According to Babeu's website, "Pinal County is the number one pass through county in all of America for drug and human smuggling. 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. Make a one-time donation today for as little as $1. 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." Babeu said Henry was left with three options: resign as chief deputy to run as a sheriff's candidate, withdraw his candidacy for sheriff or transfer to a non-leadership position within the sheriff . In this case, he's both.". 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. Of 43 groups that did provide one, documentation was incomplete, the audit found. 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.. ", (After this story was published online February 17, Babeu and DeRose denied Orozco and his lawyer's threat-of-deportation allegations, and under pressure the sheriff came out as a gay man and admitted that he'd had an affair with Orozco. The terms were not disclosed. Two top former law-enforcement officials in Pinal County won't face state criminal charges over their questionable use of profitsfrom property seized during arrests and investigations. 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. 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 . Congressional hopeful Paul Babeu briefly joined the growing list of Republicans nationally who renounced their support for Donald Trump's presidential campaign in a tweet that disappeared an. "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.". "We're doing the best we can," Lamb said. Lamb supported the stop the steal campaign in Arizona and has expressed sympathy for the Jan. 6 rioters. Questions about the foundation also were raised in a 2015 federal lawsuit by attorneys from Perkins Coie and the American Civil Liberties Union. I asked Lamb if he was vaccinated, and he told me, through his PR representative, Corey Vale, to print exactly this: Thats nobodys damn business., Lamb makes a statement at the White House in support of Trumps veto of a bill that Congress passed to block the presidents declaration of a national emergency to fund a wall at the Southern border in March 2019. One day, in the mid-2000s, he went on a ride-along with a neighbor who worked in law enforcement and, armed with courage and a flashlight, Lamb says, he found a suspect they were after hiding in a trailer. "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. 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. Of the total amount awarded to the foundation over the three years, $230,000 was initiated by Babeu or one of his employees, the audit found. PCSO mouthpiece Tim Gaffney, in a statement posted online by the Arizona Daily Star, dismissed Karns e-mail by citing that no decision yet has been made by the Board of Supervisors, that this was merely an "organizational change to improve operations.". 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. Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way. "There wasdefinitely sloppy record-keeping and a lack of checks and balances," Ryan Anderson, the AG's director of communications, said. Any money left over must be returned. Lamb, who was elected in 2017, said money stopped flowing to theArizona Public Safety Foundation, which recently ceased operation. In public, Lamb commands attention. County officials have confirmed they are cooperating with federal investigators. 5542%. In 2001, Babeu ran for a rematch against Barrett, but lost again. . Reveles hoped Lamb would not turn out to be another Arpaio or Babeu. The relationship soured, and Orozco believes that Babeu sent DeRose after him. Orozco: "Dont threat me. Solve this simple math problem and enter the result. 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. independent local journalism in Phoenix. 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. 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. 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. How a city councilman from New England became a darling of Republicans nationwide. | 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. 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. Two of Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu's Sisters Endorse His Rival Grand jury investigates Paul Babeu's use of RICO funds as Pinal County The latest of the alleged threats were made through Babeu's personal attorney, who's also running the sheriff's campaign for Congress in District 4, the ex-lover says. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. The Goldwater Institute, a conservative watchdog group, raised concerns about the foundation last year and sought records to determine if Babeu was using it to bypass campaign-finance laws and promote his 2016 congressional campaign. (Many job-safety rankings consider being a roofer more dangerous than being a police officer.). Become a member to support the independent voice of Phoenix The FBI is asking new questions about Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu and his offices use of seized criminal money. and make legal threats opens a Pandora's box of ethics issues for any law enforcement person or any elected person. But now Reveles is among those Pinal County residents who say Lambs involvement in politics and entertainment has gone too far, distracting him from the job he was elected to do and perhaps even influencing how he does it. The lawsuit accused Babeu and Voyles of exploiting Arizona's forfeiture laws, which provide little to no oversight on spending, plaintiff's attorneys said. 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. Make a one-time donation today for as little as $1. Lavigne. Vale declined to say anything else about the company or provide any details about funding, revenue or viewership. Doug Barrett for POLITICO. The county also enjoys relatively low levels of crime. Get the latest updates in news, food, music and culture, and receive special offers direct to your inbox. (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. 