蜜柚直播

Two Midas auto repair centers in 蜜柚直播 are facing a consumer fraud lawsuit over claims they charged undercover state agents posing as customers hundreds of dollars for work that was unneeded or was not performed.

The two shops at 6740 E. Tanque Verde Road and 333 W. Valencia Road, which have the same owners, were targets of a sting carried out two years ago and made public this week by the 蜜柚直播 Attorney General鈥檚 Office.

In a June 15 news release, the office said it sent undercover investigators to the two locations in 2020 with car troubles. The vehicles they brought in for service has been certified ahead of time by experts who documented their mechanical condition, the agency said.

The Valencia Road shop charged a state investigator around $400 for unnecessary work including spark plug replacement, a three-part fuel system service kit and throttle body service that was not performed. 鈥淭he manager also told our agent the vehicle drove 鈥榞reat鈥� on a test drive when no test drive was completed,鈥� the news release said.

At the Midas on Tanque Verde Road, an assistant manager said the vehicle needed a new serpentine belt and the air conditioning system needed refrigerant removed and recharged. Midas charged $300 for the work, none of which was actually done, the agency鈥檚 lawsuit said.

Both Midas locations are run by 蜜柚直播 corporations jointly owned by Pima County resident Christopher Conforti and by Nicholas Conforti of Collier County in Florida, who could not be reached for comment. A phone message left with an employee at the Tanque Verde Road location was not returned 24 hours later.

The state lawsuit, filed in Maricopa County Superior Court, seeks restitution for consumers who were defrauded and requests up to $10,000 in civil penalties against the companies for each violation of the 蜜柚直播 Consumer Fraud Act. The state is also seeking an injunction to prevent the firms from engaging in illegal business practices in the future.

Republican primary voters from 蜜柚直播's northwest side, far east side and Rita Ranch area are embracing the party's MAGA wing, preliminary results for state Senate District 17 show.

With nearly all precincts reported as of midday Wednesday, Justine Wadsack, who described herself as a "Pro Trump America First" conservative, was poised to defeat Vince Leach, a state senator seeking a third term, by an unofficial margin of about 1,200 votes.听

Wadsack, a real estate agent, captured 40% of the 25,605 ballots cast. Leach received 35.5%, according to the state's elections website. A third contender, Robert Barr, received 24% of the vote. Results are not yet official.

Leach, 73, is the current state senator for District 11 and is the senate's President Pro Tempore, the second-highest-ranking leadership position. He also serves as vice chairman of the appropriations committee and the finance committee.

Wadsack, 48, opposes abortion rights, the teaching of critical race theory and mask requirements to prevent the spread of COVID-19. She participated in storming a Vail school board meeting last year to protest mask requirements. Her endorsements included the 蜜柚直播 Tea Party; Purple for Parents, an online group formed in opposition to the Red for Ed movement; and a group called 蜜柚直播 Trump MAGA.

She has appeared in election ads with Kari Lake, the Trump-backed choice for governor.

Wadsack did not respond to a text message seeking comment on the results. Leach did not respond to a voicemail left at the phone number listed on his election website.

Wadsack will compete in November against Democrat Mike Nickerson, 72, of 蜜柚直播, a retired pastor. The expansive district stretches from southern Pinal County down to southeast of 蜜柚直播.

Dems choose climate activist

An environmental law professor will carry the banner for Democrats this fall in Senate District 18, which includes the Catalina Foothills, Casas Adobes and a swath of 蜜柚直播 north of Broadway, east of Country Club Road and west of Camino Seco.

Priya Sundareshan, 37, who teaches at the University of 蜜柚直播, won the nomination with 53% support, compared to 47% for challenger Morgan Abraham, 30, an affordable housing developer and intelligence officer in the Army Reserve.听 Nearly 27,000 ballots were cast in the primary race.

Though results are not yet official, Abraham conceded to Sundareshan in a phone call the morning after the election. Abraham has been a member of the 蜜柚直播 House of Representatives since December when he was appointed to fill a vacancy in the District 10 House seat.

Sundareshan's top issues include climate change, the state鈥檚 dwindling water supply and increasing public investment in green energy sources such as solar and wind power. She supports 鈥渃ommon-sense鈥� gun safety laws, access to abortion, and measures to make voting easier such as restoring and improving the permanent early voter list. She holds a bachelor鈥檚 degree in engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and two University of 蜜柚直播 degrees, a juris doctor and a masters in natural resource economics.

In a Twitter post, Sundareshan said her win "proves Southern AZ is ready for a climate change champion to represent them in the state."

Her candidacy was backed by several prominent local Democrats including 蜜柚直播 Mayor Regina Romero, U.S. Rep. Raul Grijalva and his daughter Adelita Grijalva, a Pima County supervisor and president of 蜜柚直播 Unified School District's governing board.听

Sundareshan will run in November against Republican Stan Caine, 59, a retired employee of the U.S. Department of Defense.

A chemical banned decades ago in 蜜柚直播 nail salons is still turning up in some Pima County beauty shops, public records show.

Ten local nail salons were cited in the first nine months of 2021 for having on the premises 鈥� a substance described by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as 鈥� that should not be used in fingernail preparations.鈥�

蜜柚直播 is one of 30 states that banned the chemical compound, commonly called MMA, since the FDA raised an alarm in the early 1970s after receiving 鈥渁 number of complaints of personal injury鈥� related to its use in nail products.

Experts say MMA can cause severe allergic reactions such as blistering, peeling and cracking and rashes on the hands, nails or on the face if someone touches their face after getting a set of acrylic nails made with MMA. The 蜜柚直播 obtained salon inspection data through a public records request to the 蜜柚直播 Barbering and Cosmetology Board.

In the 1970s, the FDA cracked down on MMA at 100% strength but did not impose an outright ban, prompting many states to pass their own laws against using the substance in nail salons.

MMA still turns up quite regularly in nail salons around the state, said Isabella Neal, spokeswoman for the board that regulates the industry. 鈥淢MA citations are extremely common and have always been since the FDA prohibited the use,鈥� she said.

MMA products typically cost far less than legally-approved alternatives, a financial incentive to operate outside the law. For example, , a Florida-based wholesaler, charges for a gallon of MMA nail solution and — 80% more — for a similar product without MMA.

In Pima County, all of last year鈥檚 MMA violations came to light during board inspections, Neal said. None were due to complaints of injury, which isn鈥檛 unusual, she said, because consumers generally are not aware of a potential link between acrylic nails and medical symptoms.

鈥淭he public doesn鈥檛 typically know about MMA or the signs relating to the use of MMA, so it is not that common to receive complaints about injuries as a direct result from using MMA,鈥� Neal said in an email.

Doctors at the Banner-University Medicine Dermatology Clinic in 蜜柚直播, many of whom also teach at the University of 蜜柚直播鈥檚 medical school, say it鈥檚 not unusual to see local patients who developed severe skin conditions after acrylic nails were applied.

鈥淲e see it commonly in the fingers and the face or anywhere the nails touch. Hand dermatitis, itching, scaling and rashes,鈥� said Dr. Rebecca Thiede, an assistant professor. Sometimes there鈥檚 permanent damage to a patient鈥檚 natural nails, she said.

The fine for having MMA in a licensed 蜜柚直播 salon is typically $250 if there are no other violations at the time of inspection and no previous violations in the last three years. Neal wouldn鈥檛 comment on whether a fine of that level is sufficient to deter the use of MMA.

To file an online complaint about a licensed nail salon, go to and scroll down to Page 3.

The following Pima County salons were cited and fined for MMA violations:

Bella Nails & Spa

1070 E. 蜜柚直播 Marketplace Blvd. #120, 蜜柚直播.

An inspector found a gallon of nail solution with MMA on site on May 18, 2021. The inspection also found towels and wet disinfectant were improperly stored and a container of paraffin wax was 鈥渃ontaminated with debris.鈥� The operator had no previous violations in three years and paid a $750 fine. Management did not respond by deadline to a voicemail seeking comment.

Diva Nail Spa

2404 S. Harrison Road, 蜜柚直播.

A board inspector found two gallons of MMA nail liquid on the premises on Jan. 14, 2021. The operator also was cited for dirty conditions (dust, nail clippings, trash) at seven of eight stations and for reusing items such as nail files and pumice stones that are supposed to be thrown away after each client. The salon, which had no violations in the previous three years, paid a $500 fine to settle the allegations. Manager Simon Tran said the salon no longer uses MMA.

Elegant Nails

11165 N. La Ca帽ada Dr., Suite 125, Oro Valley.

An inspection on March 29, 2021 found a gallon of nail liquid with a 鈥渧ery strong smell of MMA鈥� and no ingredients label. The inspector also found two employees illegally performing manicures and pedicures on clients without a required state license. The salon, which had no other violations in the previous three years, paid a $750 fine to settle the case. Manager Lien Trinh told the Star the MMA solution was left behind by a previous salon owner.

Expert Nails

18690 S. Nogales Hwy., #112, Green Valley.

A state inspector found a gallon of MMA nail solution on site on Feb. 9, 2021. No other violations were found and the salon had no history of violations in the previous three years. The operator paid a $250 fine. Management could not be reached for comment because there was no answer and no voicemail at the phone number listed on state licensing records.

Hollywood Nail Spa

4016 N. 1st Ave., 蜜柚直播.

An inspector found two gallons of nail liquid with MMA on the premises on March 29,2021. No other violations were found, and the salon has no previous violations in the last three years. The operator paid a $250 fine. A man who answered the phone number listed in state records but would not identify himself declined to comment.

Latrice Nail Salon & Spa

202 W. Calle De Las Tiendas, Suite C, Green Valley.

The operator paid a $250 fine after gallon of nail solution with MMA was discovered on site during an Aug. 12, 2021 inspection. It was the second fine since 2019, when the operator was fined $250 for not properly disinfecting salon tools and for having a 鈥渟oiled work area.鈥� Management did not respond by deadline to a voicemail seeking comment.

MS Nails

8250 E. Broadway, 蜜柚直播.

A gallon jug of MMA nail solution 鈥渨as the only nail liquid in the salon,鈥� when an inspector visited on Oct. 12, 2021, state records show. The inspector 鈥渆ducated the owner鈥� about the ban on MMA products, the report said. The salon, which has not had any other violations in the past three years, paid a $250 fine. Management could not be reached for comment. There was no answer and no voicemail at the phone number listed in state licensing records.

Nails 2001 By Sam

515 E Grant Road, #161, 蜜柚直播

A board inspector found a gallon of MMA nail liquid on site on Jan. 19, 2021. The salon also was cited for having no manager on duty, for having contaminated jets in three of four pedicure basins due to lack of proper disinfection; and for reusing nail files and other single-use tools that are supposed to be disposed of after each customer. The operator paid $850 to settle the allegations. Management did not respond by deadline to a voicemail seeking comment.

Tip Top Nails by Tony

3958 N. Oracle Road.

A gallon of nail liquid with 鈥渁 strong MMA odor鈥� was 鈥渢he only nail liquid they had in the salon,鈥� said an March 8, 2021 inspection report which did not find any other violations. The salon, which has not been previously cited in the last three years, paid a $250 fine. Management could not be reached for comment. There was no answer and no voicemail at the phone number listed on state licensing records.

TN Nails

6811 N. Thornydale Road #155, 蜜柚直播.

An April 26 inspection found a gallon of nail liquid with MMA on site. The operator had no violations in the previous three years and paid a $250 fine. Management did not respond by deadline to a voicemail seeking comment.

When he wasn鈥檛 hanging out with the Russian president's relatives, Eduard Gomberg says he made $1.5 million last year running a network of 66 Airbnbs from 蜜柚直播 to Tel Aviv.

That's how the University of 蜜柚直播 business school alumnus described his fortunes in a of 鈥淢illennial Millionaires Through Real Estate," a podcast run by one of his friends.

Technology allows Gomberg, 27,听to run his tourist rental empire from anywhere in the world, he said. Last year he ran it from his hometown east of Moscow during a trip that included "snowmobiling听with (Russian President Vladimir) Putin鈥檚 nephew," he said.听

Running dozens of Airbnbs in different countries takes very little time and effort 鈥� no more than 鈥渇ive to 10 hours a week" he said.听

"Once you taste the wealth, once you taste the freedom, you can never go back," he said.

Gomberg's story illustrates how Airbnb, the popular online booking site that began as a way for homeowners to rent spare rooms, has become a magnet for far-flung wealth-seekers who are turning entire 蜜柚直播 housing complexes into vacation rentals, an 蜜柚直播 investigation found.

In the midst of a critical housing shortage, they are further shrinking the number of homes available for city residents and adding to concerns about soaring rents and house prices.

Airbnb's business practices make it virtually impossible to measure the extent of such activity. A company official wouldn't comment when asked about it, and the firm doesn't publicly disclose the number of units for rent in 蜜柚直播, their specific addresses or the full names of operators.

The Star identified dozens of Airbnbs being run by out-of-state interests by reviewing Pima County property records, state business registration records, Airbnb listing photos and company maps that show tourists the general areas in which units are located.

In one 蜜柚直播 neighborhood, two California-based operators are running 26 Airbnbs under a single roof, the Star found.

