[6], In 2002, he moved to Arizona to pursue a law enforcement career as a police officer for the city of Chandler, Arizona. Paul: No. Babeu's Twitter page still presents him as a sheriff. Become a member to support the independent voice of Phoenix Before its cancellation, Live PD was immensely popular, capturing more viewers than any other cable program on Friday and Saturday nights. All of Lambs activities outside Pinal County raise the question of whether he is making money off this work. Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu who became the face of Arizona border security nationally after he started stridently opposing illegal immigration threatened his Mexican ex-lover with. and last updated 5:01 AM, Mar 30, 2016. Babeu was born on February 3, 1969, in North Adams, Massachusetts, to Raymond and Helen Babeu. [11][12], Babeu joined the Massachusetts National Guard as a 21-year-old. RICO refers to the anti-racketeering laws that give authorities wide latitudeto seize assets in criminal cases even if charges are not filed and then fund operations with the proceeds. Privacy Policy | FCC Public File | Contest Rules Voyles said any suggestion that he and Babeu did something unethical or illegal is unfounded.. Im just speaking . ", She adds that federal immigration-enforcement agents have better things to do than "take care of Babeu's boyfriends. Once elected, Lamb promised he would focus on building relationships within the county. February 2, 2017 Once approved, the requests are sent to the county attorney's office for review by another committee. Vale declined to say anything else about the company or provide any details about funding, revenue or viewership. Orozco shared text messages between him and Babeu with New Times. Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way. (A federal judge later found Arpaio in criminal contempt of a court order to stop racially profiling Latino residents, but Trump later pardoned him.) [19], In late 2010, Babeu was asked by Maricopa County sheriff Joe Arpaio to investigate allegations of wrongdoing in Arapaio's department. | AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta. Join the New Times community and help support But ABC15 remains unable to confirm Gaffney's statement. Get the latest updates in news, food, music and culture, and receive special offers direct to your inbox. Get the latest updates in news, food, music and culture, and receive special offers direct to your inbox. independent local journalism in Phoenix. He also holds a bachelor's degree in history and political science from Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts and a summa cum laude master of public administration from American International College. During a July interview at a local caf here decked out in Old West paraphernalia, passersby interrupted to clasp hands heartily with him and chat. Two weeks before, in mid-June, the temperature was a newsworthy 110-plus degrees. (There is not, according to multiple courts; an audit in Arizona also reaffirmed Bidens victory there.) CLARIFICATION: This article has been updated to include the results of an into allegations made against Sheriff Paul Babeu. [1] In 1992, Babeu was elected to a four-year term as a Berkshire County, Massachusetts, commissioner. February 16, 2012 Lamb insists he has never said Biden did not win the election. They just happen to support President Trump a lot. [27], Babeu dropped his congressional bid on May 11, 2012; instead he sought re-election as sheriff. But Orozco suspected Babeu was lying. On Jan. 6, the day rioters stormed the Capitol in Washington, Lamb appeared at a rally in Phoenix to protest the presidential election results. Orozco claimed his statements are documented in copies of email and SMS correspondence between Orozco and Babeu. this is no good. Lambs nose for PR is apparent, and it extends beyond Protect America Now. . [28] He was re-elected by a large margin on November 6, 2012. | Newly elected Pinal County Attorney Kent Volkmer said he also has asked the Arizona auditor general to review Pinal County's asset-forfeiture records to determine if monies were properly used. He flashes a Hollywood smile as he talks about the shine on the badge. Many of the episodes are filmed in a low-budget style and feature Lamb as a guide, introducing viewers to other sheriffs in Nevada and Arizona. | Keating says her JP sibling had been living at the house Babeu is selling until recently, perhaps renting from the. Orozco says he met Babeu in October 2006 on gay.com, a dating website. Paul Raymond Babeu (pronounced BAB-you; [1] born February 3, 1969) is an American law enforcement officer, politician and member of the Republican Party who was sheriff of Pinal County, Arizona, from January 1, 2009, to January 1, 2017. And I will serve the people where I can.. [3][4], Babeu holds an associate degree in law enforcement from the Arizona Law Enforcement Academy. Lamb is a frequent talking head on Fox News and Newsmax, where he derides President Joe Bidens and Vice President Kamala Harris handling of immigration, and he has spoken at political events like a Turning Point Action summit a few months ago in Phoenix, where he quoted Shakespeare and Thomas Paine (Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered) and promised, The sheriffs are going to hold the line., Sheriff Mark Lamb has jurisdiction over Pinal County, a stretch of desert wedged between Phoenix and Tucson thats home to about 500,000 people. Since taking office in 2017, Lamb has become the face of a new online streaming service called the American Sheriff Network and of a nonprofit coalition of sheriffs called Protect America Now; he also founded a charity, the American Sheriff Foundation. After filing for bankruptcy in 2003, Lamb decided to start again in Arizona, he writes in his book, where he moved with his five kids and his wife, Janel who today has her own book, The Sheriffs Wife, and often appears with her husband at public events. Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu denied claims he tried to threaten the man, a Mexican immigrant and a former campaign volunteer, with deportation if their past relationship was made public. The Show highlights the creative builders, makers and designers that are sharing their talents with Arizonans. He says he once wrote a comment on Chino Valley eNews (on which Babeu had an account), where gay men arrange sexual liaisons. Earlier in March, Gaffney also barred this reporter from entering a press conference held by Sheriff Babeu in a public building. See also: Babeu's Suspicious Past as School's Headmaster Of the total amount awarded to the foundation over the three years, $230,000 was initiated by Babeu or one of his employees, the audit found. [24], A spokesman for Babeu denied the allegations and described them as "sensationalist". Contact ABC15 Investigator Dave Biscobing at dbiscobing@abc15.com. She says DeRose falsely claimed that Orozco's visa had expired. Orozco says Babeu told him that he loved him and was with him exclusively. | Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training Board, for TV commercials featuring that damning home video. Doug Barrett for POLITICO. Copyright 2023 KJZZ/Rio Salado College/MCCCD. Lamb says the network takes its inspiration from Live PD, an A&E show that ran from 2016 until 2020, when it was canceled after deputies in Williamson County, Texas, were caught on camera tasing a man named Javier Ambler, and ultimately killing him. I asked Sean Kennedy, a professor at Loyola Law School who is on the oversight commission for the Los Angeles County sheriff, about Lambs involvement with Protect America Now and other outside activities, and he said he believes Lambs behavior violates the NSAs code. The Goldwater Institute, a conservative watchdog group, raised concerns about the foundationin 2017 and sought records to determine if Babeu was using it to bypass campaign-finance laws and promote his 2016 congressional campaign. See also: Babeu's Mexican Ex-Lover Says Sheriff's Attorney Threatened Him With Deportation (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin) Article It could be one of the most competitive House seats in. Can we start calling you senator? the man asked. Babeu was born on February 3, 1969, in North Adams, Massachusetts, to Raymond and Helen Babeu. He says he commented anonymously that the sheriff was not who people thought he was. The poor record-keeping noted by auditors was also a key factor preventing the AG's officefrom filing charges against Babeu and Voyles, Anderson said. They are watching a movie . The Arizona Republic investigated his charity, which aims to bridge the gap between law enforcement and communities, and found the group had misreported $18,000 in spending in fact, the charity didnt report any spending in 2018. Arizona's forfeiture laws direct proceeds into the coffers of the prosecutors and law-enforcement agencies involved in seizing the items. Protect America Now is new enough that its tax filings have not yet been made public, but Vale told me Lamb does not get paid by the group, outside reimbursements for expenses. Gaffney did not identify the other Sheriffs Office or the FBIs top level supervisor. Babeu was tapping RICO funds to pay for Sheriff's Office travel as early as 2011. State auditors found Babeu and Voyles failed to follow procedures and spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on unauthorized purchases. Papi. The amount was the largest to any single group over the three years, the audit said. You brother will also be contacted. In his book, he describes spending much of his childhood in Hawaii, where, he told me, I was a minority., Lamb, an ardent defender of the Second Amendment, practices at a shooting range in Pinal County, Ariz. Raymond Babeu was a longtime employee of the area's electric utility who was also active in local politics. Wont work. A local newspaper also accused him of having an affair with a woman who died over the summer in a car accident, but Lamb denies that he has been involved with any women outside his marriage. Lambs first law enforcement job was with the Salt River Police Department in neighboring Maricopa County beginning in 2006. Newly elected Sheriff Mark Lamb was ordered by subpoena to deliver records to the grand jury evidencing misuse of county, state or federal RICO funds by Pinal County Sheriffs Office employees.. If it doesnt benefit Pinal County, I dont need to be on the news, he said at the time. They seemed unsurprised to see their sheriff talking to a reporter and flashing his TV-ready smile. If you're the victim of fraud, waste or abuse, reach him at robert.anglen@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-8694. Pinal County Sheriffs Office Director of Administration Tim Gaffney sent ABC15 a written statement denying that there is any open investigation into their office. We dont go to a shooting range as much as an open, sandy field that Lamb says belongs to a friend of his. Join the New Times community and