Congressman and have endorsed one of his rivals for the GOP primary in Arizona's First. The grand jury probe is a criminal investigation, according to a letterfrom Elizabeth Strange,the acting U.S. attorney for Arizona. The message: Sheriffs are here to protect your freedom including freedom from your own democratically elected government. Lately, Lamb has been supporting the campaign of Kari Lake, a Trump-endorsed former Fox anchor running for Arizonas open governors seat in 2022. Former Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu and County Attorney Lando Voyles said they have been maligned and subjected to "disparaging statements" over their handling of profits from seized. "[10] Babeu was not named in any allegation during the investigation by the state. [5], At age 17, while still in high school, Babeu campaigned against a proposed raise for North Adams, Massachusetts, City Council members. Paul Babeu, Arizona Sheriff, Allegedly Threatened Gay - HuffPost He lost in the general election to Democrat Andrea F. Nuciforo, Jr. Earlier in March, Gaffney also barred this reporter from entering a press conference held by Sheriff Babeu in a public building. 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. 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. The new FBI interviews are the latest issue to hit Babeu as he attempts a second run for Congress. Babeu was first elected as sheriff in 2008. In 2001, Babeu ran for a rematch against Barrett, but lost again. "Jose came to our firm because he felt he was being intimidated, and he was in fear for his life," Weiss-Riner says. Stephen is a former staff writer and columnist at, Become a member to support the independent voice of Phoenix And I will serve the people where I can.. Make a one-time donation today for as little as $1. Fight Night: How Phoenix Became a Hotbed for Mixed Martial Arts Champions, Super Fans, Mascot Mania, and All-Stars: Suns and Nuggets Get Ready to Rumble, Katie Hobbs Gets Singed After Unwrapping Tamale-tastrophe, New Attainable Not Necessarily Affordable Housing Coming to Downtown Phoenix, I Love the Rivalry: Fans Soak Up U.S.-Mexico Soccer Showdown in the Valley. During a July interview at a local caf here decked out in Old West paraphernalia, passersby interrupted to clasp hands heartily with him and chat. A staunch conservative, Republican Babeu has made his stance on illegal immigration known to the nation as he fights for stricter laws. Lamb, 49, has jurisdiction over only Arizonas third most populous county, a stretch of desert wedged between Phoenix and Tucson thats home to about 500,000 people. Orozco says Babeu told him that he loved him and was with him exclusively. Doug Barrett for POLITICO. Paul Gosar - Wikipedia ABC15 has learned agents in the FBI . County officials have confirmed they are cooperating with federal investigators. 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. The audit highlighted 31 awards, totaling $683,406 that went to the Arizona Public Safety Foundation. 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. Time on the screen says 5:02 p.m. . "There wasdefinitely sloppy record-keeping and a lack of checks and balances," Ryan Anderson, the AG's director of communications, said. In cases where money is distributed in advance, recipients must show it was used for the specific request. Join the New Times community and help support Now in his second term, Shaun Babeu will be up for re-election in 2018. Cochise County uses RICO funds for scholarships, Governor signs bill to tighten rules on asset seizures by law enforcement. and help keep the future of New Times, Use of this website constitutes acceptance of our. After the relationship ended, Orozco claims that Babeu threatened Orozco with deportation to guarantee his silence. It could be his demeanor, at once confident and aw-shucks. "We never found proof of criminal activity," he said. The proposed change also would mean more money for most lieutenants, with a total of $32,281.60 in annual pay increases. independent local journalism in Phoenix. Karns tells Babeu that his proposal ensures that if command staff doesn't "bow and accede" to his "every wish and desire, they face termination." Karns, promoted to captain in 2002, writes that Babeu's move is about gaining for himself "total and complete control and support, operationally and politically.". Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu just won a primary for a competitive congressional seat in Arizona. [2] ", 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. Paul Babeu says "drugs and stuff like that." Note: The following comments begin 1:00 into the clip. When reached Tuesday, a spokesman declined to comment. Sheriffs good with me, Lamb said, looking abashed, like any good politician should. LAMBERT: Babeus exit from the primary leaves Lake Havasu Republican Senator Ron Gould and 1st District Congressman Paul Gosar to fight it out for the GOP nomination. He says he commented anonymously that the sheriff was not who people thought he was. January 8, 2013 6:31PM. Forfeiture laws, in general, created a multimillion-dollar "slush fund available to (law enforcement) with little or no oversight," the lawsuit said. [16] Babeu led the third largest sheriff's office in Arizona with 700 full-time employees. Your contact infoWe'll be in touch if we look into your question. February 16, 2012 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. He insists he doesnt have political ambitions beyond the sheriffs office, though. including yourself & your family. His own sisters told people not to vote for him. Now he's a GOP | Super Fans, Mascot Mania, and All-Stars: Suns and Nuggets Get Ready to Rumble, Katie Hobbs Gets Singed After Unwrapping Tamale-tastrophe, Fight Night: How Phoenix Became a Hotbed for Mixed Martial Arts Champions, New Attainable Not Necessarily Affordable Housing Coming to Downtown Phoenix, I Love the Rivalry: Fans Soak Up U.S.-Mexico Soccer Showdown in the Valley. 