"Airbnb arbitrage"

Gomberg, a dual citizen of Russia and Israel, said he lives full time in Tel Aviv and runs a total of 20 Airbnbs in 蜜柚直播. Most are in aging multifamily housing 鈥� a few duplexes, a triplex, a four-plex and a six-plex 鈥� and within walking distance of the UA or the downtown core.

Gomberg told the Star he's boosting 蜜柚直播's tourism economy and providing stability for landlords "who are tired of renting to students, tired of dealing with annual tenant turnover and maintenance issues." Instead, they rent to Gomberg, who fixes them up 鈥� at his own expense, he said 鈥� and hires locals to clean and manage them.

蜜柚直播 map

• Inside Airbnb

Leasing houses and apartments to rent them to vacationers is known as "Airbnb arbitrage" 鈥� a method Gomberg detailed in an of the "Millennial Millionaires" podcast. The practice is banned in many U.S. cities including San Francisco, home of Airbnb headquarters, where an operator must live in a dwelling at least nine months a year to legally rent to tourists the rest of the time.

Olga de Jong, 80, of 蜜柚直播, said she and her sister lease a total of nine apartment units to Gomberg, a 1948 tri-plex on East Lee Street and a 1949 six-plex on North Fremont Avenue. She said the arrangement is working well.

"He's a nice young man and he seems to be doing a good job," she said. "And he always pays on time."

"Equivalent to a demolition"

Dowell Myers, a University of Southern California professor who has researched housing shortages, said renting a whole house or apartment to tourists "is like tearing it down" in terms of impact on the local housing supply.

"It's equivalent to a demolition," Myers said an interview. "It's one thing if you rent out a room in your house. But when you rent out the whole house you've removed it from the residential market and transferred it to the hotel market." If local housing is scarce "that's going to make it worse," he said.

Though it doesn't release exact figures, Airbnb's website says "over 1,000" stays" are available in 蜜柚直播. Entities that track the industry say the number is substantially higher.

The Old Pueblo has close to 4,000 "active" listings 鈥� defined as units for rent at least one day in the past month 鈥� according to AirDNA, a firm that scrapes data from the public websites of Airbnb and similar operators and often is cited in university research on the impact of the so-called sharing economy.

About 90% of the 蜜柚直播 listings on Airbnb or Vrbo, a similar online platform, are for an entire dwelling rather than a room in an occupied home, AirDNA said.

Inside Airbnb, a nonprofit that tracks the industry by somewhat different metrics, said Pima County has more than 4,000 listings including 2,182 in 蜜柚直播, 523 in the Catalina Foothills, 299 in Oro Valley, 249 in Casas Adobes and 124 in Green Valley.

Jake Wegmann, an associate professor of urban planning at the University of Texas at Austin, said "the jury's still out," on the extent to which rents and house prices are affected by a heavy presence of vacation rentals.听听

A听by three researchers from Purdue University, the University of Denver and the UA in 蜜柚直播 found rents and home prices went down about 3% in three cities where Airbnb operators were restricted to using a single address. Other research has found modest impacts, such a 2016 study that found rents rose slightly when 12 Airbnbs were added to a Boston census tract.

But study results from one part of the country don't necessarily translate to other areas with different local characteristics, Wegmann said.听听

Big profits at stake

Vacation rental listings "exploded" in 蜜柚直播 between 2015 and 2021, from around 4,000 listings to nearly 28,000 鈥� a 706% increase statewide, a recent 蜜柚直播 State University study found.

That may be because landlords can reap big profits renting to tourists instead of locals, said the study, which provided a 蜜柚直播 example based on statewide industry averages from June 2021.

That month, 蜜柚直播 visitors who booked short-term rentals stayed an average of three nights at $282 a night, a timeframe in which the occupancy rate was nearly 68%. At those rates, a 蜜柚直播 landlord could make $5,750 a month on a tourist rental that would only fetch an average of $1,059 a month from a long-term tenant, the ASU study said.

Sweet deal in 蜜柚直播

Rental platforms that do business in 蜜柚直播 have one of the sweetest deals in the country thanks to the state Legislature: the right to operate anywhere free of local government oversight. Only five other states 鈥� Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Tennessee and Wisconsin 鈥� had similar open-door policies last year.听

蜜柚直播's law, passed in 2016, left 蜜柚直播 with no say over where vacation rentals can locate, how many days a year they operate or how many is too many when there isn't enough housing for local residents.

The 2016 change, sought by Airbnb, had strong bipartisan support, said state Rep. John Kavanagh, R-Fountain Hills, who was in the state Senate at the time and cast the lone vote against the move to strip cities and towns of their regulatory role.

Republicans liked the change because it meant fewer restrictions on private property owners and Democrats saw it as a way for aging empty-nesters to earn extra income from spare bedrooms, Kavanagh recalled in an interview.

"I distinctly remember a sponsor saying right before the vote that this was going to be a great thing for grandma and grandpa," he said.

More than 30 蜜柚直播 mayors 鈥� including 蜜柚直播's Regina Romero, South 蜜柚直播's Bob Teso, Oro Valley's Joe Winfield and Frederick Mueller of Sierra Vista 鈥� sent a letter 18 months ago to CEOs of Airbnb and Expedia, which owns Vrbo, that called on the firms to drop their longtime opposition to local oversight of the industry.

"Your companies have actively and cynically opposed needed reform through public relations and paid lobbying efforts," the letter said.

"Affordable housing stocks are being gobbled up by investors who are focused on short-term commercial uses of their properties, rather than neighborhood stability and prosperity," said the letter, which also cited problems with noise, lack of street parking and frequent police calls in some communities.

Airbnb spokesman John Choi said tourists who stayed in 蜜柚直播 rentals added $500 million in tax revenue to state and local coffers last year. Choi did not answer questions about the extent to which Airbnbs are being run by corporate interests rather than mom-and-pop operators.

"Families across 蜜柚直播 rely on short-term rentals to supplement their incomes and support the state鈥檚 tourism economy, and we remain focused on working with leaders across the state to protect these benefits and develop real solutions to address concerns raised by some local leaders," Choi said in an email.

He said the company is supportive of a proposed update to the 2016 蜜柚直播 law that would allow municipalities to fine Airbnbs that cause repeated problems. But the measure, due to be voted on soon, stops short of restoring the oversight power local governments lost when the Legislature took it away.

26 Airbnbs in one building

Ruth Rinehart, interim pastor of First Universalist Church of Denver, recently booked a four-night stay at a 蜜柚直播 Airbnb while in town to help her sister move. On arrival, she was shocked to learn her $60 unit was one of 26 filling an entire apartment complex.

"No wonder 蜜柚直播 has a housing shortage," Rinehart said in an interview. "Flipping an apartment complex into Airbnb units shouldn't be allowed."

The complex at 4302 E. Bellevue St. has been operated since 2016 by two 蜜柚直播 firms linked to a California real estate broker and his associate, public records show. The two also have six other Airbnb listings in 蜜柚直播: a gated four-plex at 6020 E. Second St. with two recreational vehicles in the parking lot also used for tourist stays.

The broker, Richard Bui of Fountain Valley, has an active that lists his business address as a Newport Beach office that was torn down 10 years ago according to a former co-worker. His associate, Kim Bui, is the registered agent for his 蜜柚直播 firms and her business address is a "suite" on North Campbell Avenue that's actually a rented mailbox at a commercial mailbox firm that closed in 2020, records show. It isn't clear from public records if the Buis are related.

The addresses of their Airbnbs were used to obtain a federal pandemic relief loan at their Bellevue Street complex and a loan for their six units on East Second Street, public records show. Both loans are now listed as "paid in full or forgiven."

Neither Bui could be reached for comment. They didn't respond over a 10-day period to three email messages sent to the link on their the Airbnb booking site or to two text messages sent to a California phone number linked to their 蜜柚直播 operations.

Another state vote

State lawmakers have voted several times in recent years on reform measures that stalled, some criticized as too soft on the industry, others as too harsh. This year 14 vacation rental bills were introduced, some of which called for a full repeal of the state's 2016 law. Of the few bills that made it past the starting gate, only one seems poised to become law.

Senate Bill 1168 is backed by the industry and was introduced by Republican Sen. J.D. Mesnard, whose district includes Chandler, Gilbert and Sun Lakes. His bill, and a companion measure in the House, allows local governments to impose fines of $500 to $3,500 on operators for things like municipal bylaw violations. Repeat offenders could see their state business tax licenses suspended.

Mesnard said doesn't think Airbnbs are to blame for the housing crunch. He said his bill fixes what's broken by creating financial penalties for "party houses" and other bad actors.

State Rep. Morgan Abraham of 蜜柚直播, a Democrat, called the measure a good idea that doesn't go far enough. He thinks 蜜柚直播 is being overrun by Airbnbs and intends to push for further changes.

"If this is how things are now," Abraham mused, "can you imagine what they'll be like five years from now if we don't do anything about it?"

A 蜜柚直播 tour operator who sells prepaid excursions to Africa is facing complaints from 23 customers in seven states who claim they spent up to $4,500 each on trips that were canceled during the pandemic.

Some have recently contacted government agencies to pursue legal action after months of trying unsuccessfully to reach DSA Vacations to arrange refunds or new travel dates, their texts, emails and related documentation show.

Wilhelm Terrence Christian von Guilleaume, owner of Destination Southern Africa Inc. which operates DSA Vacations, said his 20-year-old 蜜柚直播 firm is regrouping after COVID-19 caused massive disruptions for tour operators worldwide.

鈥淐OVID has already wiped out numerous travel companies, yet DSA Vacations has continued to keeps its doors open,鈥� said von Guilleaume, 49, a native of South Africa who goes by Terry for short. His tour packages typically included hotel, airfare and some meals and tours.

DSA used to have an office on North Campbell Avenue but vacated in late 2020 according to the landlord who sued in May for $35,000 in rental payments allegedly still owed on the lease. The lawsuit was settled out of court last fall for an undisclosed amount, and von Guilleaume鈥檚 business now operates online.

In interviews with the 蜜柚直播, von Guilleaume at first maintained there were only five complaints against his firm 鈥� the first five the Star asked about. 鈥淥ther than that we have an incredible track record,鈥� he said.

The next day he was asked about 18 additional complaints the Star identified through online searches and agreed there were many more unhappy customers than those he initially acknowledged. He said he鈥檚 determined to make things right for those affected.

鈥淥ur goal is to ensure that every client that still wishes to travel does so without a hitch and those that are due a refund will be refunded.鈥�

Overdue refunds

Many of those affected said they tightened their belts, tapped their retirement savings or worked overtime to be able to afford a trip to the continent their ancestors came from.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a dream to visit Africa. It really meant a lot to us as African-Americans,鈥� said Mary Phillips, 60, of Delaware, a retired federal worker.

She and husband Neil, 72, a retired bus driver, are part of a five-member travel group. Each paid $4,500 up front for a March 2020 trip that stalled when international travel bans were imposed to stop the virus from spreading. Their trip was postponed twice and as 2022 approached, the group decided to cancel over fears of lingering virus variants.

Sarah Durham, a South Carolina travel agent who booked the group trip through DSA said the company agreed to refunds in an October email she forwarded last week to the Star. The email said refunds take up to 60 days, but six months later they have not materialized.

Durham said she鈥檚 tried a dozen times to reach DSA about the refunds by text, voicemail, email, postal mail and messages on the company鈥檚 social media sites. 鈥淚鈥檝e been in the travel business for 20 years and I鈥檝e never dealt with a company so unresponsive and unprofessional,鈥� she said.

Phillips, Durham and another client recently filed s with the 蜜柚直播 Attorney General鈥檚 Office. Durham copied hers to the .

The Attorney General鈥檚 office wouldn鈥檛 comment citing a state law that bans early-stage disclosure of unverified consumer complaints.

No go in Morocco

Some DSA tours are promoted in niche publications such as African American Golfer鈥檚 Digest, a digital magazine that advertised a prepaid 2020 tour to Morocco for $2,200 a person. The trip still hasn鈥檛 occurred and may never occur, the magazine鈥檚 publisher recently said in .

鈥淚 have strong reason to believe that this trip will not commence, as it appears that DSA Vacations has permanently closed,鈥� publisher Debert Cook wrote. She said she reached that conclusion after six weeks of trying to contact the company to arrange new travel dates. Cook did not reply last week to a voicemail seeking further comment.

Janine Lewis of Florida, an analyst with the U.S. Postal Service, said she and three friends are part of a larger group of 12 people who prepaid for the Morocco trip.

Sara Courter of Missouri, a geospatial technician, said she鈥檚 part of group of six from Rhode Island, Colorado and Missouri who paid $4,500 apiece for a different 2020 trip to Zimbabwe and South Africa. She said they tried to contact DSA for about six months last year to arrange rebooking but did not get a response.

D-minus rating

Courter and others said they are galled by DSA鈥檚 claim on its website that the firm has 鈥淎+ rating鈥� with the Better Business Bureau.

Dennise Alvarez of the Better Business Bureau Serving Southern 蜜柚直播 said DSA used to have an A+ rating, but the BBB revoked it a year ago because the firm repeatedly failed to respond to customer complaints. DSA now has a D-minus rating, she said.

