Failed corruption investigations launched by America’s self-proclaimed toughest sheriff have succeeded in getting one of the lawman’s top allies disbarred. And despite Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s efforts to distance himself from cases at the center of a legal ethics panel inquiry that cost a pair of former county prosecutors their careers — the fallout has moved closer. “Sheriff Arpaio is the next big step,” said Mary Rose Wilcox, a Maricopa County official who has been at odds with the sheriff and his allies. “He will fall.” Arpaio has denied wrongdoing, but the three-member disciplinary panel of the Arizona courts said Tuesday that evidence suggests the sheriff conspired with Maricopa County’s former top prosecutor to intimidate a judge with unfounded criminal charges.
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