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Get Rich Quick…

Once again it’s sad to report there has been more bad boys doing bad things. This is once again a sad story of a Sheriff. Not a Deputy Sheriff, but the Sheriff himself.

The Orange County Sheriff has been indicted. Sheriff Michael S. Carona has been indicted on Federal Charges for corruption. He is accused of using his office for financial gain.

The 10 count indictment which was unsealed on Tuesday says the Sheriff, his wife; an attorney and two other associates schemed to get Carona elected so they could use his office to enrich themselves.

The two others, former assistant sheriffs Don Haidl and George Jaramillo, have pleaded guilty to related charges in the probe. U.S. attorney spokesman Thom Mrozek says Carona, his wife Deborah and the attorney, Debra Hoffman, are expected to surrender to federal authorities on Wednesday. Carona's criminal attorney, H. Dean Steward, told The Associated Press that he had not been contacted by the U.S. attorney about any charges, sealed or not.

According to his re-election web site
Michael S. Carona became the 11th Sheriff in the history of Orange County in January, 1999, responsible for the leading law enforcement agency in Orange County, the 2nd largest Sheriff's Department in California, and the 5th largest Sheriff's Department in the nation. The Sheriff's Department provides patrol services to over 670,000 individuals in twelve contract cities and 350 square miles of unincorporated areas. In addition, services such as SWAT, Bomb Squad, Search and Rescue and Dignitary Protection are provided to all 3.2 million Orange County residents as well as Police Agencies requesting assistance. Transit police services are provided through contract to the Orange County Transportation Authority. Security and Law Enforcement Services are provided through similar agreement to the county court system and John Wayne Airport. Marine Fire Protection and Marine Rescue Service are provided to the three Orange County harbors under contract to Harbors, Beaches and Parks. Included in the Sheriff's Administration is oversight responsibility for countywide Forensic Science Services, Coroner Investigations, Regional Training Academy and a Custody Services Component that manages the 10th largest mega-jail in the U.S. In addition, the Sheriff is responsible for countywide Communications and Emergency Management. All of these general and specialized services are provided 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, underwritten by a budget of over $600,000,000.
Sheriff Carona's experience in law enforcement began 23 years before he became Sheriff. In 1976, after graduating from the Orange County Sheriff's Department Academy, he joined the Orange County Marshal's Department as a Deputy. His off-duty time was spent earning a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Management and two Master of Arts Degrees in Management.

According to most everything researched on the internet has spoken very highly of the Sheriff.

I did find this article speaking against the Sheriff

The Orange County Sheriff's Dept. and high ranking elected officials are under investigation by the Feds. Allegedly Sheriff's deputies have illegally referred Orange County Jail inmates to local bail bondsmen and attorneys in return for money and favors and other privileges in a conspiracy involving female jail trustees and other inmates. Thousands of dollars in kickback payoffs are believed part of the conspiracy centered around the Sheriff's Dept. According to federal officials, the investigation began in 2004 when a local long time bail bondsman complained that Xtreme Bail Bonds and other bail companies and the Sheriff’s Dept. was illegally referring clients and customers to local attorneys and other bail bondsmen.
On Oct. 5, prosecutors won an indictment against criminal defense attorney Joseph Cavallo. The charges seem to allege that Cavallo masterminded and operated an illegal kickback scheme involving bail bonds and inmates—inside Mike Carona’s Orange County Jail. Cavallo plead not guilty and posted a cash bond of $25,000.
As reported by the OC Weekly “The whole thing stinks,” said Cavallo. “I think the public would be shocked if they knew how things work in Orange County.”

Cavallo who admits he is familiar with the inner workings of local law enforcement thanks to his long relationship with the sheriff and former assistant sheriffs Jaramillo and Don Haidl, Cavallo says the county’s justice system is governed by the whims of the men who run it. He believes Carona played a secret role in District Attorney Tony Rackauckas's charges after he refused to sabotage the Jaramillo defense.