Asked why he鈥檚 still advertising a positive rating that no longer exists, von Guilleaume said he neglected to update the website after the rating changed. He said the firm鈥檚 workforce is stretched thin since the end of a federal loan program for small businesses affected by the pandemic.

The corporation that runs DSA received two federal COVID-19 relief loans totaling $445,000 over the last two years 鈥� money the firm said was needed to cover the wages of its 13 to 15 workers, public records show. Only six are still on the job since the (PPP) loans dried up, von Guilleaume said.

Those who remain are committed to satisfying clients and stabilizing the business until better days return, he said.

鈥淚 have personally forgone any salary or remuneration for over a year and will continue to do so until the travel industry returns to normal levels again.鈥�

Courter, the Missouran who helped organize the Zimbabwe-South Africa trip, was not impressed by the owner鈥檚 pledge.

鈥淎t this point there is no way I鈥檇 want to travel with this company,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t feels like I can鈥檛 trust this company.鈥�

The state health department has revoked the licenses of a Southern 蜜柚直播 children鈥檚 home operator with the worst health and safety record in the state. The decision to force the closure of two group homes southeast of 蜜柚直播 follows a judge鈥檚 finding the operator, Mary鈥檚 Mission, knowingly and repeatedly misled state health inspectors and could not be trusted to provide a safe environment for troubled children.

William Lacey Jr. of Sierra Vista, chief executive of Mary鈥檚 Mission 鈥� which is registered as a charity but also claims to be a 鈥� could not be reached for comment on the decision or whether he plans to appeal it.

He did not respond to an email request copied to his attorney, which the attorney received and read, according to a receptionist who answered the law office phone on Monday.

The two homes in neighboring 蜜柚直播 County take in 11- to-17-year-olds from 蜜柚直播 and beyond, many of whom came from abusive or unstable backgrounds and had emotional scars that impaired their ability to function. The cost of the care they receive at Mary鈥檚 Mission is largely funded by taxpayers through the state鈥檚 medical insurance plan for those with low incomes.

Since 2019, the facilities have been cited 64 times for deficiencies including chronic overcrowding, lack of nutritious food, faulty dosing of prescription medications and failure to demonstrate that residents were receiving adequate mental health care. The state has imposed more than $18,000 in fines.

Records had been falsified

In December, administrative law judge Tammy L. Eigenheer heard four days of closed-door testimony on whether the homes should stay open.

The 蜜柚直播 Department of Health Services launched its shut-down effort in June after health inspectors responding to a complaint in April found a total of 50 violations at the two facilities.

Twenty-four of those violations 鈥� including overcrowding, falsifying documents, failure to ensure employees had criminal background checks, failure to ensure staffers were qualified and failure to document when residents ran away 鈥� formed the basis of the state鈥檚 revocation case.

The health department said four records were falsified: a fire inspection report for an illegal building addition; a list of boys home residents that concealed the fact the home was overcapacity; a quality report copied and pasted from an identical report with a different date and a case in which a Mary鈥檚 Mission billing clerk signed a resident鈥檚 psychotherapy treatment plan as if she was a state-licensed mental health professional.

Judge: Homes pose 鈥渄anger鈥�

The judge found the two homes posed 鈥渋mmediate danger鈥� to residents and should not be allowed to continue operating.

Her 24-page written decision noted Lacey and three of his subordinates testified in support of keeping the homes open. They told the judge problems have been corrected and said the false information provided to health inspectors resulted from innocent errors by an employee who was admonished after the state pointed out the discrepancies.

But the judge rejected their testimony, ruling in favor of the health department and against Mary鈥檚 Mission on all 24 of the violations at issue in the case. In every instance, the 鈥渨eight of credible evidence鈥� supported the state鈥檚 version of events, Eigenheer said.

The judge said she was especially concerned Mary鈥檚 Mission personnel had repeatedly 鈥渄isplayed a willingness to knowingly provide false and misleading information鈥� to inspectors and gave testimony that, in one case, directly contradicted photographs taken by inspectors.

Lacey, 58, has refused for months to comment to the 蜜柚直播, which first reported in August that Mary鈥檚 Mission had more state fines and violations than any of the 150 or so similar children鈥檚 home operators statewide.

A few days after the December state hearing, Lacey and his lawyers and subordinates did provide comments听to the Sierra Vista Herald in which they claimed a state inspector and a local fire official had engaged in 鈥渃ollusion鈥� to shut them down.

It isn't clear if Lacey raised the collusion claim during the hearing. it wasn't mentioned in judge鈥檚 written decision.

The state hearing also was scheduled to review a cease and desist order the state imposed on Mary鈥檚 Mission in June for operating an illegal, unlicensed third group home not far from its other two homes. The matter was dropped when Mary鈥檚 Mission decided not to fight the state order.

A business or a charity?

It isn鈥檛 clear what will become of Mary鈥檚 Mission, which reported nearly $1.9 million in tax-exempt revenue on its most recent , with Lacey receiving a salary of $191,000.

The group homes are central to the organization鈥檚 charity status. Their purpose, as stated on tax returns, is to 鈥減rovide a safe environment for at-risk boys and girls who were either wards of the state or homeless due to circumstances that they could not control.鈥�

Mary鈥檚 Mission鈥檚 own website raises questions about whether the organization is adhering to federal regulations that govern nonprofit agencies.

The website describes Mary鈥檚 Mission as a 鈥淏BB-accredited business鈥� which 鈥� if true 鈥� could that requires nonprofits to be 鈥渙rganized and operated exclusively鈥� for nonprofit purposes.

The Better Business Bureau Serving Southern 蜜柚直播 says it has no connection to Mary鈥檚 Mission. BBB spokeswoman Dennise Alvarez told the Star the organization doesn鈥檛 qualify to be a BBB-accredited business since it鈥檚 a nonprofit.

The use of the BBB鈥檚 accreditation logo 鈥渃onstitutes trademark infringement,鈥� and Mary鈥檚 Mission will be notified to take it down, she said.

Lacey, the CEO, has declined to answer questions about the website.

Used-car buyers who have waited years for the law to catch up with a 蜜柚直播 dealer suspected of cheating them may never get their day in court.

State investigators filed 32 criminal counts against former car lot owner Patrick S. Egan and were searching for him to execute an arrest warrant but recently learned he died in Utah early last year, an agency spokesman told the 蜜柚直播.

Detectives with the 蜜柚直播 Department of Transportation鈥檚 Office of Inspector General, which investigates dealer fraud complaints, confirmed Egan, 54, died in a Salt Lake City hospital in January 2021, said Ryan Harding, the agency鈥檚 public information officer. The cause of death was not available.

The state鈥檚 investigation of Pat Egan Automotive Group began in late 2019 after the dealership at South Swan Road and East 22nd Street suddenly closed, leaving dozens of customers in legal limbo. More than two years later, some still are making loan payments on vehicles they don鈥檛 own because Egan failed to transfer the titles to them after purchase.

Oliver Plimpton of 蜜柚直播, a retired electrical equipment salesman, said he鈥檚 been has been making $200-a-month payments since August 2019 on a 2008 Honda CR-V he bought for $7,000. The title is still in the name of the previous owner who sold it to Egan, he said.

At this point, Plimpton said he wonders if he鈥檒l live long enough to see the matter sorted out. 鈥淚鈥檓 87 years old. I may never get the title on this car.鈥�

Melissa Davis, 42, who bought a 2011 Kia Soul for nearly $7,000 in August 2019, said Egan told her she鈥檇 receive the vehicle鈥檚 title within 90 days. 鈥淚 still have absolutely no idea when or if I will ever own my car,鈥� said Davis, a graphic designer in the 蜜柚直播鈥檚 advertising department.

Harding said Egan was indicted by a grand jury last year on 32 counts of theft, fraudulent schemes and forgery in a case that involved about $500,000 in total losses.

Had the charges been prosecuted, he said, the court would have sorted out what to do about the car buyers who still don鈥檛 have titles. It鈥檚 unclear what will happen to those customers now that Egan is deceased, he said.

He said the state agency was able to fix things administratively for some buyers. But 鈥渇or those who are still waiting for a title, their situations are such that (the agency) cannot resolve them on their own,鈥� Harding said.

鈥淭he Pima County Superior Court, where the case was filed, will have to determine any next steps,鈥� he said.

Further details of the criminal case were not immediately available. Court records related to the charges are not yet public because the warrant wasn鈥檛 executed.

The state board that licenses massage therapists has revoked the credentials of a 68-year-old Marana man accused of inappropriately touching a female client.

James P. Sailer denied wrongdoing in the case, but the 蜜柚直播 State Board of Massage Therapy sided unanimously with a woman who complained of his conduct during a massage last year at The Gallery Sports Club, 13965 N. Dove Mountain Blvd. in Marana.

At a Feb. 28 in Phoenix, the complainant said she鈥檚 had dozens of massages over the years, but none like the one with Sailer on May 20.

She testified Sailer鈥檚 鈥渉ands were shaking鈥� as he peeled back a sheet covering her torso, placed a washcloth over her breast area, then repeatedly pressed down on her pubic area and touched the undersides of her breasts while massaging her abdomen. When she turned over, he massaged into the top of the cleft between her buttocks, she added.

鈥淚鈥檝e never been violated like this before,鈥� said the woman, who testified under her initials H.G. to protect her privacy. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 want any other woman to go through what I went through.鈥�

The complainant said she immediately reported the incident to club management, and said Sailer quit working there soon after. A few days later she filed a formal complaint to the board.

Sailer declined to take part in the board hearing, according to a state investigator. He did submit some written remarks, one of which questioned why the complainant stayed on his massage table for a full 90-minute session if she thought she was being assaulted 鈥� a statement that received pushback from those deciding the case.

It鈥檚 鈥渧ery common鈥� for someone in a traumatic situation to freeze in place as a method of self-protection, said board vice chair Myriah Mhoon. 鈥淭here is a flight or freeze response that prevents you from being able to move, process or think.鈥�

鈥淚 don鈥檛 think the length of time on the table has anything to do with anything,鈥� added board member Michael Tapscott, a licensed massaged therapist.

Sailer told the 蜜柚直播 in a text message that he鈥檚 had a state license and a national board certification since 2011. 鈥淚 have never had a blemish on my profession,鈥� he said.

To report misconduct by a state-licensed massage therapist, contact board investigator David Elson at David.Elson@massageboard.az.gov.

The free COVID-19 test site in a parking lot in Oro Valley promised 鈥渜uick results.鈥�

Five weeks later, Dave and Marge Randall are still waiting 鈥� and wondering if the whole thing was nothing more than an attempt to get their personal information.

Unknown to them at the time, the testing site operator had a a phone number no one answered, and a CEO linked to at least a dozen other websites selling T-shirts, business signs, photo booths, promotional banners and other items.

The couple also didn鈥檛 know the FBI has against free COVID-19 tests from unfamiliar sources. Such offers are 鈥減otential indicators of fraudulent activity鈥� often linked to identity theft, the agency said.

For the past several weeks, an entity named has been offering free tests in two 蜜柚直播-area parking lots — one at Grant and North Stone roads, the other at North Oracle and East Magee roads in Oro Valley where the Randalls were tested Jan. 20.

A representative of , who initially identified himself to the 蜜柚直播 as Jim Miller — but later acknowledged in an email that it wasn’t his real name — did not dispute that some 蜜柚直播ans did not receive their COVID-19 test results, nor did he dispute that calls to the company phone number were not answered.

In a brief phone interview, he blamed the missing test results on cellphone firms that blocked the company鈥檚 text messages and said the unanswered phone calls were due to three lazy employees who 鈥減robably watched Netflix all day鈥� instead of taking calls.

The problems have been rectified, and the company plans to continue operating in the 蜜柚直播 area, he said.

鈥淢iller鈥� did not respond by deadline to several follow-up questions including a request for his real name.

The CEO, identified in website registration records as Abid A. Shariff, did not respond to three email requests for comment. Shariff鈥檚 email address has been used to register at least 12 different business websites in the past six years, the registration records show.

鈥淲e gave them everything鈥�

Marge Randall, a retired East Coast banker who lives part time in the 蜜柚直播 area with her husband, a retired engineer, said she鈥檚 normally the suspicious type 鈥� the sort who would ask probing questions if an elderly person came into her bank to make a withdrawal with an unfamiliar companion.

But her throat was feeling scratchy the day the couple noticed balloons flying at a free testing site under a blue pop-up canopy in a parking lot North Oracle Road. And fears were high about omicron, the coronavirus variant said to be extremely contagious.

鈥淓very cough and sneeze can make you wonder if you have it,鈥� she said.

Marge Randall said she and her husband were promised test results in 鈥渢hree or four days.鈥� When they didn鈥檛 arrive she repeatedly called the phone number listed on a flyer from the test site, but no one picked up.

Weeks went by and neither one ended up getting sick, so by that time the test results were moot, she said. But the thought that their personal information may now be at risk is chilling.

鈥淚t鈥檚 scary,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e gave them everything, emails, phone numbers, They photocopied my driver鈥檚 license.

鈥淚t all seemed so legitimate.鈥�

Fakes can be hard to spot

Allyhealth isn鈥檛 the only local test site to raise concerns.

