San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus has vehemently denied accusations leveled in a scathing impartial investigator’s report alleging the county’s first Latina sheriff had an inappropriate relationship together with her chief of employees, retaliated towards officers and staff and used racist and homophobic slurs within the office.
Corpus pushed again towards claims made within the 400-plus-page report, assailing it as defamatory and politically motivated and vowing to struggle what she described as a corrupt “good old boys” community within the county.
The report was launched simply hours after Carlos Tapia, president of the San Mateo County Deputy Sheriff’s Affiliation, turned himself in Tuesday on prices together with felony grand theft. In September, Tapia and the deputy sheriff’s union publicly accused Corpus and her chief of employees, Victor Aenlle, of most of the similar claims discovered within the report.
On Wednesday, the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors was scheduled to carry a vote over whether or not to name for Corpus’ resignation over the allegations within the report, authored by LaDoris Cordell, a retired Santa Clara County choose and well-known impartial police auditor. Two supervisors, Noelia Corzo and Ray Mueller, already had referred to as for her to step down.
San Mateo County Board of Supervisors, from left to proper, Noelia Corzo, David J. Canepa, and Dave Pine San Mateo County hearken to Sheriff Christina Corpus as she makes a short assertion throughout public remark adopted on the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors particular assembly in Redwood Metropolis, Calif., on Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. The County Supervisors have been contemplating looking for Sheriff Christina Corpus’s resignation. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Space Information Group)
After public remark on the Wednesday assembly, throughout which many audio system had referred to as for her resignation, an emotional Corpus addressed the supervisors.
“What has happened here over the past two days is disgusting. The inquiry was politically motivated, one-sided and filled with lies,” she stated. “That is why, effective immediately, I am appointing Dr. Victor Aenlle as assistant sheriff. I am the sheriff of this county, elected by the people of San Mateo County, and I will not be bullied.”
Her announcement elicited gasps and shocked expressions from each the viewers and the county board. Declining to take questions, she walked out with Undersheriff Dan Perea behind her. As she moved towards the exit, Mueller referred to as after her, asking if she would submit her sworn testimony to Cordell. Corpus refused, saying, “I will testify when I have legal representation.”
The county board handed two resolutions: one expressing no confidence in Corpus, urging her resignation, and directing the impartial investigation report on her conduct to be shared with the county’s civil grand jury, the District Lawyer and the state’s Lawyer Normal; and the second eliminates the Sheriff’s Govt Director of Administration function, the place that Aenlle at present holds. County Govt Mike Callagy additionally added that the county would revoke Aenlle’s entry to all county buildings closed to most people.
Earlier on Wednesday, the union representing the division’s rank-and-file officers, whose complaints to county officers triggered the report, asserted that their latest public criticism of Corpus solely needed to do together with her job efficiency.
“We condemn Sheriff Corpus’ failure to lead this agency in a professional manner,” stated Eliot Storch, a member of the San Mateo County Deputy Sheriff’s Affiliation.
The investigator’s report additionally really helpful the Sheriff’s Workplace hearth her chief of employees, Aenlle, with whom Cordell alleges Corpus had an “intimate relationship” that violated company coverage and created a extreme battle of curiosity.
The report additional alleges the connection led Corpus to “relinquish control” of the company to Aenlle — whom Cordell described as having “far more experience” as an actual property dealer than he has in legislation enforcement — whereas fostering an atmosphere of “lies, secrecy, intimidation, retaliation, conflicts of interest, and abuses of authority.”
Reached by cellphone Wednesday, Aenlle declined to debate the report.
San Mateo County Supervisor Ray Mueller takes his seat in the beginning of a particular assembly in Redwood Metropolis, Calif., on Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. The County Supervisors have been contemplating looking for Sheriff Christina Corpus’s resignation. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Space Information Group)
Cordell’s report was based mostly on a multi-month investigation that included interviews with 40 present and previous company staff. The particular allegations embrace:
– Aenlle allegedly berated and demeaned his feminine assistant, whom he thought-about her “eyes and ears” within the division, for her choice to maneuver to a different company. The report additionally claims Corpus fired an assistant sheriff for cooperating with Cordell’s investigation, and that Corpus locked a captain out of her workplace after she gave discover of her resignation.
– Corpus allegedly texted homophobic slurs to explain a metropolis official to an worker and used a racial slur throughout a piece assembly when she was a captain.
– Shortly earlier than taking workplace, then Sheriff-elect Corpus and Aenlle have been noticed by a former company worker whereas the pair have been boarding a aircraft to Hawaii. Corpus’ then-husband was additionally a sworn officer within the company on the time, in keeping with the report. The report claims Corpus supplied numerous explanations for why they have been on the identical flight and denied she had any relationship with Aenlle.
– The report discovered Corpus violated company coverage by having Aenlle straight report back to her and repeatedly recommending pay will increase for him.
– Regardless of being a civilian worker, Aenlle allegedly wore a badge that resembled a gold officer’s badge however emblazoned with the phrases “Chief of Staff,” a possible misdemeanor.
– The report discovered that Aenlle helped safe a lease for a brand new substation for the division that was brokered by his actual property company, Coldwell Banker Actual Property, regardless of the battle of curiosity.
Corpus isn’t up for reelection once more till 2028, as a result of a one-time shift within the timing of sheriffs’ elections statewide.
Those that might want her out of workplace may mount a marketing campaign to recall her. Or they might ask the county’s civil grand jury to open an investigation as grounds for a civil corruption or misconduct trial, a little-used tactic to take away an elected official from workplace.
In 2022, former Santa Clara County Sheriff Laurie Smith was formally expelled from her place by way of the method after she resigned over a scandal involving issuing hid carry permits.
Initially Printed: November 13, 2024 at 5:12 PM PST
