Babeu was born on February 3, 1969, in North Adams, Massachusetts, to Raymond and Helen Babeu. On Jan. 6, the day rioters stormed the Capitol in Washington, Lamb appeared at a rally in Phoenix to protest the presidential election results. Babeu retired in September 2010 after 20 years of service. A notice of claim -- a precursor to a lawsuit -- usually is filled with enough details to establish the basis for a lawsuit, and probably would reveal details about this fresh rift between Karns and Babeu, seemingly one-time allies. 6:31PM. [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. Get the latest updates in news, food, music and culture, and receive special offers direct to your inbox. Senator John McCain, who called Babeu his friend. After the relationship ended, Orozco claims that Babeu threatened Orozco with deportation to guarantee his silence. and help keep the future of New Times, Use of this website constitutes acceptance of our. for 1+3, enter 4. Later, rioters broke a window as they yelled out for Doug Ducey, the Republican governor who had certified Bidens victory in Arizona. Descended from a long line of Mormons and still an unabashed member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he grew up all over the world, he is fond of saying, including the Philippines, Panama and Argentina, where he did his Mormon mission. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin) Article It could be one of the most competitive House seats in. [3][4], Babeu holds an associate degree in law enforcement from the Arizona Law Enforcement Academy. Another patron of the diner walked by. Instead, his pro-sheriff messaging with media savvy and Trump-y politics thrown in the mix seems designed for a wider audience. When I asked Vale whether Lamb made a salary from the American Sheriff Network, he said Lamb was a partner of a Virginia LLC that produces the content but declined to give any other details. [5][17], Babeu has been an outspoken critic of the federal government on the issue of illegal immigration. Arizona's forfeiture laws direct proceeds into the coffers of the prosecutors and law-enforcement agencies involved in seizing the items. 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. No, no. 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. Babeu was born on February 3, 1969, in North Adams, Massachusetts, to Raymond and Helen Babeu. We'll be in touch if we look into your question. The board is meeting Wednesday, and Babeu's request is on the agenda. Two of Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu's Sisters Endorse His Rival The back of Lambs black Chevy Silverado 2500 HD contains his workaday weaponry, including an AR-15 SBR. Personal website. The county also enjoys relatively low levels of crime. 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. Babeu said Henry was left with three options: resign as chief deputy to run as a sheriff's candidate, withdraw his candidacy for sheriff or transfer to a non-leadership position within the sheriff . Babeu heads a department of 700 and has worked to cut the budget, reorganize leadership, and reduce the response time from his department. Doug Barrett for POLITICO. Both could face federal criminal charges. Former President Donald Trump, bottom right, also spoke at the event. Arizona's forfeiture laws direct proceeds into the coffers of the prosecutors and law-enforcement agencies involved in seizing the items. Lamb, too, is on the advisory committee, but hes also the groups most prominent public representative. . [20], In 2011 and 2012, the Pinal County Sheriff's Office collected $7 million worth of surplus military equipment. The case was settled in April 2018, according to court records. Perhaps Paul Babeu, the Arizona sheriff and former Romney campaign manager, should spend more time studying the Republican Party's approach to gay rights. Burghart says the distinction between the two groups might be more about style that Protect America Now is taking a slicker, more palatable approach, with a much better sense of PR than Mack and his crowd.. