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Feds: Mike Carona Qualifies for Lengthy Taxpayer-Funded Trip After Miracle!
Tuesday, Mar. 24 2009 @ 6:00PM
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A federal sentencing official has recommended that ex-Sheriff Mike Carona win an all-expenses-paid 78-month trip to the slammer for his unrepentant corruption while in control of California's second largest police agency.
This should come as a surprise to Carona, his defense lawyers and other folks who are still pretending that our former top cop was, to use his own description, found innocent of abusing his powerful office.
In January, a cheerfully weepy Carona stood outside the Ronald Reagan Federal Courthouse and declared that God, working through an Orange County jury, had provided him "a miracle" and "vindicated" him of any criminal conduct. It would have been a lovely story to tell the grandkids (or the trolls he can still pick up in bars in dim light at last call) if not for a pesky little problem: It would be a lie.
Not that lying or cheating or acting like a punk has ever bothered Carona. But a jury convicted him of attempting to sabotage a federal grand jury's investigation into corruption at the top of the Orange County Sheriff's Department. While in office, he repeatedly coached a potential grand jury witness, Don Haidl, how to lie about their secret financial transactions. His efforts were captured on FBI audio recordings.
Carona's lawyers, who joined the convicted felon in a post-conviction "victory" celebration at an OC restaurant, are arguing that U.S. District Court Judge Andrew Guilford should overturn the jury's guilty verdict or give the fallen Republican Party star with close ties to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger a light wrist slap: probation.
Guilford will announce Carona's punishment on April 27.
--R. Scott Moxley / OC Weekly
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Freight Train says:
I first read about Carona's dark side in OC Weekly while most of the county still thought he was squeaky clean. Thank you for exposing America's horniest sheriff.
Who's next?
Posted on Wednesday, Mar. 25 2009 @ 12:10AM
Jebediah Webb says:
April 27th just happens to be my birthday. The only thing I want this year is to see this moron spend the full 78 months in jail. If he was "innocent" why was it a "miracle" that he was "vindicated"?
Posted on Wednesday, Mar. 25 2009 @ 8:18AM
Dave Marcus says:
He deserves 78 YEARS not 78 months. He violated the public trust and put the public in danger by giving untrained, unqualified and those with shady backgrounds badges and guns just because they donated to his campaign.
I still can't believe that one of the jurors let him off because of Samantha Runion - he had NOTHING to do with the successful result in this case. It gave no credit to the Riverside Sheriff's Dept or his own investigators that did all of the work. He smoozed the jury with his smarminess just like he did with many others.
Now that he has been exposed as a man of low integrity and convicted of a felony, he should not get off lightly. The guy may be likeable, but that is often the case with the most despicable con artists.
Let's figure out a way to banish him from Orange County!
Posted on Wednesday, Mar. 25 2009 @ 8:32AM
TRUTHS says:
We can only hope that the prosecution plays a tape of Carona's celebration after the jury's verdict... "It was a miracle!" Hundreds of thousands of individuals witnessed Carona's miracle, aka acquittal on 5 of the 6 felony charges so Carona's pro bono attorneys cannot claim some type of misconduct. April 27 will be a day to see if justice prevails in the wealthy and influential Orange County, California.
Posted on Wednesday, Mar. 25 2009 @ 8:49AM
public defender says:
Interesting fact-- in various parts of the county Sheriff Carona's and now Sheriff Hutchens' deputies are arresting young perople with gang ties for making remarks similar to those made by Sheriff Carona intending to dissuade or influence the participation of witnesses in criminal prosecutions. Once arrested, the DA is using the draconian gang laws of our state to charge defendants with witness intimidation for the benefit of a street gang. The penalty for such a crime under state law you ask?-- an indeterminate term in state prison of a minimum of 7 years to life. As an example, in a recent case an 18 year old was charged with just such a crime for telling a witness "you better not f--in talk to the cops" after she had called 911. This 18 year with an insignificant juvenile record and no real power to act on this comment is facing the prospect of life in prison for those 8 words. Lets hope what's good for the goose is good for the gander. Karma can be a real bitch Carona-- just remember most inmates have been there and done that, so I'd suggest saving you sleazy pseudo charm for the debs and keep your mouth shut for a change.
Posted on Wednesday, Mar. 25 2009 @ 9:34AM
WOW says:
Surprisingly, there is an OC Sheriff official who was accused of stealing $20 from inmates. See: www.orangecountyda.com
One has to wonder about the OC tax dollars being spent on a trial regarding an alleged bottle of ketchup and now, an alleged $20.00. SOMETHING SMELLS!!!!!!!
Posted on Wednesday, Mar. 25 2009 @ 11:39AM