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A26 u.s. news
Diasabra 30 OctOber 2021

Arpaio legal tab hits $100M as taxpayers foot his last bills

(AP) — Nearly five years Michael Manning, an attor-
after Joe Arpaio was voted ney who won settlements
out as sheriff of Arizona’s over deaths in Arpaio’s jails
most populous county, and on behalf of county em-
taxpayers have covered ployees investigated by the
one of the last major sheriff, said it was shameful
bills from the thousands that voters kept re-electing
of lawsuits the lawman’s Arpaio as his legal bills piled
headline-grabbing tactics up.
inspired — and the overall
legal tab has hit $100 mil- “They just didn’t care as long
lion. as they got the entertainment
value,” Manning said. “And it
Officials in Maricopa Coun- just went on and on.”
ty, home to Phoenix, agreed
last week to pay $3.1 million Eventually, voter tolerance
to cover the county’s portion for Arpaio and his tactics
of a settlement with a res- waned. His crushing 2016
taurant owner who alleged defeat to a Democratic chal-
Arpaio defamed him and vio- lenger has been attributed
lated his rights when raiding to his escalating troubles in
his businesses. court, taxpayer-funded legal
bills and his penchant for
The payout boosted the cost self-promotion.
stemming from the Republi-
can sheriff’s six terms to $100 Advocates for immigrants
million for attorney fees, set- have long warned Arpaio
tlements and other costs the should be viewed as a cau-
county has paid from law- of businesses. in a 2007 racial profiling case curred during his successor’s tionary tale for the long-term
suits over things such as jail stemming from Arpaio’s sig- watch as he works to comply financial obligations commu-
deaths, failed investigations That doesn’t include the sep- nature traffic patrols targeting with court-ordered overhauls nities take on when they let
of the sheriff’s political en- arate $178 million and count- immigrants, though about of the sheriff’s office. local police officers handle
emies and immigration raids ing taxpayers have shelled out 75% of that spending has oc- immigration enforcement.

Ex-Maryland man who joined al-Qaida sentenced at Guantanamo

(AP) — A military jury He apologized for his actions,
imposed a sentence of 26 which included planning “Since the commission of
years Friday on a former al-Qaida attacks in the U.S. these crimes, Majid is a dif-
Maryland man who ad- after 9/11 and a failed plot ferent person,” said Army
mitted joining al-Qaida to kill former Pakistan Presi- Maj. Michael Lyness, a mili-
and has been held at the dent Pervez Musharraf. Dur- tary defense attorney. “Majid
Guantanamo Bay deten- ing a two-hour statement to Khan is reformed and deserv-
tion center. But under a jurors on Thursday, he said: ing of your mercy.”
plea deal, the man could “I did it all, no excuse. And
be released as soon as next I am very sorry to everyone I Army Col. Walter Foster, the
year because of his coop- have hurt.” lead prosecutor, sought to
eration with U.S. authori- cast doubt on Khan’s story
ties. The jury of eight military of- of being led astray by radi-
ficers was required to reach cal Islam as a young man.
The sentencing of Majid a sentence of 25 to 40 years. He conceded the prisoner
Khan is the culmination of Jurors heard of Khan’s ex- had also experienced “ex-
the first trial by military com- tensive cooperation with tremely rough treatment”
mission for one of the 14 so- U.S. authorities following Pakistan. Wells Dixon, a lawyer for at the hands of the CIA, but
called high-value detainees his guilty plea and heard a the Center for Constitu- pivoted to remind the court
who were sent to the U.S. two-hour statement from the Jurors were not told about tional Rights who was part of the 11 people killed in the
naval base in Cuba in 2006 prisoner describing his brutal the pretrial agreement, which of the defense team, said he Marriott bombing.
after being held in a clandes- CIA interrogation and captiv- requires a Pentagon legal of- expected Khan’s sentence to
tine network of overseas CIA ity in the three years before ficial known as a convening be completed in February. “He is still alive and with us
detention facilities and sub- he came to Guantanamo. authority to cut his sentence He said Khan’s team looks today, a luxury that the dead
jected to the harsh interroga- to no more than 11 years be- forward to working with the and victims of the J.W. Mar-
tion program developed in In addition to the sentence, cause of his cooperation. He Biden administration to en- riott bombing do not have,”
response to the 9/11 attacks. the jury foreman said seven would also be given credit sure “he has the necessary Foster said.
of the eight jurors had draft- for some of the time he has support to allow him to move
Khan, a 41-year-old citizen ed a letter to Pentagon legal already spent in custody. on with his life and be a posi- Khan’s cooperation is ex-
of Pakistan who came to the authorities recommending tive, contributing member of pected to help with other war
U.S. in the 1990s and gradu- clemency to the defendant, It will be up to the Biden ad- society.” crimes cases at Guantanamo,
ated from high school near which is an option under the ministration, which is work- one involving five men held
Baltimore, earlier pleaded military commission legal ing to close the detention Despite the pretrial agree- there who are charged with
guilty to war crimes charges system. center that now holds 39 ment, the prosecution urged planning and aiding the Sept.
that included conspiracy and men, to find a country will- the jury to recommend a sen- 11, 2001, attacks. Such cases
murder for his involvement A pretrial agreement means ing to accept Khan for reset- tence at the higher end of the have been bogged down for
in al-Qaida plots such as the he could be released as early tlement along with his wife range as the defense urged years in the pretrial stage at
deadly bombing of the J.W. as February, at which point and the daughter who was jurors to consider Khan’s co- the base and become one of
Marriott hotel in Jakarta, In- he would be resettled in an born after he was captured in operation, contrition and the the obstacles to closing the
donesia, in August 2003. as-yet to be determined third Pakistan. brutal conditions of his cap- detention enter.
country. He cannot return to tivity.