In cop parlance, Cavallo went on to say the sheriff had motive and opportunity.


Michael J. Schroeder
He points out that Mike Schroeder, Carona’s top political adviser is also the powerful if unofficial adviser to Rackauckas and that Schroeder’s wife, Susan, is the DA’s media director. During the Haidl rape trials, Susan Schroeder and Cavallo often exchanged hostile words outside the courtroom.

“I know the Schroeders had a hand in my indictment,” Cavallo told the OC Weekly. “This is the work of ‘The Triangle’—Mike Carona, Mike Schroeder and Tony Rackauckas
It’s unlawful for an attorney to pay bail bonds agents or other attorneys to find clients. Prosecutors say Cavallo and several firms created a “tank worker” system in the OC Jail—employing inmates who forcefully recommend certain lawyers and bail bondsmen to other detainees. In return, they allege, the bondsmen paid the tank workers a bounty of up to $1,000 per lead and attorneys paid so called founders fees. The DA says his charge is backed by evidence of financial links between Xtreme Bail Bonds of Santa Ana, its clients and Cavallo. How much money was allegedly exchanged is not yet known, although the lawyer did give the owner of Xtreme a $50,000 interest-free loan. Investigators believe a handful of uncharged jail deputies and other inmates past and present are also involved in the scheme.
There are probes of possible illegal conduct by elected officials under color of law, illegal use of office under color of law, misuse of authority, corruption, racketeering, obstruction of justice, cover up, jailhouse bribery, perjury, kickbacks, illegal campaign contributions, fundraising bribes; jobs sold for donations, the selling and distributing of reserve sheriff badges, bought with county taxpayers money, the thwarting of accurate public disclosure, indecent sexual activities, sexual favors, police brutality and the illegal use of government property including a police helicopter for personal use. The Journal has learned it is a crime for one or more persons acting under color of law willfully to deprive or conspire to deprive another person of any right protected by the Constitution or laws of the United States. "Color of law" simply means that the person doing the act is using power given to him or her by a governmental agency (local, state or federal). Criminal acts under color of law include acts not only done by local, state, or federal officials within the bounds or limits of their lawful authority, but also acts done beyond the bounds of their lawful authority. Off-duty conduct may also be covered under color of law, if the perpetrator asserted their official status in some manner. Color of law may include public officials who are not law enforcement officers, for example, judges and prosecutors, as well as, in some circumstances, non governmental employees who are asserting state authority, such as private security guards. While the federal authority to investigate color of law type violations extends to any official acting under "color of law", the vast majority of the allegations are against the law enforcement community.
Violations of Federal RICO statutes are being probed. The Journal has been told by reliable sources that the FBI is investigating the matter because it may involve highly placed elected officials. The same source believes the U.S. Attorneys office is forming or has formed a special task force to investigate and develop federal cases against some county officials and is expected to involve a secret federal grand jury where secret witnesses will give testimony.
Highly placed U.S. Government officials say RICO or the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act is a United States law which provides for extended penalties for criminal acts performed as part of an ongoing criminal enterprise organization. Under RICO, a person or group who commits any two of 35 crimes--27 federal crimes and 8 state crimes--within a 10-year period and (in the opinion of the U. S. Attorney bringing the case) has committed those crimes with similar purpose or results can be charged with racketeering. Those found guilty of racketeering can be fined up to $25,000 and/or sentenced to 20 years in prison. In addition, the racketeer must forfeit all ill-gotten gains and interest in any business gained through a pattern of "racketeering activity." The act also contains a civil component that allows plaintiffs to sue for triple damages. When the U. S. Attorney decides to indict someone under RICO, he has the option of seeking a pre-trial restraining order or injunction to prevent the transfer of potentially forfeitable property, as well as require the defendant to put up a performance bond. Some have said this provision is intended to force a defendant to plead guilty before indictment. Although some of the RICO predicate acts are extortion and blackmail, one of the most successful applications of the RICO laws has been the ability to indict or sanction individuals for their behavior and actions committed against witnesses and victims in alleged retaliation or retribution for cooperating with law enforcement or intelligence agencies. The RICO laws can be alleged in cases where civil lawsuits or criminal charges are brought against individuals or corporations in retaliation for said individuals or corporations working with law enforcement, or against individuals or corporations who have sued or filed criminal charges against a defendant. Anti-SLAPP (strategic lawsuit against public participation) laws can be applied in an attempt to curb alleged abuses of the legal system by individuals, officials or corporations who utilize the courts as a weapon to retaliate against whistle blowers, victims, or to silence another's speech. RICO could be alleged if it can be shown that law enforcement, lawyers and/or their clients conspired and collaborated to concoct fictitious legal complaints solely in retribution and retaliation for themselves having been brought before the courts. An operated and managed a criminal enterprise that engaged in such acts, under section 1964(c) of the RICO Act, the victims can sue civilly and recover the economic losses they sustained by reason of the pattern of racketeering. pattern of racketeering activity Section 1962(d) makes it unlawful for a person to conspire to violate subsections (a), (b) or (c) of the RICO Act. common civil RICO claim is found under section 1962(c), which makes it unlawful for a person to manipulate an enterprise for purposes of engaging in, concealing, or benefiting from a pattern of racketeering activity pattern of criminal activity it can also be an individual or simply a relatively loose-knit group people or legal entities. These latter groups are referred to as "association-in-fact" enterprises under the statute. 18 U.S.C. § 1961(4).