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Orozco claimed his statements are documented in copies of email and SMS correspondence between Orozco and Babeu. Karns' scathing message . He says lawyer Chris DeRose demanded he sign an agreement that he would never breathe a word about the affair. You can actually effect change as the sheriff, he says. He faced Democrat Tom O'Halleran in the general election. Raymond Babeu was a longtime employee of the area's electric utility who was also active in local politics. Babeu first mentioned the alleged crimes on Saturday, when he held a press conference to discuss Jose's allegations. [5], Babeu was awarded two Life Saving Medals in the performance of his duties as a patrolman in Chandler. A group of kids gathered around Lambs truck for sheriff-branded stickers. Paul Babeu, Martha McSally struggle to respond to Donald Trump fallout They contended the foundation operated as a pass-through for funds for Babeu and Voyles. Charismatic and ambitious, Mark Lamb embodies a new kind of Trump-era lawman. The foundation used RICO funds from Pinal County to help support Sheriff's Office activities and functions. Babeu served as the Police Association president for the Chandler Police Department and on the board of directors for the Arizona Police Association.[5]. (State records show, and Vale confirmed, that Lambs 2020 campaign provided a $10,000 loan to the group in August of last year.) Orozco claimed that Babeu had known that he was an illegal alien while they were lovers, at odds with Babeu's views on immigration policy. On his person, Lamb has a 9mm Glock pistol, plus a long knife, a taser, handcuffs and extra ammunition, including a magazine with a Punisher skull on it. [1] Babeu was a 2012 Republican candidate who sought election to the U.S. House to represent the 4th Congressional District of Arizona. And I will serve the people where I can.. Paul Babeu, Outed GOP Candidate, On Same-Sex Marriage: 'You Can't The law requires prosecutors to get approval from county boards of supervisors before using RICO funds. The hosts called him. When their relationship soured, Orozco claimed Babeu had threatened to have him deported unless he signed a contract swearing him to secrecy. Lambs first law enforcement job was with the Salt River Police Department in neighboring Maricopa County beginning in 2006. More recently, he was a consultant on Kanye Wests quixotic 2020 presidential campaign. 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. Babeu had previously deniedany knowledge or awareness of the abuse. ", Orozco responded: "Good threats. He says he once wrote a comment on Chino Valley eNews (on which Babeu had an account), where gay men arrange sexual liaisons. 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. Better get an attorney. FLORENCE, Ariz. The first thing to know about Mark Lamb, the sheriff of Pinal County, Arizona, is that he just plain looks like a sheriff. Become a member to support the independent voice of Phoenix You brother will also be contacted. Babeu was tapping RICO funds to pay for Sheriff's Office travel as early as 2011. He barely seems to sweat. The groups website lists seven additional sheriffs at least five of whom have been accused of some form of misconduct as advisory committee members. Records show Babeu spent more than $53,000 to send 25 people to a weeklong conference in St. Louis at which he . [5], At age 17, while still in high school, Babeu campaigned against a proposed raise for North Adams, Massachusetts, City Council members. The former U.S. serviceman turned law enforcement officer, who by all accounts has lived an exemplary life, has a blaringly obvious blindside. Super Fans, Mascot Mania, and All-Stars: Suns and Nuggets Get Ready to Rumble, Katie Hobbs Gets Singed After Unwrapping Tamale-tastrophe, Fight Night: How Phoenix Became a Hotbed for Mixed Martial Arts Champions, New Attainable Not Necessarily Affordable Housing Coming to Downtown Phoenix, I Love the Rivalry: Fans Soak Up U.S.-Mexico Soccer Showdown in the Valley. Senator John McCain and U.S. He opposes all limitations on the Second Amendment. This 6-month-long detailed search led to the termination of Arpaio's top two deputies. 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. The audit also found that $151,645 of the community outreachmonies awarded to the foundation went to unauthorized uses benefiting the County Attorney or Sheriff's Office programs. ", DeRose wrote: "If you are serious about an amicable resolution to this, it is critical that no further offensive actions against my client be taken in the meantime. Republican Sheriff Paul Babeu, Outed as Gay by Ex-Lover, Running Again Today its closer to 100, and a faint whisp of cloud floats in the sky, daring itself to cover the blazing sun. Devin Burghart, who runs the Institute for Research and Education on Human Rights, which analyzes far-right social movements, says understanding sheriffs like Lamb is important in the long-term fight for democracy. Researcher Cloee Cooper said Lambs highly politicized approach to his job is ultimately undermining a safe and just society. Asked about how supporters might interpret his anti-government messaging, Lamb told me, Im a very pro-freedom person. Ex-Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu hearts the shiny badge and spiffy uniform of his erstwhile office so much that he seems loath to relinquish it online. 