Joe Arpaio

In Boldest Move Yet, Arpaio And Ally Charge Judge With Bribery, Despite Lack Of Evidence

Zachary Roth | December 11, 2009, 1:27PM

Sheriff Joe Arpaio

For a while now, there's been plenty of evidence of Sheriff Joe Arpaio abusing his law enforcement powers to target political enemies. Indeed, Justice Department investigators are said to have been looking into the issue for the last year.

But Arpaio may now have taken things into a whole new realm. This week, the top cop for Maricopa County, Arizona, who has used media-friendly stunts to gain a national reputation as a law-and-order zealot and bete noir of illegal immigrants, announced the filing of a criminal complaint against his latest target: a judge who's involved in several of the controversial cases Sheriff Joe has helped bring.

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