Jaramillo and Erica Lynne Hill. Photo's Orange County Weekly
Former Orange County assistant sheriff George Henry Jaramillo and his sister-in-law Erica Lynne Hill were arrested for alleged fraud, misappropriation of government funds and felony conflicts of interest. Both appeared before Orange County Superior Court Judge Marc Kelly for arraignment. Jaramillo, 44, was charged with six felony counts of misappropriating government funds and four misdemeanor counts of conflicts of interest, while Hill, 33, faced three felony counts for misappropriating government funds. Hill and Jaramillo pleaded not guilty to all charges, and their attorney Joseph Smith—a former Orange County deputy district attorney who broke from the office after going to Sacramento to file a conflict-of-interest complaint against his boss, District Attorney Tony Rackauckas—denied the allegations against his clients. Following Hills grand jury testimony and the DA’s decision to drop the charges against her, Hill thought it was over, that what she said would be sealed and she could get on with her life. Then more news reports come out, and the spotlight was back on her. Hill complained, “I didn’t ask for this. I want it to go away, but I’m very tired of being kicked around.” Hill told the grand jury that Jaramillo—11 years her senior—had begun an “inappropriate” relationship with her when she was around 15 years old. Questioned by Deputy District Attorney Brian Gurwitz, Hill wouldn’t use the word “molestation” but did concede that the “sexual conduct, contact” began before she was an adult. Hill further testified to the grand jury that Sheriff Carona, who is seeking a third term as head of the $500 million-per-year agency. Under oath, she told the grand jury the sheriff pressured her for sex after she asked Carona to hire her husband as a deputy. Hill recalls Carona smiling, flirting and asking, “What’s in it for me?” According to Hill she watched the sheriff’s men go on the offensive against her. Their remarks prompted her to fire back. In a two-page Sept. 13 letter to California Attorney General Bill Lockyer, the county Board of Supervisors, two local members of Congress and the media, she asked that Carona be held accountable for his conduct. It is also believed she filed a complaint with the FBI.