4:00AM. Babeu was tapping RICO funds to pay for Sheriff's Office travel as early as 2011. Last month, the Goldwater Institute, a conservative Arizona watchdog group, echoed concerns over Pinal Countys RICO spending and requested files from the Sheriff and County Attorney. Paul Babeu, Pinal County Sheriff, Lambasted by Newly-Retired PCSO "I will likely get the compensation back that your actions are costing my family, unfortunately not from you personally, but from the poor taxpayers of Pinal County who will likely continue to suffer such actions due to what you continue to do," Karns writes to Babeu. Paul Babeu was the tenth of eleven children born into the family. He takes a hardline approach on immigration, for example, but when it comes to the government telling people to get vaccinated or declaring the 2020 election legitimate he fashions himself as more of a vigilante resister, with a heavy dose of anti-government, sometimes militant rhetoric. and you didn't care.". Typically, county employees have the right to appeal any discipline they receive to the Pinal County Merit System Commission, a five-member board that can uphold, modify, or overturn county officials' decisions. Lamb fires his service pistol, a Glock 34. Babeu's statement said that "Border Patrol agents were shot at by drug smugglers last month on the Tohono O'odham Reservation south of Pinal County," but it's unclear whether the shooting involved . Doug Barrett for POLITICO. 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. 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. Fight Night: How Phoenix Became a Hotbed for Mixed Martial Arts Champions, Super Fans, Mascot Mania, and All-Stars: Suns and Nuggets Get Ready to Rumble, Katie Hobbs Gets Singed After Unwrapping Tamale-tastrophe, New Attainable Not Necessarily Affordable Housing Coming to Downtown Phoenix, I Love the Rivalry: Fans Soak Up U.S.-Mexico Soccer Showdown in the Valley. It would be an inappropriate use of already-limited resources to prosecute Orozco for a misdemeanor. Can we start calling you senator? the man asked. Brandon Bell/Getty Images. Get the latest updates in news, food, music and culture, and receive special offers direct to your inbox. The search was followed byan investigation by a federalgrand jury, which issued a subpoena for records evidencing misuse of county, state or federal RICO funds by Pinal County Sheriffs Office employees.. Its not clear if the FBI has opened an official case. 2023 www.azcentral.com. Voyles said any suggestion that he and Babeu did something unethical or illegal is unfounded.. Time on the screen says 5:02 p.m. . The Anti-Defamation League recently released a report calling CSPOA an anti-government extremist group and citing public appearances Mack has made with white supremacist individuals or groups. The trailer for the new network features lots of shots of Lamb, his profile against a desert sunset as the camera pans slowly over the shadows of cacti. ", Babeu: "You have crossed the line. | Your contact infoWe'll be in touch if we look into your question. ", A couple of minutes later, Babeu followed with: "And you say you have loved me? But Jose Orozco refused. One day, in the mid-2000s, he went on a ride-along with a neighbor who worked in law enforcement and, armed with courage and a flashlight, Lamb says, he found a suspect they were after hiding in a trailer. 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. Thank you for your inquiry, as you know we cannot confirm or deny the existence of investigations, said FBI Special Agent Matthew Reinsmoen. 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. Ariz. sheriff says he's gay after misconduct claims It will also create "a 'forever' atmosphere of constant nagging-fear, constant tension, and constant stress, worrying if today is the day Paul terminates me," he writes. During his tenure he served a tour in Iraq and spent 17 months deployed in Arizona as a commander with Operation Jump Start (Southwest Border Mission). Court records show that problems at the school arose years before Babeu took over as headmaster. Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way. 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. Reveles hoped Lamb would not turn out to be another Arpaio or Babeu. 