A retired Maricopa County judge testified Thursday that an unsuccessful bribery case brought against him by Sheriff Joe Arpaio and then-County Attorney Andrew Thomas was bogus and permanently damaged his professional reputation.Retired Judge Gary Donahoe told panelists in an attorney discipline case against Thomas that the charges created stress in his life that made it hard for him to sleep, caused him to grind his teeth and led to $200,000 in legal bills.
"Thirty years of trying to build a good reputation is gone because of their conduct," Donahoe said, noting he was asked about the charges during a job interview after he retired from the bench.
Thomas is accused of bringing criminal cases against Donahoe when the county's former top attorney knew the charges were false. Thomas and Arpaio contend that they were trying to root out corruption in county government.
Donahoe was charged in December 2009 after he disqualified Thomas' office from an investigation by Arpaio and Thomas' offices into the construction of a court building in downtown Phoenix. Donahoe was about to hold a hearing on Thomas' request to appoint special prosecutors to handle investigations against county officials.
That hearing was called off after charges of hindering prosecution, obstruction of justice and bribery were filed against Donahoe.
Full Article and Source:
Judge Calls Failed Bribary Case Brought Against Him by AZ Sheriff, Prosecutor Bogus
Hooray for Maricopa County!
ReplyDeleteI no longer have any confidence in the judiciary.
I remember Donahoe from the Lund case.
ReplyDeleteDon't let him up, Maricopa County.
So what evidence did Thomas and Arpaio have. The evidence, or lack thereof, is what should matter most, just as it should have mattered most in many of our own cases. EVERY REPORT LIKE THIS ONE SHOULD PROVIDE A LINK TO THE EVIDENCE, OR AT LEAST A SUMMARY OF THE EVIDENCE WHICH INCLUDES A LINK FROM EACH SPECIFIC POINT IN THE SUMMARY TO THE EVIDENCE WHICH ESTABLISHES THE POINT. This is just what I did with the evidence on my website. See, for example, the transcript which begins at http://home.roadrunner.com/~tvfields/SteinmetzDepo/Frameset001.htm and is summarized at http://home.roadrunner.com/~tvfields/SteinmetzDepo/Frameset000.htm
ReplyDeleteSo how did he come to be retired?
ReplyDeleteSo this judge deserved the damaged professional reputation?
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Thelma, I have absolutely no confidence in our corrupt judicial system. I do hope the truth comes out and those that made the false allegations lose thier jobs and get the jail time they deserve. In my guardianship abuse case, the "law" guardian, Mary Giordano, made false accusations against me for 3 years. I always defended myself with letters and supporting documentation but Judge Asarch would never address it, just allowed her to say and do whatever she wanted. She has perjured herself time and time again and she was never held accountable for it. There should be a law that attorneys need to have proof of what they say before they even say it.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely, he deserved it. Donahoe was the WORST and most corrupt in probate judges!! Andy Thomas and Sheriff Joe had tons of evidence against him...not to mention several witnesses to back it up, but between Donahoe and the Maricopa County Board if Supervisors (another corrupt bunch), Andy Thomas got bullied. First he lost his position as AG, then, after a threat of being disbarred,@ was forced to withdraw his lawsuit.
ReplyDeleteI think its good that Donahoe has suffered...it just proves that Karma does exist. No one should have pity on him. After all, he has shown no pity on the dozens of probate families he has caused the same kind of suffering to.
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ReplyDeleteWell apparently Donahue has been vindicated As he along with several other judges were awarded over 8 million dollars in a defamation and abuse of power case against Sheriff Arpaio in which it was claimed that he used his office to defame and retaliate against judges he considered to be political opponents going so far as to arrest them on them on trumped up charges.
ReplyDeleteI feel sorry for the taxpayers of Maricopa country as they have been forced to pay out more money in legal damages to Arpaio political victims than any other county in the US by a substantial amount. just in the past few years their was 8.5 million in this case, 25 million in another case and 12.5 million in yet another case, yet you morons continue to reelect the most corrupt narcissistic Sheriff's in our nations history