Ex-Sheriff Joe Arpaio Found Guilty Of Contempt

The New York Daily News reports:

Former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio was found guilty of criminal contempt Monday. Arpaio, who was booted out of office in November, was charged with misdemeanor contempt-of-court for disobeying a 2011 court order issued by U.S. District Court Judge Murray Snow in a racial profiling case.

U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton issued the verdict after closing arguments were delivered to conclude the eight-day federal trial. Arpaio, 85, was ordered to stop traffic patrols targeting immigrants, but he continued to enforce them 17 months after the order was implemented. The judge ruled the patrols had targeted Latinos.

Prosecutors say he used his anti-immigrant rhetoric to promote and raise funds for his 2012 re-election campaign. However, the six-term sheriff said he didn’t intentionally violate the order, blaming his lawyer for not properly explaining the terms to him. Arpaio faces six years in jail, but lawyers in the case have expressed doubt that he’ll be incarcerated because of his age.