commission for the Los Angeles County sheriff, about Lambs involvement with Protect America Now and other outside activities, and he said he believes Lambs behavior violates the NSAs code. He was Pinal County's first Republican sheriff. A September 4, 2011, text from the sheriff reads: "You can never have business after this and you will harm me and many others in the process. Visit his site and learn more today! Lambs nose for PR is apparent, and it extends beyond Protect America Now. More recently, he was a consultant on Kanye Wests quixotic 2020 presidential campaign. On his person, Lamb has a 9mm Glock pistol, plus a long knife, a taser, handcuffs and extra ammunition. The Goldwater Institute, a conservative watchdog group, raised concerns about the foundationin 2017 and sought records to determine if Babeu was using it to bypass campaign-finance laws and promote his 2016 congressional campaign. (A federal judge later found Arpaio in criminal contempt of a court order to stop racially profiling Latino residents, but Trump later pardoned him.) A spokesperson for the NSA told me that, while the code of ethics is the basis of an organizational creed, sheriffs generally rely on their state laws for legal guidance.
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