O.C. Sheriff Carona indicted (Orange County, CA)

Orange County Sheriff Michael S. Carona has been indicted on federal corruption charges stemming from a lengthy investigation into allegations that he misused his office for financial gain, law enforcement officials said Monday.

The indictment, filed under seal, is expected to be made public soon, perhaps as early as Tuesday, officials said.

Carona's longtime political advisor and attorney, Michael Schroeder, said federal authorities had not questioned the sheriff, nor officially informed him that he was the target of a federal investigation. Schroeder, who was in Amsterdam on business, also said that rumors of the investigation had not distracted Carona from his job

"He's focused on the fires," said Schroeder, who does not represent Carona on criminal matters.

Carona's defense attorney, H. Dean Steward, did not return a call to his cellphone. The sheriff did not respond to a request for an interview.

An indictment would mark a spectacular fall for the 52-year-old sheriff, who only five years ago was widely seen as a rising star in California Republican Party politics. Carona received widespread attention in 2002 after he led the search for the killer of a 5-year-old girl, Samantha Runnion, whose kidnapping and murder captivated the nation. In the months after that case, Carona was often mentioned as a possible candidate for lieutenant governor on a slate with Arnold Schwarzenegger.

But even as he gained attention in the political realm, Carona was coming under attack from critics who accused him of improper management and ethical lapses. His conduct had hurt the department's integrity and morale, according to the critics, who pointed in particular to allegations that he had issued badges and concealed-weapons permits to campaign contributors without proper training or background checks. Carona denied the badges were political favors and said his conduct was proper.

I'm not sure from reading this what exactly is alleged.

Here is an excerpt from another article:

Sheriff Carona indicted on public corruption charges

SNIP

Orange County's top lawman has been charged with seven felony counts that he illegally accepted money, high-priced gifts and tickets to exclusive sporting events, and made loans to his girlfriend in exchange for favors, according to an indictment expected to be unsealed today.

SNIP

Carona, 52, is also charged with witness tampering for attempting to persuade Don Haidl, a former assistant sheriff, to withhold testimony from federal investigators during tape-recorded conversations on March 17, 2004, and Aug. 13, 2007, the indictment says. Haidl, 56, bankrolled Carona's first campaign.

The indictment also includes eight counts against Debra Hoffman [Carona's girlfriend], 41, a Newport Beach attorney and investor who the document identifies as the sheriff's "longtime mistress." The charges include aiding Carona and bankruptcy fraud, the indictment reads. Deborah Carona, 56, the sheriff's wife of 27 years, faces one count of conspiracy, the document says.

"The plan and purpose of the conspiracy was for defendant Carona to become elected sheriff of Orange County, and for him to corruptly use the office of sheriff to enrich himself," Hoffman, Deborah Carona, Haidl and Jaramillo, the indictment reads.

SNIP

In all, Carona's is charged with seven counts: four counts of mail fraud, two of witness tampering and one of conspiracy. If convicted of all counts, Carona could spend decades in prison.

SNIP

Thanks.

That pdf froze up my '04 Dell 'puter. Have another location?

Bloody shame, Corona was being groomed for bigger and better things. I would guess his downfall began when he started to screw over his opposition, the Chief of Police in San Clemente.

Bill Hunt was respected, and ran a clean campaign for Sheriff. ... maybe there's still some horsepower left in San Clemente. Gotta make a few phone calls.

It's my bet Carona is history, and will no doubt be prosecuted for several of the charges listed on the indictment, along with his co-conspirators. It appears there is a large paper trail here involving all kinds of corruption and improprieties.

If what I read in the indictment is for the most part true and accurate..With the paper trail being extensive..These people are going down in a big way IMO...

The smoke detectors have been (figuratively) going off for years around Carona. That many chose not to see the fires that were always burning around him was a deliberate act — a few were in cahoots with him, and the rest were scared of him. And it’s not like many of his misdeeds haven’t been right there in the press for all to see......and, having said that, what’s that old saying about “the tip of the iceberg”?

For anyone who thinks Carona is getting the shaft, just look at what the rest of the rats in his pack are doing as they scurry around trying to cut deals as they stand in line to testify against each other. And from Carona’s legion of supporters.....we’re not hearing a peep. There’s a good reason for that, of course....just because they chose to close their eyes to his shady dealings didn’t mean they didn’t know what was going on. All they could do was hold on and hope that a real investigation would not take place.

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