Another entity called the Center for COVID Control, which ran a pop-up site on East Speedway near North Kolb Road late last year, is part of an Illinois-based chain under FBI investigation, recently reported.

The company all its testing locations are closed indefinitely.

The attorneys general of two states, and have filed lawsuits alleging the firm is a 鈥渟ham鈥� operation that contributed to the spread of COVID-19 by providing false test results or no results at all. The 蜜柚直播 Attorney General鈥檚 Office has not announced any similar actions and does not disclose when a company is under investigation.

The FBI says trusted medical providers are the best source for COVID-19 tests. The Pima County Health Department sponsors about a dozen , some of which do not require appointments and some major pharmacy chains offer drive-up COVID testing.

Fake test sites 鈥渃an be hard to spot,鈥� the Federal Trade Commission said in a .

鈥淭hey look real, with legitimate-looking signs, tents, hazmat suits, and realistic-looking tests. And the damage (they) can cause is very real.鈥�

Editor's note: This story was updated to correct the last name of the facility's owner-manager.

A 蜜柚直播-area home for troubled children, faced with possible closure last year for posing an 鈥渋mmediate danger鈥� to residents, survived the threat and remains in business after paying a $2,000 state fine and agreeing to improvements, public records show.

In a case that raises questions about how well the state monitors such sites, it took nine months and five complaints before the 蜜柚直播 Department of Health Services sent inspectors to investigate conditions at Dream Builders, a nine-bed facility for youth with mental health conditions near West Twin Peaks Road and Interstate 10, northwest of the city.

The five complaints alleged numerous health and safety violations including a spotty food supply, inadequate supervision by unqualified personnel and failure to provide some residents with adequate mental health care, according to documents obtained by the 蜜柚直播 through public records requests.

State inspectors found a total of 23 licensing violations during their May 18 visit, including two cases in which Dream Builders gave inspectors 鈥渇alse and misleading information,鈥� public records show.

Dream Builders鈥� owner-manager Chris Davis did not respond to multiple requests for comment sent over four days to three addresses she listed in state records. A woman who answered the facility鈥檚 phone number but did not give her name said 鈥淐hris has no comment.鈥�

In July, the state served Dream Builders with a notice of intent to revoke its operating license because conditions at the home were a 鈥渄irect threat to the life, health and safety of the patients,鈥� the notice said.

Some Dream Builders residents were wards of the state placed there by the 蜜柚直播 Department of Child Safety, public records show. In December 2020, the child safety agency signed a one-year contract with Dream Builders to send children there for behavioral health treatment after the state removed them from their families.

But four months later, the agency stopped sending children to the home and allowed the contract to expire in December 2021, said spokesman Darren DaRonco, who did not provide a reason for the decision.

No breakfast, no background checks

The lone staff member on duty when inspectors arrived had no qualifications, no record of a criminal background check and was assigned to work alone at the facility for 16 hours a day, from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday, the records show.

Another staffer who worked 12-hour shifts on weekends also wasn鈥檛 qualified and hadn鈥檛 been background checked. Neither worker had proper first-aid and CPR training and neither had been tested for tuberculosis as the law requires, inspectors found.

In the home鈥檚 kitchen, an undated menu posted on the wall said sausage and cheese croissants and hot cocoa had been served for breakfast that day. But inspectors realized around 10 a.m. that the residents, who get up at 6 a.m., had not been fed. Ingredients for the menu鈥檚 proposed lunch of chicken wraps and salad also was nowhere to be found, records show.

State law requires menus at live-in facilities to be closely followed and approved by a licensed dietician to ensure adequate nutrition. The Dream Builders staffer on duty that day told inspectors the menus aren鈥檛 followed and said residents hadn鈥檛 had breakfast yet because they qualify for free school breakfasts and lunches and those meals usually were not picked up until about 10:30 a.m.

Inspectors also found cases in which some children were not evaluated to determine their needs, or had not received the amount of counselling their treatment plan called for. In two cases, Dream Builders discharged children without the OK of a medical or mental-health provider and without the associated documentation required by law, inspectors found.

The cases in which inspectors received 鈥渇alse and misleading鈥� information involved illegal alterations to tuberculosis test results and first-aid training certificates for two staff members, the inspection reports said.

Settlement agreement

In October, the state health department signed a settlement agreement that allowed Dream Builders to stay in business by paying a fine and submitting an extensive plan of correction to address its problems.

Health department spokesman Steve Elliott said the state doesn鈥檛 necessarily intend to revoke the license of every agency that receives a revocation notice. The preferred outcome is for a troubled operator to make the improvements required to operate legally, he said.

The health department 鈥渞egularly issues notices of revocation with a goal of bringing facilities into compliance with regulations. In the vast majority of cases, a notice of revocation leads to a settlement under which a facility agrees to a plan to correct deficiencies,鈥� he said

鈥淏ehavioral health facilities offer much-needed services in our communities, and our goal whenever possible is to bring a facility into compliance.鈥�

The settlement agreement called for the state to conduct unannounced inspections at Dream Builders, but four months later, no further inspections have occurred. Elliott said the state will conduct an unannounced visit at a future date.

Asked about the nine-month lag between the time the first complaint was filed and when the state sent inspectors in, Elliott said the health department gives top priority to complaints that involve 鈥渋mmediate risk to the health, safety and well-being of residents.鈥�

Complaints that don鈥檛 involve immediate risk are investigated 鈥渋n as timely a manner as possible,鈥� he said.

A lawsuit claiming libel and false-light invasion of privacy against the 蜜柚直播 and two of its journalists has been filed in connection with reporting about the stalking of a local judge and a shot fired near the stalker.

The focus of the reporting was on a February 2021 incident in which Adam Watters, a Pima County justice of the peace, fired a gun into the ground near Fei Qin, a man who had been stalking Watters. 蜜柚直播 coverage of the incident outside Watters鈥� house included a video the judge made of himself threatening to kill Qin before firing what he called a warning shot.

At Qin鈥檚 trial, a jury heard evidence that the Watters family was unnerved after several incidents in which garbage was left on their lawn in early February 2021. The trash left outside the Watters home included mail addressed to tenants Qin had recently sought to evict in Watters鈥� court, evidence showed. Around the same time, the judge鈥檚 truck tires were slashed in two separate incidents while parked outside his house.

The Pinal County Attorney鈥檚 Office declined to prosecute Watters. In January, Qin was sentenced to 1陆 years in state prison for stalking the judge.

The lawsuit, filed in Pima County Superior Court, says a March 2021 news article by Star reporter Carol Ann Alaimo about the confrontation incorrectly implied that the judge鈥檚 daughter, who was there that day, quit her job as a Pima County prosecutor in connection with the incident.

The lawsuit says Caitlin Day Watters had already been interviewing with a 蜜柚直播 law firm and was offered a job with her new firm before the shooting incident.

The lawsuit also says that a July 2021 news opinion column by Tim Steller made false and misleading statements, including that Caitlin Watters and her sister were armed and waited for Qin in lawn chairs hidden by bushes. The lawsuit says Caitlin Watters鈥� sister was not armed and was reading a book. An incident report by a sheriff鈥檚 deputy who interviewed Caitlin Watters as a witness in the case says the attorney was armed during the incident but did not fire. The column did not identify either woman by name.

鈥淐aitlin鈥檚 gun ownership, like her other activities in this matter was legal, honest and appropriate,鈥� the lawsuit says.

The lawsuit says Caitlin Watters was approached on multiple occasions by co-workers, friends, fellow attorneys, judges and members of the public about the articles after they were published. The suit also says Watters is 鈥渕ember of a long-standing established 蜜柚直播 ranching and Republican family鈥� that includes her grandmother, former state Sen. and Pima County Supervisor Ann Day, and her great aunt, former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O鈥機onnor.

Attorney Dan Barr, who is representing the Star in the lawsuit, said the news story and column about the incident 鈥渄ealt with a matter of public concern involving, among other things, the conduct of two public officials 鈥� a justice of the peace and a then-prosecutor with the Pima County Attorney鈥檚 Office. We intend to vigorously defend the Star and its reporters.鈥�

The holiday for sweethearts has prompted a warning from law enforcement about a growing wave of online romance scams in 蜜柚直播.

The FBI鈥檚 Phoenix branch, which also covers 蜜柚直播, is marking Valentine鈥檚 Day with an advisory about the scheme 鈥� also known as catfishing 鈥� in which swindlers with fake social media profiles try to lure victims into love relationships in hopes of stealing their money and personal information.

About 650 蜜柚直播 residents fell victim last year to what the FBI classifies as 鈥渞omance/confidence scams,鈥� agency data shows.

The total includes both romance scams and other fraud schemes that toy with people鈥檚 affections, such as one in which grandparents receive fictitious demands for money to bail a grandchild out of jail.

Together, the 蜜柚直播 victims lost a total of almost $21 million last year, a 75% increase over 2020 when total losses were around $12 million, the data shows.

The FBI could not provide statistics specific to 蜜柚直播 and Pima County, but agency spokeswoman Brooke Brennan said 鈥渢here are victims all across the state.鈥�

According to the , many perpetrators pose as American troops.

鈥淎rmy Criminal Investigation Command receives hundreds of reports a month from individuals who have fallen victim to a scam perpetrated by a person impersonating a U.S. soldier online,鈥� the service鈥檚 website says.

Older people also are targets, the American Association of Retired Persons says.

鈥淭he older the target, the heavier the financial toll,鈥� the says. It cites federal data showing a median financial loss of $9,475 for victims 70 and older, compared to a $2,500 median loss for all age groups.

The FBI has some tips for avoiding trouble. Among them:

Research photos and profiles by using online searches to see if the same words and images have been used elsewhere.

Never provide financial information or loan money to anyone you don鈥檛 know personally. Do not allow your bank accounts to be used for transfers of funds.

Be leery of anyone who seems too perfect or moves too fast, for example by quickly asking to leave a social media site and meet up 鈥渙ffline.鈥�

Be suspicious when someone promises to meet up in person but repeatedly makes excuses for why they can鈥檛.

The agency says romance scam cases may be underreported because victims often feel sheepish when the lies eventually comes to light, an FBI news release said.

鈥淰ictims may be hesitant to report being taken advantage of due to embarrassment, shame or humiliation,鈥� it said, but 鈥渞omance scams can happen to anyone.鈥�

Self-styled wealth guru Kevin Easterly of San Diego would be breaking the law in his home state if he bought an apartment building and imposed a huge rent hike on tenants.

But it鈥檚 perfectly legal in 蜜柚直播, where he and his partners have been playing a sort of real-life Monopoly game: buying and repainting aging apartment buildings, and raising rents 50% or more to boost the property鈥檚 value and refinance for more than they paid, public records and Easterly鈥檚 social media posts show.

Once featured in an Instagram called 鈥淗ow to Flip Apartment Buildings,鈥� Easterly recently partnered to buy a at 1511 N. Craycroft Road that catered to older people on fixed incomes 鈥� until he raised rents by 52%.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a very sad place around here,鈥� said former tenant Nan Abrams, 74, who spent the recent holidays packing up the one-bedroom unit she used to rent for $579 a month. She moved out a few weeks ago, a month after receiving a lease renewal notice that said her new rent would be $880, a $301 increase. Other tenants said they were forced out when management declined to renew their leases.

Abrams, who is staying with friends for now, said she鈥檚 worried about her former neighbors, some of whom have health issues that could make moving difficult.

鈥淥ne of my neighbors uses a wheelchair and needs oxygen. I see some of these people and wonder 鈥榃here are they going to go?鈥欌��

Big rent hikes can be disastrous for elderly tenants no longer in the workforce, said Jim Murphy, president of the 蜜柚直播 Housing Foundation and chair of the Affordable Housing Alliance for Older Adults, a group studying the region鈥檚 senior housing shortage and what might be done to address it.

鈥淎n older person may have less of a chance to recover from something like this. A younger person might have the ability to go out and earn some more money,鈥� he said.

Flipping senior citizen apartments 鈥渕ay be legal, but it鈥檚 certainly not moral,鈥� he said.

Easterly, 41, is not widely known in the real estate investment field with followers on Facebook, on Instagram and on Twitter 鈥� this in a world where have millions of followers.

Even so, he now co-owns four 蜜柚直播 apartment complexes with nearly 160 units between them, all purchased in less than five years through four limited liability companies he registered in 蜜柚直播. In each case, he used a system he described in the apartment-flipping video as 鈥渞ehab, kick the tenants out and raise the rents.鈥�

Easterly could not be reached for comment for this story despite more than 20 attempts over a two-week period. (See box)

蜜柚直播 City Councilman Steve Kozachik, whose Ward 6 is home to the Craycroft Road seniors complex, called the 52% rent hike 鈥渘auseating.

鈥淭his is predatory capitalism and it is totally without a conscience,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a telling example of what鈥檚 happening in our real estate market. 蜜柚直播 is vulnerable because our real estate prices are relatively low compared to the rest of the nation.鈥�

Murphy said the tenants Easterly is displacing will have a tough time finding affordable quarters in a city where more than 3,000 people already are on waiting lists for publicly-funded apartments geared toward seniors and those with disabilities.