help support President Donald Trump, center, with Vice President Mike Pence, right, speaks during a meeting with sheriffs from around the country before leaving the White House for a trip to El Paso, Texas, in 2019. Now in his second term, Shaun Babeu will be up for re-election in 2018. Lamb, who was elected in 2017, said money stopped flowing to theArizona Public Safety Foundation, which recently ceased operation. [1][6], Babeu served as headmaster and later as executive director the DeSisto School in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, a school for troubled youths, from 1999 to 2001. They said he accused them of criminal conduct. Babeu ran for Arizona's 4th congressional district in the 2012 elections to the United States House of Representatives but withdrew and came out as gay after a personal controversy. The lawsuit accused Babeu and Voyles of exploiting Arizona's forfeiture laws, which provide little to no oversight on spending, plaintiff's attorneys said. Phoenix's independent source of In cases where money is distributed in advance, recipients must show it was used for the specific request. When I asked Lamb whether the storming of the Capitol on Jan. 6 was an example of people violating the very rule of law he professes to cherish, he replied, Just because somebody was there doesnt necessarily mean theyre guilty, then added, I guarantee you [the rioters] are very loving, Christian people. In the weeks following the videos release, it was discovered Babeu also filed to run in the wrong congressional district and his financial disclosure forms were late. "Albeit it is important to note that I will not seek one dime more than what I lost, since that is the only fair thing to do.". Lamb, 49, has jurisdiction over only Arizona's third most populous county, a stretch of desert. Lamb won office the same year Sheriff Arpaio was defeated in Maricopa. Pinal County Supervisor Jeff Serdy, who owns what he describes as a very high-volume gun shop in the area, told me, You could not ask for a better advocate for the Second Amendment than Sheriff Lamb. The back of Lambs black Chevy Silverado 2500 HD contains his workaday weaponry, including an AR-15 SBR. Protect America Nows 69 member sheriffs, who come from states including California, New Mexico, Virginia and South Dakota, also appear on right-leaning media to advocate for smaller government in all areas except immigration. For example, Lamb, an ardent defender of the Second Amendment, has spoken in support of the formation of private militias well within the Constitution, he told a group of supporters in March and emphasized the power of sheriffs in Arizona, an open-carry state, to call local civilians into service to suppress all affrays, insurrections and riots that comes to the attention of the sheriff. Last year, as Black Lives Matter protests swept across the country, he formed a local civilian posse to assist his office with law enforcement, even though there were no such protests in Pinal County. . He said the county has implemented a new system of checks and balances that require multiple levels of approval, explanations of how recipients intend to use moneyand receipts documenting expenses. Yet he styles himself as the American Sheriff a moniker around which he has spent the past several years trying to build a national brand as a fervent defender of law enforcement. Foundation Executive Director Joseph Trasser has declined to discuss the subpoena and in March said the FBI probe of Babeu and Voyles "is not our issue.". The federal grand jury also asked for documents involving funds that were provided to the Arizona Public Safety Foundation, a non-profit agency that received hundreds of thousands of dollars in Pinal County RICO funds. The district's incumbent representative, Democrat Ann Kirkpatrick, did not seek re-election as she instead ran for the U.S. After the relationship ended, Orozco claims that Babeu threatened Orozco with deportation to guarantee his silence. Building off his social media popularity he has more than 300,000 Facebook followers, high for a sheriff and his desire to elevate law enforcement, this past May he announced the launch of the American Sheriff Network, which for $4.99 month allows viewers to watch 10- to 20-minute segments showing sheriffs and their deputies as they respond to calls for service a mix of sheriff propaganda and reality television. How a city councilman from New England became a darling of Republicans nationwide. Compared with climbing on roofs all day to pick up bird poop, he says, law enforcement seemed safer. "[10] Babeu was not named in any allegation during the investigation by the state. Lamb, too, is a client; his PR representative, Vale, is employed by Sprouls strategy group. Paul Anthony Gosar (/ o s r / GOH-sar; born November 27, 1958) is an American far-right politician and dentist who has represented Arizona's 9th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2023 and represented Arizona's 4th congressional district from 2013 to 2023. Paul Raymond Babeu (pronounced BAB-you; born February 3, 1969) is an American politician and member of the Republican Party who was sheriff of Pinal County, Arizona, from January 1, 2008, to January 1, 2017. Records show Babeu spent more than $53,000 to send 25 people to a weeklong conference in St. Louis at which he . Doug Barrett for POLITICO. The Phoenix New Times is reporting that Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu, who has become one of the faces of the anti-illegal