“I write to each of you because I have nowhere to turn and I hope you can help me,” Hill wrote. “Mike Carona is an extremely dangerous man who hides his wickedness behind his badge . . .. I am not the only woman who has been victimized by this perverse individual. There are many others, including employees and wives and girlfriends of employees . . .. I know that as Carona continues to be exposed and the public sees him for what he truly is, he will go to any length to have me and other members of my family silenced.” “What else can I do?” she asked. “These people have already kicked down my door [to execute a search warrant], arrested me, and they won’t stop smearing me. It’s sick. I’m a victim here, but I’m going to defend myself.”

Hill admits she was agitated when she wrote the letter but thinks her reaction was justifiable. She has hired famous criminal trail lawyer Mark Geragos. In coming weeks, she says, the sheriff can expect a civil lawsuit with details of their alleged sexual liaisons.

Wasting no time, Hill had a suggestion for Sheriff Carona: if you truly feel comfortable denying the affair, let’s both sit for polygraph tests.

The thought of the sheriff strapped to a polygraph machine and forced to answer questions without the aid of his public-relations team put a smile on Hill’s face.

“Mike Carona is a bold-faced liar,” she said. “The last thing he would do is agree to take a lie-detector test.”

In late July, the district attorney charged ex-Assistant Sheriff George Jaramillo, with accepting bribes from Charles H. Gabbard, a convicted felon Jaramillo met through Carona. Though Carona twice accepted thousands of dollars in illegal campaign contributions from Gabbard, the DA charged only Jaramillo.

On the tape, Carona tells Cavallo he doesn’t “want to take it out” on him—but that Cavallo should consider himself warned about the dangers of Jaramillo publicizing the sheriff’s alleged extramarital activities: “I’m going to shove it up his ass,” says Carona, a Homeland Security adviser to President George W. Bush and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. In the audio recording, the sheriff blamed Jaramillo for the Holloway leak. But he was wrong. It was Holloway’s outraged husband.

Dean & Susan Holloway
Dean Holloway says he had the unpleasant experience of witnessing his wife answer an April 2002 phone call from the sheriff. The woman says Carona invited her to take a weekend trip to San Francisco. On another occasion, the sheriff reportedly left a voice-mail message for the woman at the couple’s Aliso Viejo home.

Susan Holloway, 31, told the sheriff’s IA officers, “I never invited the calls from Mike Carona and had no intention of calling him back.”

Keller told LA Times reporter Christine Hanley that the accusations were part of a “ridiculously transparent conspiracy” against a “great law-enforcement officer with a spotless record.”

However, Keller hasn’t explained how Holloway benefits from the conspiracy. Holloway has shunned media attention and asked for nothing from the sheriff. But Dean Holloway had a message for Carona. He told the Weekly, “The sheriff needs to leave other men’s wives alone.”

Carona’s efforts to keep a lid on the sex scandal failed in September when the grand jury released the testimony of another woman, Erica Hill—Jaramillo’s sister-in-law. Believing her story would remain secret, Hill testified in July that the sheriff demanded and received sexual favors from her on four occasions after her husband applied for a job as a deputy. Though Hill can name the location and time of each encounter, Carona flatly says she’s a liar. Hill has proposed that they take lie-detector tests.

“I’m not the only woman the sheriff has cheated with,” Hill told the Weekly. “He’s got to be scared that others will come forward and tell the truth.” In response, Rackauckas claimed his probe began not with Carona but with a complaint from bail bondsmen in “early 2003.” It’s unclear why the DA waited almost three years to charge Cavallo. But at a press conference, Rackauckas said he was motivated solely by “strong evidence” from “more than two dozen witnesses.”

The local FBI and other officials claim no knowledge of any federal investigation and have indicated to the Journal that such investigations could be coming from Washington DC. When the Journal made contact with Washington FBI press people they said no comment. When the Journal called the Santa Ana FBI office for confirmation of an ongoing investigation we were referred to the Los Angeles office of the FBI. The Journal has attempted to contact Sheriff Mike Carona for his reaction but the Sheriff continues to not return our calls.

This is yet another sad story of bad boys doing bad things.