Arizona's Joe Arpaio - Criminal Trial Starts 6/26/17

Arpaio is accused of violating a court order in a racial profiling case by continuing patrols that targeted immigrants. The 85-year-old has said the court order wasn't clear and he didn't intend to violate it.

But in closing arguments Thursday, prosecutor John Keller alleged that Arpaio's defiance was deliberate -- and something he thought he could get away with.

"The defendant thought this day was never coming," Keller said. "But nobody gets to defy a federal judge's order."

If he's convicted, Arpaio could face up to six months in jail. The judge is expected to make a decision in several weeks.

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Former Arizona lawman Joe Arpaio, who gained national prominence for his tough stance against illegal immigration, was found guilty on Monday of criminal contempt for violating the terms of a 2011 court order in a racial profiling case.

Arpaio, 85, who lost his bid for re-election as Maricopa County sheriff last November after 24 years in office, faces a maximum penalty of six months in jail and a fine when he is sentenced on the misdemeanor offense on Oct. 5.
U.S. District Court Judge Susan Bolton ruled on Monday that Arpaio “willfully violated” the order.

The former sheriff attended all the court proceedings against him but never took the witness stand in his own defense.
Arpaio already had been cited for civil contempt by another judge in the profiling case. That judge found that his deputies did commit racial profiling during the stops.

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