In California, it鈥檚 illegal for a landlord to raise rents by more 10% a year. But 蜜柚直播 has no such limits, nor are there limits in neighboring Nevada, where Easterly co-owns apartment buildings in Las Vegas and Henderson similar to his 蜜柚直播 properties, according to his San Diego .

Raising rents is key tactic

Easterly aims to eventually become a 鈥渂illionaire, with a B鈥� and raising rents is one of his key tactics, his social media posts show. He calls it 鈥渇orced appreciation,鈥� a way to drive up a property鈥檚 value faster than would happen by market forces alone.

It typically involves cosmetic improvements such as new exterior paint and landscape gravel and rent hikes in the 50% range, his posts show. The rent increases are critical, he explained on the apartment-flipping video, because a rental property鈥檚 value is closely tied to how much income it generates 鈥� a number banks use in lending decisions.

Easterly鈥檚 first 蜜柚直播 purchase was in 2017 when he teamed with three other California investors, public records show. They put $350,000 down on a $1 million, 30-unit apartment complex at 3653 E. Second St., and raised rents there by 53%, from $425 to $650 a month.

Eighteen months later, Easterly announced plans to refinance the complex for up to $1.7 million 鈥� 70% more than he paid 鈥� and use the proceeds as a down payment on another apartment complex. He described the process this way in a January 2019 Facebook post:

鈥�EFF THE STOCK MARKET. Forced appreciation, 30 units we purchased for $1m 鈥� 2 yrs ago, Just got done turning all the tenants and raising rents from 425-650. Put 110k into it. Now we鈥檙e refinancing at 1.6-1.7 . Pulling our original money out and putting it into the the next property.

鈥淭his is how you force appreciation based on cash flow people. Don鈥檛 count on appreciation in the market.鈥�

Later that year, Easterly and partners put $600,000 down on a $1.8 million, 36-unit complex at 3949 Monte Vista Drive, property transfer records show.

Last year they bought two more back-to-back in August and September: a 52-unit at 3493 E. Lind Road for $3.6 million with $1 million down and the Craycroft Road seniors complex for $3.2 million with $960,000 down.

Each of the 蜜柚直播 complexes are 30 to 60 years old, built between 1963 and 1992. In the apartment-flipping video, Easterly refers to them as 鈥淏- and C-class鈥� properties. It isn鈥檛 clear from public records if any others besides the Craycroft Road complex were exclusively for older adults ages 55 and up.

Solutions under study

So far there鈥檚 no end in sight for the apartment-buying spree. But efforts are underway to try to mitigate some of its worst effects on 蜜柚直播 seniors.

The Affordable Housing Alliance for Older Adults is in the process of creating a Pima County-wide housing plan for seniors, said Murphy, the group鈥檚 chair. A long list of ideas is being looked at including tiny homes, container homes, a home-sharing database that pairs willing renters with would-be roommates and converting motels and vacant schools and business space into lower-cost senior living space.

It鈥檚 hard to say with any accuracy how many local seniors don鈥檛 have access to affordable housing 鈥� defined by the federal government as housing and utilities costs that, when added up, are less than 30% of monthly income. Murphy said it鈥檚 hard to track need by age group because many local households 鈥� around 25% 鈥� are mixed, with older and younger people under the same roof.

Murphy pointed to one improvement that鈥檚 already inching forward: 蜜柚直播 City Council鈥檚 recent decision to allow 鈥渁ccessory dwelling units鈥� 鈥� more commonly called casitas or granny flats 鈥� on many more residential properties. But such changes don鈥檛 happen quickly, he said, noting the council decision took more than a year of study and discussion.

Nonprofit real estate developers are stepping up too. Later this year, La Frontera, a 蜜柚直播 agency that provides social services for those with low incomes, plans to open a 120-unit seniors housing complex on North Oracle Road near West Drachman Street.

Murphy said he鈥檚 hopeful more changes are on the horizon now that local lawmakers seem more attuned to affordable housing issues 鈥� and elder housing in particular.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 know if we can solve the problem,鈥� Murphy said of the shortage. 鈥淏ut I do believe we can make a dent in it.鈥�

Leer en espa帽ol

In a city where tenants make up nearly half the population, 蜜柚直播ans are reacting with fear and anger to news of huge rent hikes at a seniors citizens apartment complex.

But city leaders are helpless to stop 鈥渁busive price-gouging鈥� under a state law that prevents local governments from setting limits on how much landlords can charge, Mayor Regina Romero said.

Read previous story about rent hikes forcing out 蜜柚直播 residents

California investor buys 蜜柚直播 seniors complex, raises rents by 50%

Self-styled wealth guru Kevin Easterly of San Diego would be breaking the law in his home state if he bought an apartment building and imposed a huge rent hike on tenants.

But it鈥檚 perfectly legal in 蜜柚直播, where he and his partners have been playing a sort of real-life Monopoly game: buying and repainting aging apartment buildings, and raising rents 50% or more to boost the property鈥檚 value and refinance for more than they paid, public records and Easterly鈥檚 social media posts show.

Once featured in an Instagram called 鈥淗ow to Flip Apartment Buildings,鈥� Easterly recently partnered to buy a at 1511 N. Craycroft Road that catered to older people on fixed incomes 鈥� until he raised rents by 52%.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a very sad place around here,鈥� said former tenant Nan Abrams, 74, who spent the recent holidays packing up the one-bedroom unit she used to rent for $579 a month. She moved out a few weeks ago, a month after receiving a lease renewal notice that said her new rent would be $880, a $301 increase. Other tenants said they were forced out when management declined to renew their leases.

Abrams, who is staying with friends for now, said she鈥檚 worried about her former neighbors, some of whom have health issues that could make moving difficult.

鈥淥ne of my neighbors uses a wheelchair and needs oxygen. I see some of these people and wonder 鈥榃here are they going to go?鈥欌��

Big rent hikes can be disastrous for elderly tenants no longer in the workforce, said Jim Murphy, president of the 蜜柚直播 Housing Foundation and chair of the Affordable Housing Alliance for Older Adults, a group studying the region鈥檚 senior housing shortage and what might be done to address it.

鈥淎n older person may have less of a chance to recover from something like this. A younger person might have the ability to go out and earn some more money,鈥� he said.

Flipping senior citizen apartments 鈥渕ay be legal, but it鈥檚 certainly not moral,鈥� he said.

Easterly, 41, is not widely known in the real estate investment field with followers on Facebook, on Instagram and on Twitter 鈥� this in a world where have millions of followers.

Even so, he now co-owns four 蜜柚直播 apartment complexes with nearly 160 units between them, all purchased in less than five years through four limited liability companies he registered in 蜜柚直播. In each case, he used a system he described in the apartment-flipping video as 鈥渞ehab, kick the tenants out and raise the rents.鈥�

Easterly could not be reached for comment for this story despite more than 20 attempts over a two-week period. (See box)

蜜柚直播 City Councilman Steve Kozachik, whose Ward 6 is home to the Craycroft Road seniors complex, called the 52% rent hike 鈥渘auseating.

鈥淭his is predatory capitalism and it is totally without a conscience,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a telling example of what鈥檚 happening in our real estate market. 蜜柚直播 is vulnerable because our real estate prices are relatively low compared to the rest of the nation.鈥�

Murphy said the tenants Easterly is displacing will have a tough time finding affordable quarters in a city where more than 3,000 people already are on waiting lists for publicly-funded apartments geared toward seniors and those with disabilities.

In California, it鈥檚 illegal for a landlord to raise rents by more 10% a year. But 蜜柚直播 has no such limits, nor are there limits in neighboring Nevada, where Easterly co-owns apartment buildings in Las Vegas and Henderson similar to his 蜜柚直播 properties, according to his San Diego .

Raising rents is key tactic

Easterly aims to eventually become a 鈥渂illionaire, with a B鈥� and raising rents is one of his key tactics, his social media posts show. He calls it 鈥渇orced appreciation,鈥� a way to drive up a property鈥檚 value faster than would happen by market forces alone.

It typically involves cosmetic improvements such as new exterior paint and landscape gravel and rent hikes in the 50% range, his posts show. The rent increases are critical, he explained on the apartment-flipping video, because a rental property鈥檚 value is closely tied to how much income it generates 鈥� a number banks use in lending decisions.

Easterly鈥檚 first 蜜柚直播 purchase was in 2017 when he teamed with three other California investors, public records show. They put $350,000 down on a $1 million, 30-unit apartment complex at 3653 E. Second St., and raised rents there by 53%, from $425 to $650 a month.

Eighteen months later, Easterly announced plans to refinance the complex for up to $1.7 million 鈥� 70% more than he paid 鈥� and use the proceeds as a down payment on another apartment complex. He described the process this way in a January 2019 Facebook post:

鈥�EFF THE STOCK MARKET. Forced appreciation, 30 units we purchased for $1m 鈥� 2 yrs ago, Just got done turning all the tenants and raising rents from 425-650. Put 110k into it. Now we鈥檙e refinancing at 1.6-1.7 . Pulling our original money out and putting it into the the next property.

鈥淭his is how you force appreciation based on cash flow people. Don鈥檛 count on appreciation in the market.鈥�

Later that year, Easterly and partners put $600,000 down on a $1.8 million, 36-unit complex at 3949 Monte Vista Drive, property transfer records show.

Last year they bought two more back-to-back in August and September: a 52-unit at 3493 E. Lind Road for $3.6 million with $1 million down and the Craycroft Road seniors complex for $3.2 million with $960,000 down.

Each of the 蜜柚直播 complexes are 30 to 60 years old, built between 1963 and 1992. In the apartment-flipping video, Easterly refers to them as 鈥淏- and C-class鈥� properties. It isn鈥檛 clear from public records if any others besides the Craycroft Road complex were exclusively for older adults ages 55 and up.

Solutions under study

So far there鈥檚 no end in sight for the apartment-buying spree. But efforts are underway to try to mitigate some of its worst effects on 蜜柚直播 seniors.

The Affordable Housing Alliance for Older Adults is in the process of creating a Pima County-wide housing plan for seniors, said Murphy, the group鈥檚 chair. A long list of ideas is being looked at including tiny homes, container homes, a home-sharing database that pairs willing renters with would-be roommates and converting motels and vacant schools and business space into lower-cost senior living space.

It鈥檚 hard to say with any accuracy how many local seniors don鈥檛 have access to affordable housing 鈥� defined by the federal government as housing and utilities costs that, when added up, are less than 30% of monthly income. Murphy said it鈥檚 hard to track need by age group because many local households 鈥� around 25% 鈥� are mixed, with older and younger people under the same roof.

Murphy pointed to one improvement that鈥檚 already inching forward: 蜜柚直播 City Council鈥檚 recent decision to allow 鈥渁ccessory dwelling units鈥� 鈥� more commonly called casitas or granny flats 鈥� on many more residential properties. But such changes don鈥檛 happen quickly, he said, noting the council decision took more than a year of study and discussion.

Nonprofit real estate developers are stepping up too. Later this year, La Frontera, a 蜜柚直播 agency that provides social services for those with low incomes, plans to open a 120-unit seniors housing complex on North Oracle Road near West Drachman Street.

Murphy said he鈥檚 hopeful more changes are on the horizon now that local lawmakers seem more attuned to affordable housing issues 鈥� and elder housing in particular.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 know if we can solve the problem,鈥� Murphy said of the shortage. 鈥淏ut I do believe we can make a dent in it.鈥�

The mayor said she has been getting an earful from city residents since the 蜜柚直播 reported on a San Diego apartment-flipper who has raised rents by 50% or more at several 蜜柚直播 apartment complexes, including the at 1511 N. Craycroft Road where some tenants say they are being forced out because they cannot afford to stay. The new owner has not responded to numerous requests by the Star for comment.

Some of the calls to city hall are from seniors renting elsewhere in 蜜柚直播 who worry they might be next, Romero said.

鈥淲e need the state to create policies that protect vulnerable residents from obscene rate hikes, or they need to untie our hands so cities and towns can do something about it,鈥� Romero, a Democrat, said in an email interview.

鈥淢unicipal governments are closest to the problem and should be able to act on these issues without state interference.鈥�

Republicans who control the state鈥檚 legislative agenda say rent control is not the answer. 鈥淎bsolutely not,鈥� 蜜柚直播 House majority leader Rep. Ben Toma said in an email interview.

Toma, who owns a , said rent control would not fix the underlying problem: a pressing shortage of affordable housing because the state鈥檚 population has for years been growing faster than its housing supply.

He blames local land-use rules. Cities and towns have prioritized construction of single-family homes over apartment projects, which can be controversial because of neighborhood concerns about aesthetics and increased density, he said.

鈥淎s housing demand increases in 蜜柚直播, so should supply; otherwise the problem will simply continue to compound,鈥� Toma said. He said there is bipartisan support for changes, and he expects several bills to be introduced this session 鈥渢o address housing affordability throughout the state.鈥�

But talk of future fixes is of little comfort to 蜜柚直播 tenants currently caught in the squeeze. Some are facing rent hikes much higher than 50%, public records and other documents show.

Rents are rising by as much as 77% at the former Colonia de 蜜柚直播, a west-side complex occupied by seniors and families recently purchased by investors from Los Angeles and Chicago for $7.8 million with $300,000 down, land transfer records show. The previous owner, a Miami-area investor, paid $4.9 million for it 18 months ago.

