November 4, 2007

Orange County Sheriff to be arraigned Monday on corruption charges

By: North County Times wire services -

SANTA ANA - From "America's Sheriff" to a defendant in a federal court dock usually filled with accused illegal aliens, Orange County Sheriff Mike Carona's spiraling path will see him arraigned tomorrow.

Carona could face 105 years of imprisonment if he is convicted on all of the federal corrpution charges filed against him last week. The sheriff reportedly began taking steps late last week to hand over day-to-day department operations to underlings in the department as he prepares for trial.

Carona, his wife Deborah, and his alleged longtime mistress were named in the 10-count corruption indictment unsealed last week.

Carona and his wife are free on $20,000 bond, and Debra Victoria Hoffman, an attorney who is described as Carona's mistress in federal charges, was released on $10,000 bond.

Little is known about Hoffman, a Newport Beach lawyer and graduate of Cal State Fullerton and Western States University College of Law. She appeared last week in court cloaked with a jacket over her head.

The government alleges the three schemed to use the sheriff's office to enrich themselves by about $350,000 by accepting cash payments, a vacation in Lake Tahoe and access to the private plane and yacht of businessman Don Haidl.

The indictment alleges that Carona was boosted into office by Haidl, who, among other things, made regular $1,000 monthly payments in exchange for full access to the resources of the sheriff's department and a "Get Out of Jail Free" card.

Carona, once elected, also repaid Haidl by naming him as an assistant sheriff, despite a lack of qualifications, the indictment alleges.

The O.C. sheriff rose to national fame appearing on national television broadcasts after the kidnapping of Samantha Runyon in 2002. The little girl's disappearance catapulted Carona into prominence, and there was talk of a bright future in politics for him.

But then word started circulating that he had appointed political cronies to top law enforcement jobs in 1999.

Reports of rampant sexual misconduct in Carona's offices began to circulate, and one of Carona's top assistants had a son go through two trials on charges that he participated in a gang rape of a drunken teenage girl that was videotaped. The youth was convicted, but the sheriff's office was accused of improperly handling the case.

Until the indictments were released last week, Carona had enjoyed substantial public support in Orange County. Two weeks ago, he appeared on live television to reassure residents threatened by the Santiago Fire as it headed towards O.C. suburbs.