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. [1] Babeu has spoken of being molested for several years as a child by at least two Catholic priests, including Richard R. [10] Babeu stated that he had never been the target of an investigation or lawsuit and "was recognized for helping restore financial stability of the school. (In response to the incident, Texas passed a state law that forbids law enforcement agencies from partnering with reality television shows.) Paul Babeu's Mexican Ex-Lover Says Sheriff's Attorney Threatened Him Ariz. sheriff says he's gay after misconduct claims Republican Mark Lamb succeeded Babeu as sheriff.[34][35]. Phoenix's independent source of Babeu's Twitter page still presents him as a sheriff. The decision by the AG's Office doesn't mean Babeu and Voyles have been cleared of wrongdoing. 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. [19], In late 2010, Babeu was asked by Maricopa County sheriff Joe Arpaio to investigate allegations of wrongdoing in Arapaio's department. 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. He said his own review of RICO funds indicated past requests were made in round numbers and did not require itemization. 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. Sheriff Paul Babeu is the Sheriff of Pinal County in Arizona. [11][12], Babeu joined the Massachusetts National Guard as a 21-year-old. . Lamb is a frequent talking head on Fox News and Newsmax, where he derides President Joe Bidens and Vice President Kamala Harris handling of immigration, and he has spoken at political events like a Turning Point Action summit a few months ago in Phoenix, where he quoted Shakespeare and Thomas Paine (Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered) and promised, The sheriffs are going to hold the line., Sheriff Mark Lamb has jurisdiction over Pinal County, a stretch of desert wedged between Phoenix and Tucson thats home to about 500,000 people. Im already hurt me . 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. Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu denied claims he tried to threaten the man, a Mexican immigrant and a former campaign volunteer, with deportation if their past relationship was made public. Forfeiture money paid for Voyles' personal security system, retirement contributions of employees in his office and fundraising for the Sheriff's Office, according to the lawsuit. Doug Barrett for POLITICO. Doug Barrett for POLITICO. 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." [23] He ran against one-term Representative Paul Gosar, who had been elected to the state's 1st congressional district in 2010. Out of five Pinal County supervisors, only one, Serdy, a Republican, would comment on the record about Lamb, telling me over the phone, As long as the job is being done, then we support [his other work]. Lamb argues his outside activities help him bring in new recruits. Babeau said he intended to balance the department's budget by auctioning the equipment. "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.". Later, rioters broke a window as they yelled out for Doug Ducey, the Republican governor who had certified Bidens victory in Arizona. A Fitting Finish to Paul Babeu's No Good, Very Bad Year Make a one-time donation today for as little as $1. "But that didn't rise to the level of criminal activity.". Orozco says he created and maintained Babeu's campaign websites, his Facebook page, and his Twitter account. 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 . This 6-month-long detailed search led to the termination of Arpaio's top two deputies. 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. 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. The man's allegations were first published Friday in the Phoenix New Times, an alternative weekly magazine. If Fox calls, what are they going to do for me? But it didnt take long for him to begin leaning into national issues. President Donald Trump, center, with Vice President Mike Pence, right, speaks during a meeting with sheriffs from around the country before leaving the White House for a trip to El Paso, Texas, in 2019. CLARIFICATION: This article has been updated to include the results of an into allegations made against Sheriff Paul Babeu. The Show highlights the creative builders, makers and designers that are sharing their talents with Arizonans. Compared with climbing on roofs all day to pick up bird poop, he says, law enforcement seemed safer. After filing for bankruptcy in 2003, Lamb decided to start again in Arizona, he writes in his book, where he moved with his five kids and his wife, Janel who today has her own book, The Sheriffs Wife, and often appears with her husband at public events. He said requests did not appear to be made for specific dollar amounts and no system appeared to be in place to review where the money went. Records show Babeu spent more than $53,000 to send 25 people to a weeklong conference in St. Louis at which he . 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. When the coronavirus pandemic hit, he publicly resisted Arizonas mask mandates and stay-at-home orders before catching Covid himself last year, which he discovered when he was denied entry to the White House for a meeting with Trump. There were middle-aged women with salon-styled hair hoping to take their picture with him. Reveles hoped Lamb would not turn out to be another Arpaio or Babeu. He won the Republican nomination against Peter Abair. The case was settled in April 2018, according to court records. They just happen to support President Trump a lot. They exchanged more texts on September 6. The spokesman confirmed that Babeu would continue to run for U.S. 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. 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. Lamb said he wants to release RICO funds quarterlyand that he will require recipients to submit a breakdown of expenses, which will be reviewed by a committee before a request is approved. It could be the Justin cowboy hat he wears pulled low over his eyes and his penchant for Western shirts and a tactical vest in lieu of a uniform.
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