A two-bedroom, one bath unit that used to rent for $675 will soon rent for $1,195 at the 84-unit complex at 1335 W. St. Mary鈥檚 Road. The new landlords are offering short-term leases for $950 a month 鈥� a 40% increase 鈥� until the new higher rate kicks in later this year, tenant notification letters show.

Single mom Laura Gallego, 33, a nail salon technician with three children ages 2 to 9, said she cannot afford the increase. Two of her neighbors, older tenants in their 70s and 90s, are in the same situation, she said.

鈥淚t鈥檚 scary,鈥� said Gallego, a 蜜柚直播 native. 鈥淚 haven鈥檛 been able to sleep, and I don鈥檛 know what to do.鈥�

Even the property manager said she鈥檚 uncomfortable with the 77% increase.

Ann Diaz, president of 蜜柚直播 1st Realty Management, said the complex where Gallego lives was 鈥渞un down,鈥� and the new owners are in the process of making improvements.

The previous owner was operating at a loss, she said, and the new rent is comparable to what other landlords are charging in the area.

Even so, 鈥淚 feel really bad,鈥� Diaz said. 鈥淏ut I don鈥檛 set the rents; the owners do. I鈥檝e been hired to do a job, and if I don鈥檛 do what my clients ask me to do, I鈥檒l be replaced by someone who will.鈥�

Diaz, who owns a handful of small 蜜柚直播 rental properties, said she has not raised rents 鈥渂ecause I love my tenants.鈥� But she predicted more big rent hikes are ahead for city residents who live in buildings where current rental rates are well below market rates.

Mark Stapp, a real estate expert at 蜜柚直播 State University who is opposed to rent control, said there鈥檚 no short-term fix for the affordable housing shortage.

鈥淚f I started building an apartment project today it would take two years until the first person could move in,鈥� he said in a phone interview.

State and local leaders need to work together on solutions, he said, because lack of affordable housing affects the overall health of communities and could also jeopardize efforts to bring new jobs and employers to 蜜柚直播, he said.

鈥淎ffordable housing is a critical economic development issue, not just a social issue,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 make us a highly desirable place when a greater percentage of the population finds itself in this situation.鈥�

A 蜜柚直播 landlord was sentenced to 1陆 years in state prison for stalking Pima County Justice of the Peace Adam Watters in February last year.

Fei Qin, 39, received the sentence recommended by the prosecution after a jury found him guilty of the felony charge in December. Qin's lawyer had asked that he be sentenced to probation.

Prosecutor Bryan McIntyre, brought in from neighboring 蜜柚直播 County to prosecute the case, said he hoped the sentence would give some solace to Watters and his family.

"I'm pleased the judge imposed the sentence he did, that he recognized the gravity of the situation and the impact of the Watters family," McIntyre said in an interview after the Jan. 12 sentencing hearing.

The Pima County jury that convicted Qin heard evidence the family was unnerved after several incidents in which garbage was left on their lawn in early February 2021. Around the same time, the judge's truck tires had been slashed twice in separate incidents while parked outside his house.

Some of the trash left in the yard of the Watters home was mail addressed to tenants Qin has recently sought to evict in Watters' court, evidence showed.

The case has drawn headlines because Watters videoed himself making profanity-laced threats to kill Qin before firing what he called a "warning shot" that landed inches from Qin's foot. Qin was unarmed at the time.

Watters was cleared of criminal wrongdoing by the Pinal County Attorney's Office.听

Defense attorney Jeff Grynkewich did not immediately return a phone message seeking comment.

A former 蜜柚直播 insurance agent is headed to federal prison for more than four years for stealing a total of more than $1 million from her elderly clients.

Koreasa 鈥淜ory鈥� Williams was sentence to 51 months behind bars and three years of supervised as part of a plea deal in U.S. District Court in 蜜柚直播, the Justice Department announced in a news release.

蜜柚直播 reporter Carol Ann Alaimo's top 5 stories of 2021

Proposed pet breeding facility in 蜜柚直播 County draws opposition from 蜜柚直播, beyond

Animal welfare organizations from 蜜柚直播 and beyond are collectively holding their breath to see if a county zoning commission southeast of 蜜柚直播 will block or approve a proposed commercial pet-breeding facility for puppies and 鈥渆xotic cats.鈥�

Hundreds of opponents 鈥� including the local sheriff 鈥� are asking the nine-person 蜜柚直播 County Planning and Zoning Commission to reject a proposal to house dozens of breeding females on a patch of farmland in Elfrida, a hamlet of 400 people about 100 miles from 蜜柚直播.

Critics say the venture has some characteristics of a puppy and kitten mill operation that could strain already-overburdened rescue shelters in the 蜜柚直播 area and elsewhere around the state.

Chance Mason, one of five business partners involved in the proposal, said he and his wife live on the property and will not 鈥渞un a puppy mill but a high-quality animal husbandry business鈥� that will add to state and local tax revenue.

All five of the business partners used to live in Missouri, which, according to animal welfare organizations, is one of the worst states for puppy mills.

Puppy mills mass-produce pets in inhumane conditions that damage the health of mother dogs, who often spend their lives in cages being bred every heat cycle to produce as many babies as quickly as possible, the Humane Society of the United States said.

Mason does not disagree that puppy mills are common in Missouri. However, he said he worked at a puppy mill as a teen before he realized what it was and has no intention of emulating 鈥渂ad operators.鈥�

鈥淭his will not be a 鈥榩rofit-before-animal-welfare鈥� operation,鈥� he said in a phone interview from his 25 acres on West Dillman Road, a private dirt road that intersects U.S. Highway 191 about 30 miles northeast of Bisbee, the 蜜柚直播 County seat.

Mason, 45, said he plans to start small with six breeding females and eventually hopes to produce boxers, corgis and English bulldog puppies and three kinds of exotic felines: Savannah cats, werewolf cats and fire-point Siamese.

While he owns five dogs 鈥� two boxers and three corgis 鈥� Mason has no experience breeding pedigreed pets. He said he has years of experience birthing farm animals.

Mason said his Facebook page has been overrun with 鈥渉undreds鈥� of negative comments since his plan became public.

鈥淚鈥檝e had people say I should be murdered, or neutered or put in prison,鈥� he said. 鈥淚鈥檝e lost a lot of sleep over this.

鈥淚鈥檓 being tried an convicted in the court of public opinion without any evidence.鈥�

Sheriff opposed

A statement submitted 鈥渙n behalf of鈥� the 蜜柚直播 County sheriff and written by an animal control officer said the proposed breeding facility 鈥渨ould undoubtedly have a negative effect on the county.鈥�

The sheriff鈥檚 opposition wasn鈥檛 mentioned in an eight-page county staff . To discover that fact, decision-makers would have to read through to page 417 of a that鈥檚 separate from the main staff report.

The staff report is recommending approval of a scaled-down version of the project.

Animal control officer Amber Linendoll, who expressed opposition on the sheriff鈥檚 behalf, said 蜜柚直播 County 鈥渁lready has many backyard breeders who become overwhelmed and request animal control to pick up the dogs.

鈥淥ur shelters are full almost year round and we are faced with having to euthanize them due to not being able to get them out of the shelter into loving homes or rescues.鈥�

Linendoll鈥檚 concerns are shared by animal welfare groups in 蜜柚直播, Pima and Maricopa counties and by 11 out-of-state organizations including the national Humane Society.

Nancy Young Wright, president of the animal welfare group Rescue Me 蜜柚直播, said animal welfare groups and shelters from 蜜柚直播 and Phoenix already incur substantial costs taking in overflow animals from 蜜柚直播 County.

If Mason鈥檚 enterprise were to fail and shut down, 鈥渙rganizations that step in to rescue the animals will have to spend thousands of dollars to provide veterinary care, housing and placement,鈥� she wrote in opposition to the plan.

Wright also questions what will happen to animals that need emergency veterinary care, since there are no emergency veterinarians in 蜜柚直播 County.

Proposal in flux

The l calls for up to 40 breeding females to be kept on site in a pair of 3,000-square-foot climate controlled buildings with outdoor overhangs to provide shade.

The county planning department is recommending a limit of 20 breeding females, and said the proposal meets the county goals for increased economic activity.

Mason said he鈥檚 willing to further reduce the number to 15 breeding females.

He also said he鈥檒l allow unannounced inspections of the site and will allow customers to come to the property to pick up their puppies rather than doing sales off-site as originally proposed.

鈥淭he animals will have all the love and care and attention they need,鈥� he said. 鈥淚鈥檓 not going to run a damn puppy mill. I don鈥檛 believe in cruelty to animals.鈥�

These photos of cactus blooms will make you fall in love with 蜜柚直播

Cactus blooms

Cactus blooms

Cactus blooms

Cactus blooms

Cactus blooms

Cactus blooms

Cactus blooms

Cactus blooms

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Cactus blooms

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Cactus blooms

Blooming saguaro

Cactus blooms at the 蜜柚直播-Sonora Desert Museum

Prickly pear in bloom

Cactus blooms

Prickly pear

Brilliant bloom

Prickly pear cactus

Prickly pear cactus

Saguaro and ocotillo

Hedgehog cactus

Cholla cactus

Cholla cactus

Prickly pear

Bees and blooms

Yellow prickly pear flowers

07 VAM outside birding trail

Prickly pear cactus

Cactus blooming

Bonanza of blooms

Sabino Canyon saguaro

Multiple blooms

Cactus Flower

Trichocereus cactus in bloom

Cardon in bloom

Barrel Cactus in Bloom

Foothills flowering cactus

Pima County judge under investigation for firing 'warning shot' at unarmed stalking suspect

Editor's note: This story has been updated.

A judge has been placed on leave and authorities are investigating a criminal case that could test the limits on when it鈥檚 legal to fire a gun in 蜜柚直播.

Justice of the Peace Adam Watters, 59, was placed on paid administrative leave last month and is under investigation for firing what he called a 鈥渨arning shot鈥� 鈥� one that landed inches from an unarmed man on a recent Sunday afternoon outside Watters鈥� home in the Foothills.

The man, Fei Qin, 38, of 蜜柚直播, later was arrested on suspicion of felony stalking for allegedly driving by Watters鈥� house repeatedly and leaving litter is his yard, public records show.

Qin, a 蜜柚直播 landlord, recently had an eviction case handled by Watters in Pima County Justice Court. Some of the trash left in Watters鈥� yard contained mail addressed to the tenants Qin had hoped to evict, detectives said.

Watters, who usually handled domestic violence cases, said he鈥檇 only recently started doing some evictions work as well.

Around the same time the littering started, the tires on Watters鈥� pickup truck were slashed in two separate incidents, but so far no one has been charged for those offenses, court records show.

Deputies who searched Qin鈥檚 vehicle after the shooting found a butcher knife in a pocket behind the passenger seat, but the sheriff鈥檚 report did not establish that the knife was the same one used to slash the judge鈥檚 tires.

The report said Qin was not armed when Watters fired a round that struck the ground 鈥渄irectly next to鈥� Qin.

Qin told detectives Watters forced him out of his vehicle at gunpoint, threatened to 鈥渂low his head off,鈥� and ordered him to lie on the ground.

Watters, in his interview with detectives, acknowledged 鈥渢hat he did make mention of shooting (Qin) or blowing off his head鈥� and that he鈥檇 tried to order Qin to the ground, but denied forcing Qin from his vehicle.

A cellphone the judge used to record some of the moments prior to the shooting went missing soon afterward, the sheriff鈥檚 report said.

Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos would not comment on the case.

鈥淚t is premature for us to make a statement鈥� because the investigation is ongoing, Nanos said in an email to the 蜜柚直播.

The Star recently obtained the sheriff鈥檚 report through a public-records request.

When is it legal to shoot?

蜜柚直播 has a number of laws that spell out when it is and isn鈥檛 legal to use a deadly weapon against someone else. Penalties for violators can be substantial.

For example:

鈥� A felony charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon can apply when someone 鈥渋ntentionally, knowingly, and recklessly鈥� uses a weapon to cause another person 鈥渇ear of immediate physical harm.鈥� Conviction carries a mandatory minimum five-year prison sentence.

鈥� A felony charge of disorderly conduct with a weapon can apply when someone uses a firearm to 鈥渄isturb the peace and quiet of a neighborhood, family or person.鈥� Sentences can range from probation to two years in prison.

Exceptions can apply in certain circumstances.

The law says use of deadly force is legally justified 鈥渢o the degree a reasonable person would believe that deadly physical force is immediately necessary to protect himself against the other鈥檚 use or attempted use of unlawful deadly force.鈥�

Whether Watters actions were justified has yet to be determined,

A felony conviction could end the judge鈥檚 career as well as his ability to legally possess a gun, but Watters鈥� attorney, Mike Storie, said he doubts criminal charges will be filed against his client.

Storie said prosecutors responsible for making the decision will weigh 鈥渢he totality of the circumstances鈥� 鈥� and in his view, the circumstances are in the judge鈥檚 favor.

鈥淭he analysis will have to take into account what was in Judge Watters鈥� mind at the time he fired his weapon,鈥� he said.

