Officials: Sheriff Joe's Office Charged Luxury Trips To County, Misused Up To $80 Million http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsme...misused_up_to_possible_80_million.php?ref=fpb In a press release, officials said that Arpaio's office was evasive and that he has chosen to fight efforts at transparency in his use of public money. But, based on the limited amount of data provided by the sheriff's office, Maricopa County officials said the office had misspent money since at least March by using jail funds on non-jail related operations. Jail operations are funded by an exclusive tax levy -- passed in a voter referendum in 1998 -- and are supposed to be distinct from the sheriff's office's funds. County officials charge that Arpaio's office allegedly used the jail operations funds for sheriff's office expenses -- such as salaries for deputies who worked on public-corruption investigations into county supervisors and judges. A further review found that misspending dated back to at least 2006 at a rate of $16 million per year and that retroactively, Apraio's office may have misspent up to $80 million. Excerpts of the reports, obtained by TPMMuckraker, show officials from Arpaio's office made trips to Orlando, D.C., Honduras, Tempe, Belize, Alaska and Puerto Rico on the county's dime and racked up other questionable expenses, like $741 at Sardella's Pizza and Wings. The county was also charged $350 for a hotel room upgrade for one official's spouse. One employee went on multiple extradition trips without submitting receipts for the $62,750 he or she spent -- including $1,341 on Disney World Yacht Club Resort food and entertainment. Others expenses charged to the county, according to the report, include $1,684 for a portable generator for parade lights on an army tank; $635 at Buca di Beppo when members of the Honduran National Police were in town; and $500 on a carriage ride.
Michelle Obama can go through that kind of money on one trip. Actually their frequent "date nights" probably cost several times what is at issue here. In case anyone isn't aware, Obama and the thugs at Justice are after Sheriff Joe over allegations he wasn't friendly enough to illegal immigrants,etc. This report has the stench of political payback all over it.