George Jaramillo is Not in the Building

Just got a call from the Weekly's R. Scott Moxley at the courthouse with this item: Word is that George Jaramillo is not likely to be called to testify by the prosecution in the Mike Carona corruption trial. Scott calls this a "tactical" decision by the feds, speculating that they must feel that Don Haidl and other witnesses "did enough damage." And Jaramillo, the former assistant sheriff, Carona pal and criminal (not necessarily in that order), is a "double-edged sword" as a witness for the government.

Scott adds that there is speculation that the defense won't call Jaramillo, either. Jaramillo's absence from the stand is certainly a disappointment to us journalists, but will also be kind of a bummer for the jury. "They've heard all these stories about him," Scott notes. "Certain witnesses have called him 'Satan.'" And a good bit of the defense strategy so far, Scott says, has been, "blame George."