鈥淲hat would you do?鈥�

On Feb. 14, the day of the incident, Watters鈥� street was already on a list of places deputies were patrolling more often because of vandalism reports from the judge鈥檚 house over a nine-day period.

By that time, Watters had had his tires slashed twice. Trash such as junk mail, burrito wrappers, salsa containers and takeout coffee cups had been left in his yard several times.

Watters told detectives two suspicious vehicles had recently been seen on his street: one a white BMW, the other a gray Subaru SUV.

A neighbor who saw the Subaru nearby during one of the littering incidents took a photo of the license plate and a few days later, the same Subaru drove by again, the sheriff鈥檚 report said.

Watters could have called 911 and gone inside his house to wait for law enforcement, Storie acknowledged in an interview.

Instead, the judge and one of his daughters chose that day to sit outside with guns on lawn chairs hidden by landscaping, cellphones poised in hopes of getting a photo of the SUV driver.

Watters was not intending to shoot the driver, Storie said. He just wanted to be prepared in case of trouble.

By then the judge was frightened and frustrated because the vandalism had persisted despite multiple calls to law enforcement, Storie said.

鈥淧ut yourself in this guy鈥檚 shoes. What would you do? He鈥檚 afraid for his wife. He鈥檚 been harassed for days. He鈥檚 called police four times and the problem isn鈥檛 getting any better,鈥� he said.

Watters told detectives he and Qin were a few feet away from each other just before the shot was fired.

He said Qin had left his vehicle and was standing nearby staring. The distance between them was about 3 feet according to Watters and about 5 feet according to Qin, the sheriff鈥檚 report said.

Watters said he pulled the trigger after Qin took a single step forward. He said he feared Qin might be armed even though he had not produced a weapon that day.

Cellphone missing

Watters was filming on his cellphone camera when the Subaru stopped near him at the end of his driveway

That raised the possibility the phone contained proof of what happened just before the shooting, but detectives did not take the phone into custody to be examined by a forensic expert.

Investigators faced a roadblock at first because Watters鈥� cellphone had disappeared by the time deputies arrived 鈥渨ithin seconds鈥� of the shooting, the sheriff鈥檚 report said.

The judge said his sister had stopped by briefly and must have taken his phone by mistake because their phones looked identical.

Someone 鈥� it isn鈥檛 clear who in the public records released to date 鈥� decided to let the judge鈥檚 sister keep the phone overnight instead of retrieving it from her that day.

The next day, Watters brought the phone with him to his lawyer鈥檚 office for an interview with detectives. But the only footage they found on it ended before the encounter.

The judge told investigators 鈥渉e was unsure how or why鈥� the camera had turned off and assured them the phone鈥檚 contents had not been altered since the incident.

Instead of having an expert check whether anything was removed surreptitiously, the detectives looked at a folder for recently deleted files, saw nothing suspicious, then handed the phone back to Watters, records show.

蜜柚直播 attorney Jeff Grynkewich, who represents Qin on the stalking charge, filed court paperwork last week asking the prosecution to make Watters鈥� phone available for forensic testing by the defense.

鈥淎 forensic audit of this phone is necessary as the only steps taken by officers solely consisted of making sure no files were within the 鈥榙eleted files,鈥欌�� Grynkewich wrote in his March 3 request filed at Pima County Superior Court.

One of the detectives later acknowledged at a preliminary hearing that 鈥渇iles could have been further removed from the deleted files folder,鈥� during the time the phone was missing, Grynkewich said in his written request to the court.

He said Qin will plead not guilty to the stalking charge.

鈥淢y client has a right to be presumed innocent and he is asserting his innocence,鈥� the defense attorney said in an interview.

Prosecutor resigns

While the incident took place in Pima County, it is not being handled by the Pima County Attorney鈥檚 Office, which typically prosecutes such cases.

The Watters case isn鈥檛 typical due to the involvement of the judge鈥檚 daughter, a prosecutor with the Pima County Attorney鈥檚 Office since late 2018.

Caitlin Watters, who brought a loaded shotgun to the scene but did not use it, was interviewed as a witness in the case. Two days later she submitted a letter of resignation from her prosecutor鈥檚 job, but a libel lawsuit she filed against the Star in January 2022 says she already had been offered a new job when the incident occurred.

Because of the Caitlin Watters connection, Pima County Attorney Laura Conover referred the case to the 蜜柚直播 Attorney General鈥檚 Office to avoid a conflict of interest.

The attorney general has since forwarded the matter to prosecutors in two neighboring counties, Conover said in an email.

The 蜜柚直播 County Attorney has taken over Qin鈥檚 stalking case. The Pinal County Attorney鈥檚 Office is conducting a 鈥渞eview of Judge Watters鈥� use of a firearm鈥� that will determine if the judge should face charges, she said.

Watters, a Republican, was first appointed to his post in early 2008 to replace a retiring justice, but lost the seat when he had to run for election later that year.

He was elected to his first four-year term in 2014 and reelected in 2018 to a second term that expires at the end of 2022.

Pima County sheriff illegally withholding public records, experts say

Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos illegally withheld public information four times during his first five months on the job, several experts in 蜜柚直播鈥檚 public-records law say.

Nanos, who has publicly pledged his commitment to openness and transparency, is refusing to comment on the experts鈥� unanimous opinions that the sheriff ignored decades of 蜜柚直播 Supreme Court rulings to repeatedly block the release of public records to the 蜜柚直播.

The denied records include a video in which a judge threatened to blow a man鈥檚 head off moments before firing a gun and a case in which Nanos initially withheld that a 19-year-old man was unarmed when a deputy shot and killed him early this year.

鈥淭he sheriff is breaking the law,鈥� said David Cullier, one of four experts who reviewed Nanos鈥� public-records decisions at the Star鈥檚 request. Between them, the experts have more than a century of experience litigating, lecturing or testifying in government hearings on public access to information.

Nanos did not reply to repeated requests for comment for this story. The Star sent him detailed email requests on May 18 and June 2 and copied them to four other members of his public records and public information staff, none of whom responded.

Cullier said Nanos鈥� records decisions show 鈥渁 clear pattern of obstruction.

鈥淭hese are not gray areas where the law is unclear,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hese cases are black and white for anyone who knows how to read.鈥�

Cullier, an associate journalism professor at the University of 蜜柚直播, has researched public-access laws at the the state and federal levels for two decades. He鈥檚 a member of a federal advisory committee on access to information and is president of the National Freedom of Information Coalition.

Media law attorney David Bodney of the Phoenix law firm Ballard Spahr said 鈥渋t is difficult to fathom any legitimate basis鈥� for Nanos鈥� public-records decisions.

Whoever authored the decisions 鈥渟hows little recognition of the law and the sheriff鈥檚 duty to comply with it,鈥� said Bodney, who has decades of experience teaching media law at 蜜柚直播 State University and is slated to teach a course at the University of 蜜柚直播 this fall.

鈥楿nacceptable,鈥� says Huckelberry

It鈥檚 unclear if Nanos sought or followed legal advice before deciding to withhold information. He won鈥檛 say, and neither will the Pima County Attorney鈥檚 Office, which is responsible for advising the sheriff on public-records matters but would not comment for this story, citing attorney-client privilege.

The Star shared the experts鈥� findings with Pima County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry, who oversees the budgets of all county-funded departments including the Sheriff鈥檚 Department and the county attorney. He said he intends to look into the situation, which he called 鈥渦nacceptable.鈥�

Huckelberry said transparency is a high priority for his elected bosses, the county Board of Supervisors. 鈥淢y guess is the board will not be pleased when they hear about this,鈥� he said.

Mishandling of public-records requests can create unnecessary costs for taxpayers. If a public record is wrongly withheld and a requestor is forced to sue to obtain it, the offending government agency typically must pay the requestor鈥檚 legal bills.

Nanos, a Democrat, won the sheriff鈥檚 job by about 3,500 votes in the 2020 election, defeating former Republican Sheriff Mark Napier, who held the job from 2017 to 2020 without any notable public-records problems.

Nanos took over on Jan. 1, and problems arose almost immediately.

Key shooting detail withheld

On Jan. 20, one of Nanos鈥� deputies shot and killed a 19-year-old man while responding to reports of a suspect trying to break into vehicles northwest of 蜜柚直播. Experts said Nanos misused the public-records law by concealing a key shooting detail for weeks.

The sheriff should have revealed immediately that the man was unarmed, they said. Instead Nanos told the Star to file a public-records request for that detail, wrongly claiming he did not have to reveal if the man was armed because the incident was still under investigation.

It took two weeks for Nanos to publicly disclose that the man shot dead did not have a gun in his hand, but rather, a key fob mistaken for a gun by the deputy who fired on him. The deputy, whose name the sheriff withheld for 12 days, later was cleared of criminal wrongdoing by Pima County Attorney Laura Conover.

Attorney Gregg Leslie, executive director of the First Amendment Clinic at 蜜柚直播 State University鈥檚 law school, said state law does not allow the sheriff to withhold basic facts about a fatal law enforcement encounter simply because an investigation is ongoing.

鈥淭hings like details about a shooting should be released to the public immediately and should not be tied to public-records requests,鈥� said Leslie, formerly the longtime legal director of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.

鈥淢any police agencies seem to believe that any time there is an ongoing investigation, they don鈥檛 have to release anything about the case. But that has never been the law in 蜜柚直播.鈥�

In mid-May, Nanos released an outline of changes he said he is making within the department that he said are designed to improve transparency and public trust. One of those steps, he said, is the creation of a regional critical incident review team made up of outside law enforcement agencies that will 鈥渉andle鈥� cases where someone dies while in the custody of the department, including fatal shootings by deputies.

Video wrongly concealed

Justice of the Peace Adam Watters has been under investigation since February in a shooting case that raised questions about the competence of sheriff鈥檚 investigators.

Detectives allowed Watters鈥� sister to keep, overnight, a cellphone he used to record part of the incident. The next day they asked Watters for a copy of the video but did not seize the phone for a forensic examination to see if anything was deleted surreptitiously.

In March, a 蜜柚直播 TV station aired the judge鈥檚 cellphone without specifying how it was obtained. It shows Watters repeatedly screaming 鈥淚鈥檒l blow your (expletive) head off,鈥� to an unarmed man he suspected of stalking him, moments before Watters fired a shot that landed inches from the man鈥檚 feet.

The question of whether Watters should be charged with a firearms offense has been under review for weeks by the Pinal County Attorney鈥檚 Office. The status of the effort is unclear because Pinal officials did not respond Friday to a request for an update.

Experts said Nanos violated the law twice when the Star filed a public-records request to examine the video.

First, he denied the request without providing a reason, which is contrary to law. Second, when pressed, Nanos gave a reason that has no basis in law, claiming the video was not a public record because it wasn鈥檛 created by sheriff鈥檚 officials 鈥� a claim Phoenix media attorney Dan Barr called 鈥渓udicrous.鈥�

A public record is any record 鈥渕ade or received鈥� by a public agency in connection with agency business, said Barr, of the law firm Perkins Coie, who has represented numerous news organizations, including the Star, in public-records lawsuits and is a legal adviser to the First Amendment Coalition of 蜜柚直播.

Cullier, of the UA, called the sheriff鈥檚 rationale for withholding the video 鈥渢he dumbest reason I ever heard.鈥�

E-records denied

It鈥檚 been 12 years since 蜜柚直播鈥檚 Supreme Court ruled that computerized public records must be provided for inspection in their original form upon request, a condition most government agencies routinely comply with by providing such records as email attachments.

But Nanos refuses to do so. Instead, he makes paper printouts of electronic records and requires requestors 鈥� in the midst of a pandemic 鈥� to come to sheriff鈥檚 headquarters to view them in person.

鈥淚t鈥檚 been years since I鈥檝e heard a government agency claim that even though a record exists in electronic form, they鈥檒l only release it in paper form,鈥� said Leslie of ASU. 鈥淭his battle was won by openness advocates years ago.鈥�

Cullier said the situation creates the appearance the sheriff is hiding something.

鈥淲hen I see agencies playing games like this, it鈥檚 usually a sign that something worse is going on that needs to be exposed,鈥� he said

鈥淭his kind of behavior leads to a loss of trust, and that鈥檚 not good for anybody,鈥� Cullier said.

鈥淚 really hope the sheriff will reconsider and do the right thing.鈥�

Homes that take in troubled kids from 蜜柚直播 face state shutdown, federal tax woes

A charity that runs homes for troubled children from 蜜柚直播 and beyond is fighting a state effort to shut them down for having the worst health and safety record in 蜜柚直播 for such facilities, public records show.

Mary鈥檚 Mission, which operates two homes for 11- to 17-year-olds about 100 miles southeast of 蜜柚直播, has been cited 64 times since 2019 for deficiencies including chronic overcrowding, lack of nutritious food, faulty dosing of prescription medications and failure to demonstrate that children were receiving mental health care, records show.

Most of the home鈥檚 residents come from abusive or unstable backgrounds and have emotional scars that impair their ability to function. Their treatment is covered largely by taxpayers through the state Medicaid program, which contracts with private health insurers to provide care or pays facilities directly at a fee-for-service rate of $255 a day per child.