immigration fight in Arizona and nationwide, threatened a 34-year-old man identified only as Jose with deportation if he disclosed details of their years-long affair. Brandon Bell/Getty Images. Kennedy pointed to the provision about private gain, as well as one requiring equal protection of all citizens, without allowing personal opinion, party affiliations, or consideration of the status of others to alter or lessen this standard of treatment., Asked to respond, Vale said Lamb keeps a strict division between his work as the Pinal County sheriff and his image as the American Sheriff. Vale added, All of his activities, both as sheriff and in his private time, are vetted through the [Pinal] County attorney. The attorney, Kent Volkmer, told me Lamb has consulted with him, including on Protect America Now and the American Sheriff Network, but said he does not review every single appearance Lamb makes outside his capacity as sheriff. [29], On August 31, 2012, the Arizona solicitor general exonerated Babeu after an investigation. has expressed sympathy for the Jan. 6 rioters, spoke at a recent anti-vaccine rally in Phoenix, along with an estimated 138 currently serving sheriffs, unabashed member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, defeated Babeus anointed successor in the primary, promised he would focus on building relationships within the county, has appeared with the Federation for American Immigration Reform, 650 employees and a $39 million annual budget, with a stated mission of educating Americans, The Arizona Republic investigated his charity, The state ethics committee investigated Lamb, A local newspaper also accused him of having an affair, a design sold by the right-wing shock jocks the Hodgetwins. Lamb said this month that he is reviewing every aspect of RICO expenditures before releasing funds and wants to create a new approval and review process. He says lawyer Chris DeRose demanded he sign an agreement that he would never breathe a word about the affair. In a written statement, he wrote "The investigation determined that Babeu did not commit any criminal violations and further concluded that, although Orozco conducted himself in a manner that may constitute a violation of the law, there was no reasonable likelihood of conviction on anything more than a misdemeanor charge. While Lamb has gotten more and more scrutiny in Arizona, he has mostly brushed it off. Babeu and Voyles mismanaged more than $2 million, the FBI launched a probe into RICO expenditures, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. and help keep the future of New Times, Use of this website constitutes acceptance of our. | Doug Barrett for POLITICO. He barely seems to sweat. The status of both federal investigations was unknown. He was Pinal County's first Republican sheriff. Babeu didn't pay him for his online services, he claims. In July, the American Civil Liberties Union and international law firm Perkins Coie jointly filed a lawsuitagainst the Pinal County Sheriffs Office and the Pinal County Attorneys Office. Orozco admits that he lashed out on news websites featuring stories about Babeu. Lamb, too, is on the advisory committee, but hes also the groups most prominent public representative. true. The following February, Jose Orozco, who was an undocumented immigrant, claimed that Babeu and Orozco had been lovers since meeting in 2006 on an online dating site. 4:00AM. Charismatic and ambitious, Mark Lamb embodies a new kind of Trump-era lawman. Forfeiture money paid for Voyles' personal security system, retirement contributions of employees in his office and fundraising for the Sheriff's Office, according to the lawsuit. In addition, in 77 of the 82 awards reviewed, the county could not provide a memorandum of understanding showing how the money would be used by the group receiving the award. He was Pinal County's first Republican sheriff.[2]. If hes re-elected as sheriff, Babeu says he plans to continue to battle drug trafficking in the county. [8] In the general election, Barrett won re-election and defeated Babeu 53%-47%,[1] a difference of just 353 votes, in an election with an unusually high turnout rate of 75% among registered voters. Pinal CountySheriff Mark Lamb said Wednesday that RICO funds no longer serve as a slush fund. Phoenix's independent source of And he still believes there was, as he put it to me, a significant amount of concerning information about the integrity of the election. They just happen to support President Trump a lot. When I asked about the roughly 140 law enforcement officers who had been injured or killed while on duty at the Capitol doing a job Lamb also professes to cherish he demurred, saying he hadnt been there and couldnt say what was or wasnt true. Former President Donald Trump, bottom right, also spoke at the event. Lamb supported the stop the steal campaign in Arizona and has expressed sympathy for the Jan. 6 rioters. The spokesman confirmed that Babeu would continue to run for U.S. Karns' scathing message . Those who are classified as "at-will" employees do not. A spokesperson for the NSA told me that, while the code of ethics is the basis of an organizational creed, sheriffs generally rely on their state laws for legal guidance. In a February interview with ABC15, Goldwater attorney Jared Blanchard said they decided to look at Pinal County after questions were raised about funds being used to promote Babeu in a way that could benefit his congressional campaign.
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