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. Lamb won office the same year Sheriff Arpaio was defeated in Maricopa. Lamb, 49, has jurisdiction over only Arizona's third most populous county, a stretch of desert. And he still believes there was, as he put it to me, a significant amount of concerning information about the integrity of the election. Lamb loves it. When the coronavirus pandemic hit, he publicly resisted Arizonas mask mandates and stay-at-home orders before catching Covid himself last year, which he discovered when he was denied entry to the White House for a meeting with Trump. Babeau said he intended to balance the department's budget by auctioning the equipment. Orozco admits that he lashed out on news websites featuring stories about Babeu. Phoenix's independent source of While it is unclear what transpired between Karns and Babeu or other high-level PCSO staff, Karns -- who says he was planning to retire in April -- hints at lawsuit against the Sheriff's Office. Super Fans, Mascot Mania, and All-Stars: Suns and Nuggets Get Ready to Rumble, Fight Night: How Phoenix Became a Hotbed for Mixed Martial Arts Champions, New Attainable Not Necessarily Affordable Housing Coming to Downtown Phoenix, Katie Hobbs Gets Singed After Unwrapping Tamale-tastrophe, I Love the Rivalry: Fans Soak Up U.S.-Mexico Soccer Showdown in the Valley. Doug Barrett for POLITICO. Outside his day job in Pinal County, Lamb, shown here at a cafe in Florence, Ariz., is involved with a new nonprofit coalition of sheriffs and a streaming network highlighting the work sheriffs do as they respond to calls for service. But his interpretation of the phrase generally implies opposition to whatever rules or laws he deems overly intrusive. There was an older Latino man named Randy wearing a snap-pocket shirt who had recently retired from a wild horse-and-burro program at the nearby prison and asked Lamb if he knew any cowboys. The state ethics committee investigated Lamb for intervening to stop the seizure of a Republican lobbyists land, for which the lobbyist was behind on paying property taxes, but the investigation was dropped after accusations of impartiality. local news and culture, Monica Alonzo 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. If hes re-elected as sheriff, Babeu says he plans to continue to battle drug trafficking in the county. While Lamb has gotten more and more scrutiny in Arizona, he has mostly brushed it off. Earlier in March, Gaffney also barred this reporter from entering a press conference held by Sheriff Babeu in a public building. Help us fight for you and support local journalism.Subscribe to azcentral.com today. Since taking office, Lamb also has appeared with the Federation for American Immigration Reform, an anti-immigration organization that the Southern Poverty Law Center considers a hate group. They seemed unsurprised to see their sheriff talking to a reporter and flashing his TV-ready smile. Lamb, too, is a client; his PR representative, Vale, is employed by Sprouls strategy group. This summer, he made a short video saying he would not require, or ask, his staff to get vaccinated. Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu today ended his bid for Congress. Babeu didn't pay him for his online services, he claims. Babeu and Voyles mismanaged more than $2 million, the FBI launched a probe into RICO expenditures, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. "We're doing the best we can," Lamb said. Phoenix's independent source of The FBI is asking new questions about Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu and his office's use of seized criminal money. Pinal County Sheriff's Office Captain Jeffrey Karns, who retired today, lambasted Sheriff Paul Babeu in an e-mail he sent not only to Babeu, but to all PCSO staff. [9] The school was in a long legal fight with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts over licensing, allegations of child abuse, a Commonwealth-imposed enrollment freeze, and accusations of failing to create a safe environment for its students. Pinal County is 5,400 square miles, roughly the size of Connecticut, and much of it is sand. Babeu, who subsequently came out as gay, denied making threats, and a state attorney general investigation later cleared him of any criminal wrongdoing, concluding that the allegations were not supported by the facts. In 2016, Babeu ran for Congress; he lost, but the sheriff spot was left open for Lamb, who defeated Babeus anointed successor in the primary and took the general election.
