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Lawyer withdraws from corruption case after Mike Carona says he can no longer pay him. Former Orange County Sheriff Mike Carona has lost his longtime criminal defense attorney because he can't afford to pay him. H. Dean Steward filed a notice with the federal court today to withdraw from the corruption case. "I am not leaving the defense team because of the facts of the case or Mike personally," Steward said in a statement. "Mike and I remain good friends. I also remain convinced that after a jury hears all the facts, Mike will be acquitted." Carona, his wife and...

Here are the answers to some of the questions readers have had this week about the resignation of Sheriff Mike Carona: Q: If it's illegal for Carona to accept the pro bono services of two attorneys working on his criminal case, how could Mike Schroeder represent him for free for all those years? A:State law allows for free legal services to political candidates under the government's election code, so Schroeder was free to act as Carona's lawyer on those issues for, well, free. (Schroeder also worked pro bono on Trung Nguyen's unsuccessful election challenge of Supervisor Janet Nguyen.) Watchdog Shirley...

Sheriff Mike Carona announced his resignation today “with a heavy heart,” saying it would be best for the department and the county if he was not distracted while defending himself against federal public corruption charges...

Presidential Candidate Giuliani's Partner Linked to Bribery Case When Hank Asher reached into the bag and pulled out the two $15,000 gold Cartier watches, the holiday crowd at Carmine's restaurant on 44th Street in Manhattan noticed, patrons recalled. Later, so did the U.S. attorney in Orange County, Calif., and soon yet another of Rudy Giuliani's business partners was embroiled in a bribery case. Asher, identified by the initials H.A. in Overt Act 59 of a federal grand jury indictment against Orange County sheriff Michael Carona, had handed the diamond-encrusted Cartier baubles to the wives of the sheriff and his deputy,...

Orange County Sheriff Mike Carona has resigned from a prominent federal Homeland Security task force and lost his security clearance after a federal indictment against him was unsealed, Homeland Security officials said Thursday...

Sheriff Mike Carona ... gave five-minute interviews to two dozen print, radio and television reporters today. ... Here are their statements and the answers to the questions the attorneys allowed: Mike Carona: Last week, my department and I spent long hours working with our colleagues in law enforcement and the fire service, battling the fires that devastated Orange County. Today, I find myself in a firestorm of a different type. This is not a complex matter. Simply put, I have NEVER misused the office of the sheriff of Orange County for personal gain. Any fair review of the evidence can...

Sheriff Mike Carona and his wife Debbie, both in handcuffs, were ordered to pay $20,000 bail and will be released later today from federal lockup...

Sheriff Mike Carona, his wife and a woman identified as his "longtime mistress" have been indicted on charges of public corruption by a federal grand jury, The Orange County Register has learned. 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. Carona's former top aide, George Jaramillo, in a separate agreement, pleaded guilty to federal tax evasion and corruption charges in March and assisted the FBI...

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...

Detectives are trying to figure out why a handgun belonging to a reserve deputy for the Orange County Sheriff's Department was found at the Bel-Air mansion of the former European video game executive accused of crashing a rare Ferrari Enzo in Malibu in February. Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies confiscated the gun during a raid at the home of Bo Stefan Eriksson, who faces grand theft, embezzlement and DUI charges related to the accident. L.A. County Sheriff's Department spokesman Steve Whitmore confirmed Wednesday that the .357 magnum Smith & Wesson was registered to Roger A. Davis, a Newport Beach businessman...

Scandals and controversies have clouded Orange County Sheriff Michael S. Carona's public and private lives, dimming the prospects of a man whose political future once seemed unlimited.

SANTA ANA – An Orange County sheriff's reserve deputy has been suspended from duty after he was arrested for allegedly flashing his badge, pulling a gun and threatening to kill a group of golfers at a Chino Hills course. Raymond Yi, a reserve deputy since 2002 and Sheriff Michael Carona's martial arts instructor, turned in his badge and his department-issued gun Tuesday. Prosecutors in San Bernardino County said Thursday that the charges against Yi will now include two counts each of assault with a firearm and making criminal threats. He had been initially charged with brandishing a firearm, a misdemeanor....

SANTA ANA – Federal and local authorities are investigating whether fired Orange County Assistant Sheriff George Jaramillo used department resources to help market an anti-crime device made by a company that paid Jaramillo and his wife $25,000. Investigators from the FBI and the Orange County district attorney's office have interviewed officials with CHG Safety Technologies Inc. about the firm's relationship with Jaramillo, the company's attorney said. Sheriff's officials are investigating whether Jaramillo improperly used patrol cars, deputies and a helicopter to market the company's system, said department spokesman Jon Fleischman. Jaramillo's attorney, Peter Scalisi, did not immediately return calls Wednesday...

Friends, relatives were also among the 86 who received badges, even though some lacked training. Carona says there was no public risk. Shortly after he took office, Orange County Sheriff Michael S. Carona and one of his top assistants deputized 86 friends, relatives, political contributors and others, giving them badges, powers of arrest and in some cases guns — despite the fact that none had background investigations and some had not been fully trained. Three years later, the state's Commission on Peace Officers Standards and Training removed all 86 of the reserve deputies from California's peace officer database, which meant...

BEIJING, April 24 — China sealed off a major Beijing hospital Thursday, swiftly implementing a policy of quarantining SARS-affected areas to contain a disease threatening to erupt across the nation of 1.4 billion residents. In Hong Kong and Singapore, meanwhile, health experts said the disease may be even deadlier than initially thought. HOURS AFTER the World Health Organization advised against visiting Beijing, police took positions around the People’s Hospital of Peking University to stop people going in or out. Worldwide, the death toll has passed 260, with more than 4,300 cases of infection reported. The hospital is not one...

(Mike Shelton cartoon added by poster) "I want to acknowledge Mike Carona of Orange County, California, who's with us to share -- where are you, Mike?" Bush said as he scanned the room, where scores of law-enforcement and political officials were gathered to bolster the commander in chief's call for a new Homeland Security Department. "I appreciate you coming," Bush said as he spotted the sheriff. "He's the fellow who recently apprehended the killer of Samantha Runnion there in California. I want to congratulate you for your good work, helping make your community as safe as possible." Complete Article