Orange County Sheriff, Michael Carona, Charged with Corruption, Taking Bribes

Michael S. Carona, Sheriff-Coroner of Orange County, California was named today in an indictment that charges the Sheriff with 10 counts of using his elected position to benefit not only himself, but also friends and his wife. The indictment accuses not only Carona, but also four others in a conspiracy to use the Sheriff's office for personal gain.

The indictment accused Carona of taking bribes from two men that Carona named assistant sheriff in return from those bribes. Donald Haidl and George H. Jaramillo both made plea agreements to accept the lesser charges of a tax offense and mail and tax fraud, respectively.

Carona's wife, Deborah Carona, was also named in the indictment as not only benefiting from her husband's position, but also concealing those benefits. She was appointed to the Orange County Fair Board of Directors while her husband was sheriff. Attorney Debra Hoffman was appointed to the State advisory Group on Juvenile Justice Delinquency as well as the California Council for Criminal Justice. Carona happened to be the chair of the Council at the time of her appointment. Carona and his wife, and Hoffman are expected to turn themselves in to authorities tomorrow.

The indictment states that all five individuals worked to get Carona elected to the sheriff's office starting in 1998 in order to use that position to gain the positions that each person was given by Carona. Haidl made contributions to Carona's campaign through third parties that Haidl then reimbursed. Haidl continued to make payments to Carona throughout his tenure as a way of a family member out of jail twice. Haidl also paid for vacations for Carona and Jaramillo. Haidl's total payments to Carona are said to be over $350,000.

Carona made Haidl an assistant sheriff in 1999, and then made several of his friends and family deputies. For this appointment, Haidl secured a board of directors' position for Carona for which he received $1,000 a month for nothing.

Jaramillo received money from Haidl as well, as a member of the same Board of Directors, and Jaramillo received money for his law firm that he ran with Hoffman. The law firm would refer clients from the Sheriff's office to another law firm that would then pay kickbacks to Jaramillo, Hoffman and Associates. Hoffman also received checks from Haidl, totaling $65,000.

Carona, his wife, and Hoffman lied in their Statements of Economic Interests and public documents that are now being used against them as evidence of perjury. Carona is further charged with witness tampering as he told Haidl to lie to a grand jury earlier this year. Hoffman is being charged with bankruptcy fraud for failing to disclose the payments made my Haidl.

Source: United States Attorney's Office Central District of California