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Joe Arpaio's office misused up to $80 million, Maricopa County says
The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office on Wednesday was placed under budget restrictions by the Board of Supervisors after a new report detailed misspending that county budget officials said could be between $60 million and $80 million over five years.
Supervisors will forward the county's research to the U.S. Attorney's Office for review. That office is conducting a separate abuse-of-power grand-jury probe of Sheriff Joe Arpaio, his employees and others. The U.S. Attorney's Office declined comment.
Sheriff's interim Chief Deputy Jerry Sheridan blamed many of the problems on an antiquated personnel system, but acknowledged the Sheriff's Office was not sure how much money from a restricted jail-tax fund was improperly used to pay for deputies to work in other areas of the agency. Misspending from that fund was one of the key complaints against the agency, because money from the fund may be used only for specific purposes.
"The $80 million figure, I think, is pure hyperbole, and I thought it was a vicious attempt to make Sheriff Arpaio look like he's a poor manager," Sheridan said in an interview.