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.". . The groups website lists seven additional sheriffs at least five of whom have been accused of some form of misconduct as advisory committee members. Sheriff Paul Babeu of Pinal County Arizona has emerged as a Republican face for tougher US-Mexico border security. Sheriff Babeu won his first term in a landslide election victory in 2008 over the incumbent Sheriff. [1] In 1992, Babeu was elected to a four-year term as a Berkshire County, Massachusetts, commissioner. He barely seems to sweat. [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. 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. It was the month after the insurrection, with Joe Biden in the White House and Democrats in the majority in Congress, that Lamb announced the launch of Protect America Now, his new coalition of currently serving sheriffs Lamb calls them patriots with a stated mission of educating Americans about how our Sheriffs and the law enforcement community are standing for our Constitution and law and order. Its mostly a messaging operation: The group runs ads and has written letters to the Biden administration. Lamb fires his service pistol, a Glock 34. Compared with climbing on roofs all day to pick up bird poop, he says, law enforcement seemed safer. As KJZZ's Dennis Lambert reports from Phoenix, Babeu will run for re-election as sheriff instead. But Jose Orozco refused. and help keep the future of New Times, Use of this website constitutes acceptance of our. "Jose came to our firm because he felt he was being intimidated, and he was in fear for his life," Weiss-Riner says. (In response to the incident, Texas passed a state law that forbids law enforcement agencies from partnering with reality television shows.) On his person, Lamb has a 9mm Glock pistol, plus a long knife, a taser, handcuffs and extra ammunition. Lamb said he had no opinion on the AG's decision not to prosecuteBabeu and Voyles. The law requires prosecutors to get approval from county boards of supervisors before using RICO funds. "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. For questions about programming, membership or anything else about KJZZ, please visit kjzz.org/contact. We'll be in touch if we look into your question. [20], In 2011 and 2012, the Pinal County Sheriff's Office collected $7 million worth of surplus military equipment. He insists he doesnt have political ambitions beyond the sheriffs office, though. [29], On August 31, 2012, the Arizona solicitor general exonerated Babeu after an investigation. Babeu first mentioned the alleged crimes on Saturday, when he held a press conference to discuss Jose's allegations. 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. Once approved, the requests are sent to the county attorney's office for review by another committee. 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. They exchanged more texts on September 6. 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. Pinal County Supervisor Jeff Serdy, who owns what he describes as a very high-volume gun shop in the area, told me, You could not ask for a better advocate for the Second Amendment than Sheriff Lamb. The back of Lambs black Chevy Silverado 2500 HD contains his workaday weaponry, including an AR-15 SBR. 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. The National Sheriffs Association, of which Lamb is a member, has a model code of ethics for sheriffs that prohibits using the office for private gain, among other things. "At a minimum, it seems that by funneling money to a private group which buys things for him and his department Babeu is able to avoid procurement laws and other transparency regulations which usually apply to government purchasing," the lawsuit stated. 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. A staunch conservative, Republican Babeu has made his stance on illegal immigration known to the nation as he fights for stricter laws. Senate. independent local journalism in Phoenix. Yet he styles himself as the American Sheriff a moniker around which he has spent the past several years trying to build a national brand as a fervent defender of law enforcement. Babeu was tapping RICO funds to pay for Sheriff's Office travel as early as 2011. Better get an attorney. State auditors found Babeu and Voyles failed to follow procedures and spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on unauthorized purchases. Babeu was tapping RICO funds to pay for Sheriff's Office travel as early as 2011. ", The following day, on September 7, De-Rose sent an e-mail directly to Orozco ordering him to "cease and desist. She says DeRose falsely claimed that Orozco's visa had expired. Paul Babeu, Martha McSally struggle to respond to Donald Trump fallout Court records show that problems at the school arose years before Babeu took over as headmaster. The decision by the AG's Office doesn't mean Babeu and Voyles have been cleared of wrongdoing. 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. They just happen to support President Trump a lot. The pandemic has given Lamb, like much of the GOP, a new pet cause. Ultimately, many residents of Pinal County, which voted 58 percent for Trump in 2020, align politically with Lamb. The board is meeting Wednesday, and Babeu's request is on the agenda. Auditors said sheriff's employees traditionally were involved in the foundation's business, including serving on boards and handling accounting functions. Paul: No. this is no good. "[30], Babeu ran for Arizona's 1st congressional district in the 2016 elections. 6:00AM. 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. Were going to find out who is willing to die for freedom. He also makes direct appeals to citizens, an effort that looks more dangerous after former President Donald Trump riled up supporters on Jan. 6. While some Pinal County residents say Lambs involvement in politics and entertainment has gone too far, the county voted overwhelmingly to reelect him last year. When their relationship soured, Orozco claimed Babeu had threatened to have him deported unless he signed a contract swearing him to secrecy. Babeu heads a department of 700 and has worked to cut the budget, reorganize leadership, and reduce the response time from his department. Another $63,772 distributed from the foundation went to public service announcements for both offices.