By stopping fraudulent schemes and deceptive business practices, as well as splintering organized crime organizations, the Attorney General’s Office saves Arizona citizens hundreds of thousands of dollars each year, while generating revenue through legal action. In 2009 alone, the Attorney General’s Office collected 267.2 million dollars through convictions, enforcing fee payments and winning restitutions.

The Criminal Division alone handled many diverse and high profile cases in 2009 which have helped to make Arizona a safer place to live for all its citizens:

State v. LaVole: Criminal Division’s Financial Remedies Section obtained a jury verdict of guilty on twenty-two counts of racketeering, including money laundering against John LaVole, who owned and operated a massage/prostitution business in Tucson. LaVole was ordered to pay the State of Arizona $850,000 in civil forfeitures as well as the forfeiture of the commercial building in which the criminal enterprise operated.

State v. Perron and Rivera: Rosella Perron and Priscilla Olivia Rivera were found guilty of fraud with the help of the Criminal Division’s Medicaid Fraud Unit after manipulating Sunbridge Estrella Care and Rehabilitation Center in Avondale out of more than $200,000. Perron was sentenced to a year in jail and ordered to pay $198,163 in restitution. Rivera was sentenced to three months and order to pay Sun Healthcare nearly $40,000.

Martin Rodriguez Orozco Extradition: The Attorney General’s Office engaged in an international effort with the Mexican government to extradite Martin Rodriguez, an alleged molester who fled to Mexico following his indictment in Yavapai County. After successful cooperation with the Mexican government, Orozco was arrested and extradited to Arizona in March 2009 for prosecution.

State v. Martinez: The Criminal Division’s Drug Unit obtained a conviction and an 18.5-year prison sentence against Joseph Martinez, Sr. for conspiracy, illegally conducting an enterprise, manufacturing methamphetamine and possession for sale of dangerous drugs. Martinez made and sold methamphetamine from the home he resided in with his young children.

Dickens, et al. v. Brewer et al.: The district court granted the Criminal Division’s Criminal Appeals/Capital Litigation Section a motion for summary judgment after seven death-sentenced inmates who brought a civil action challenging the constitutionality of Arizona’s lethal injection protocol.

Deborah J. Ball: A social worker who befriended and became the confidant of an elderly adult resident at a nursing home, Deborah Ball convinced her victim to leave the nursing home in favor of her residence, where Ball became a live-in caregiver. After absconding with the victim’s credit cards and piling up a sizeable amount of debt, Ball forcibly took the victim to Arkansas, where police were notified that the victim had been kidnapped. Ball, along with her boyfriend who assisted her in the crime, were both sentenced to terms in prison. The case was handled by the AHCCCS Fraud Unit in cooperation with the FBI.

State v. Borbon: The Tucson Unit of the Criminal Division of the Attorney General’s Office handled the prosecution of Ramon Fernando Borbon, a Nogales police officer found guilty of several serious charges including sexual assault and kidnapping. Borbon was sentenced to eight and a half years in prison.

The Attorney General’s Office investigates and prosecutes a wide variety of legal cases across the State of Arizona, highlighting the seven multifaceted and diverse divisions which comprise the office. From border patrol security to civil rights and white collar crime, the Attorney General’s Office promotes both safety and justice for all Arizonans by fairly and aggressively prosecuting criminal cases.