The Mary鈥檚 Mission homes in 蜜柚直播 County 鈥� one for boys in Sierra Vista, one for girls in Hereford, a smaller community nearby 鈥� together have racked up more than $18,000 in fines in three years, more than any of the other 150 or so licensed, live-in facilities for children with behavioral health problem. The 蜜柚直播 searched all their histories to establish which had the worst track record.

The fines imposed on Mary鈥檚 Mission by the 蜜柚直播 Department of Health Services, which licenses and inspects care facilities, did not lead to improvements, state records show. Rather, things got worse.

Problems started coming to a head in April when a Mary鈥檚 Mission employee blocked the entrance to the girls鈥� home for nearly half an hour to keep health inspectors out 鈥� defying a state requirement that inspectors must have access on demand. The inspections that happened later that day found dozens of violations at each of the homes, more than at any other time in the last three years, records show.

At this point, the two homes pose 鈥渁 direct risk to the life, health and safety鈥� of the children living there, state officials said, The department notified Mary鈥檚 Mission CEO William Lacey in June that it intends to revoke the licenses of both facilities. Mary鈥檚 Mission has the right to object, and has done so, officials said.

Lacey has asked the state Office of Administrative Hearings to review the case before the health department takes further action, said Steve Elliott, a health department spokesman. The hearing is pending, he said.

Lacey, 57, a retired Army officer, could not be reached for comment for this story despite five attempts made over a three-day period last week.

He did not reply to two voicemails left at Mary鈥檚 Mission鈥檚 headquarters, to two emails with detailed questions copied to Chris Russell, the Sierra Vista attorney advising him in the state licensing dispute, or to a phone message left with a receptionist at Russell鈥檚 law office.

In a to 蜜柚直播 County鈥檚 Board of Supervisors posted on the county鈥檚 YouTube channel, Lacey did not mention the state鈥檚 bid to shut down the two homes. Instead, he handed out promotional pamphlets, listed the charity鈥檚 achievements and told the board he is 鈥渢rying to expand services.

鈥淚 know this stuff like the back of my hand,鈥� he said.

鈥淚t broke my heart鈥�

Alexis Valenzuela of South 蜜柚直播 was 17 when she spent six months at Mary鈥檚 Mission four years ago and describes it as 鈥渢he worst experience of my life.鈥�

Valenzuela said her grandparents raised her because her mom was a substance abuser. She said she was diagnosed with depression and anxiety disorder and ended up at Mary鈥檚 Mission after her grandparents died.

These days, she said, her life has taken a turn for the better. Now 21, Valenzuela has a 7-month-old daughter, is engaged to the baby鈥檚 father and studies at Pima Community College hoping to make a career of helping troubled girls.

Valenzuela said she ended up running away from the girls鈥� home and later sought counseling on her own after turning 18.

Her memories of Mary鈥檚 Mission include taking cold showers and eating 鈥渄isgusting鈥� food. Group therapy was non-existent and individual therapy only happened about once a month, she said. When staffers forgot to dispense her bedtime dose of Xanax, they鈥檇 double up and give her two the next morning, which made her so high she couldn鈥檛 concentrate at school, she said.

Former employee Krystina Bosanko said hot water ran out every morning due to extreme overcrowding at the 888-square-foot girls鈥� home. Though licensed for eight, it often housed 12 to 16 girls, a feat achieved by cramming three or four bunk beds into each of its two tiny bedrooms. State inspectors have cited Mary鈥檚 Mission repeatedly for having too many residents at both of its facilities, with the boys home housing up to 24 at a time 鈥� 50% more than the 16 its state license allows.

Bosanko, 36, who worked at the girls home for 18 months in 2017 and 2018, said Mary鈥檚 Mission had a well-rehearsed routine to trick state inspectors into thinking the homes were not above capacity. Residents and staffers were put to work to break down and hide the extra cots and bunk beds, she said.

The children who shouldn鈥檛 be there then were loaded into vehicles and taken on long drives to keep them out of sight until inspectors left, she said. State inspection reports make repeated mentions of beds being moved out just as inspectors arrived on scene.

In 2019, Mary鈥檚 Mission reached a confidential out-of-court settlement in a $5 million lawsuit that blamed overcrowding and poor supervision for the sexual assault of 15-year-old resident of the boys鈥� home. The attacker, an 18-year-old male resident later sentenced to several years in prison, shouldn鈥檛 have been there since the home wasn鈥檛 licensed for adults, records show.

The victim and his mother, who filed the suit, were from New Mexico. Bosanko said that鈥檚 one of several states that sent children to Mary鈥檚 Mission including Idaho, Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota.

Though the two homes are licensed for a total 24 residents, Mary鈥檚 Mission鈥檚 nonprofit tax returns say the charity 鈥減rovides a safe environment for 42 at-risk boys and girls.鈥�

In another repeat violation, the homes were cited for ignoring a rule aimed at ensuring children had nutritious food. Menus were supposed to be approved by a licensed dietician, but that didn鈥檛 happen, Bosanko said.

Valenzuela recalls endless offerings of 鈥渄ollar-store food鈥� such as frozen burritos or mini pizzas or boiled macaroni and sauce, with no fresh fruits or vegetables. Bosanko said she and a co-worker felt sorry for the girls and sometimes bought meat and produce at their own expense to make them a decent dinner.

鈥淚t broke my heart,鈥� said Bosanko, who wept during a phone interview when a reporter mentioned Mary鈥檚 Mission listed $1.9 million in revenue on its most recent nonprofit tax return.

鈥淚 saw these kids go without basic needs,鈥� she exclaimed through tears. 鈥淲e had to fight tooth and nail to get them clothes, to get their hair cut, to get them shoes that fit.鈥�

$300,000 in tax liens

A Star review of property records, nonprofit tax returns and corporate registration records raised several red flags about Mary鈥檚 Mission鈥檚 bookkeeping and finances. An expert said the operator does not seem to be following best practices for nonprofit management.

About $300,000 in federal tax liens are registered against Lacey, the CEO, at the boys home address. The liens, documented at the 蜜柚直播 County Recorder鈥檚 Office, were filed because Mary鈥檚 Mission kept the payroll taxes withheld from employees instead remitting the funds to the government, public records show.

The unpaid taxes piled up between 2012 and 2019, the same timeframe in which Lacey took out a $320,000 mortgage on his personal residence and paid it off in less than seven years. The mortgage on his home in Sierra Vista was taken out June 20, 2012, and paid in full on Jan. 3, 2019, property records show.

Mary鈥檚 Mission鈥檚 tax returns also show Lacey failed to disclose that he and a Mary鈥檚 Mission board member registered a for-profit property acquisition company at the boys home address in 2002, a firm that remains active, state corporation records show. Last year, Lacey registered a second, similar for-profit firm at the address of a Mary鈥檚 Mission satellite location in Mesa, the records show.

In another irregularity, Mary鈥檚 Mission鈥檚 tax returns list amounts for 鈥渓and and buildings鈥� even though the charity does not own land or buildings. The boys鈥� and girls鈥� home properties are owned personally by Lacey, not by the nonprofit, property records show.

The Star shared its Mary鈥檚 Mission findings with a representative of Charity Navigator, one of several national organizations that rates nonprofits for their effectiveness and adherence best practices.

Spokesman Kevin Scalley said, while he鈥檚 not directly familiar with the organization, the findings suggest a need for further investigation.

鈥淚t does raise some eyebrows,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t does cause concern.鈥�

Mary鈥檚 Mission鈥檚 boys home has been accredited since 2010 by a 蜜柚直播-based accreditor, the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities

The Star tried unsuccessfully to reach commission board chairman Brian Boon of 蜜柚直播 to explain how a facility with the worst track record in the state is able to remain accredited. A message left with a woman who answered Boon鈥檚 home phone was not returned.

An attempt to reach the chief accreditation officer, 蜜柚直播 attorney Darren Lehrfeld, also was unsuccessful because Lehrfeld was out of the office and not available for an interview.

The three-year inspection history of any state-licensed care facility is available online at

Family preparing to sue Pima County sheriff over shooting death of unarmed man

The family of an unarmed man shot to death by a Pima County sheriff鈥檚 deputy who mistook the man鈥檚 key fob for a gun is contemplating a $35 million lawsuit against the county, public records show.

A lawyer representing the family has served a notice of claim, a precursor to a lawsuit, against Sheriff Chris Nanos and other county officials that alleges authorities used excessive force in pursuing Bradley 鈥淎lex鈥� Lewis, who died two weeks after his 19th birthday in a Jan. 20 confrontation north of 蜜柚直播. A notice of claim is a precursor to a lawsuit.

鈥淎lex had yet to live any of the most exciting and enjoyable years of adulthood. His family has been robbed of all the years, milestones and memories enjoyed by most families,鈥� said the notice from attorney Eduardo Coronado.

The shooter, Deputy Gilbert Caudillo, a 20-year veteran of law enforcement, was cleared of criminal wrongdoing by the Pima County Attorney鈥檚 Office. But a consultant hired by the Lewis family claims the shooting could not have unfolded the way Caudillo described it to investigators.

According to the sheriff鈥檚 account of the event, Lewis was pulled over by deputies responding to a report of a man trying to break into vehicles early in the morning. Based on a description of the man鈥檚 vehicle, the sheriff said deputies identified Lewis as the suspect and determined he was wanted in another case on suspicion of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

The Sheriff Department maintains Lewis rammed a patrol vehicle 鈥� no deputies were injured in the encounter 鈥� then 鈥渃harged鈥� at a deputy. Caudillo, in a statement to detectives five days after the incident, said Lewis got out of his vehicle and was 鈥渇lying鈥� toward Caudillo when the deputy fired.

The Sheriff鈥檚 Department does not yet have body-worn cameras for its deputies, so video footage of the incident is not available.

The consultant hired by the Lewis family, who reviewed deputy statements and autopsy reports, said the fatal shot struck Lewis on the side of his body as he was squeezing himself between two vehicles less than a foot apart, which prevented him from moving quickly.

An autopsy report from the Pima County medical examiner said the bullet that killed Lewis pierced his right shoulder, then penetrated his right lung.

Deadly force 鈥渨as inappropriate and excessive under the circumstances,鈥� said the consultant, William M. Harmening, a former sheriff鈥檚 deputy and securities fraud official in Illinois who also taught forensic psychology as an adjunct faculty member at Washington University in St. Louis.

Harmening has testified in numerous lawsuits against law enforcement but in recent years some judges have blocked his testimony, ruling that he lacks real-world experience in police use-of-force situations.

In a 2019 federal court ruling in a wrongful-death lawsuit against a New Mexico sheriff鈥檚 deputy, a judge who barred his testimony noted Harmening has been involved only in one homicide investigation in the early 1990s, has never investigated an officer-involved shooting, has only taken a single course in investigative methods and is not trained in crime scene analysis.

Harmening could not be reached for comment. He did not reply by deadline to request for comment made through Coronado, the Lewis family attorney.

A sheriff鈥檚 official said the department does not comment on legal matters.

Williams, 46, who founded a Christian counseling service in 蜜柚直播 earlier this year, was described by a prosecutor in a sentencing memo as 鈥渁 serial defrauder and thief on an enormous scale.鈥�

Initially charged with 65 counts of wire fraud and eight counts of aggravated identity theft, she agreed to plead guilty to one count of wire fraud. The other charges were dropped, and a hearing will be held next month to discuss restitution to Williams鈥� victims.

A 2019 indictment said Williams targeted clients with annuities held by life insurance firms. For seven years from 2011 to 2018, she forged their signatures and submitted false paperwork to withdraw money from annuity accounts without their knowledge, then transferred it to her personal bank account, it said.

When caught, Williams showed 鈥渁 remarkable lack of remorse,鈥� insisting despite evidence to the contrary that she hadn鈥檛 broken the law. She said she merely 鈥渂orrowed鈥� her clients money, which she said was 鈥渦nethical鈥� but not illegal, the prosecution said.

During the two years Williams鈥� criminal case was before the courts, she traveled to North Carolina nearly a dozen times with the judge鈥檚 permission to 鈥渟erve and participate in a Living Waters Ministry certification retreat,鈥� court records say.

The website for Kingdom Alignment Ministry, Williams鈥� new Christian counseling service, was created in May this year, the month before she agreed to plead guilty, website registration records show.

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Con artists are not colorblind when it comes to consumer fraud

They often target ZIP codes with high levels of non-white people, looking to take advantage of Latino, Black, Asian or Native American people who may face language barriers or challenging circumstances, the latest research from the Federal Trade Commission said.

鈥淲hat has become abundantly clear based on research and experience is that fraud, as well as certain other business practices, have a disproportionately negative impact on communities of color, as compared to white communities,鈥� said a recent t that lists some of the most common scams targeting nonwhite consumers.

蜜柚直播 reporter Carol Ann Alaimo's top 5 stories of 2021

Proposed pet breeding facility in 蜜柚直播 County draws opposition from 蜜柚直播, beyond

Animal welfare organizations from 蜜柚直播 and beyond are collectively holding their breath to see if a county zoning commission southeast of 蜜柚直播 will block or approve a proposed commercial pet-breeding facility for puppies and 鈥渆xotic cats.鈥�

Hundreds of opponents 鈥� including the local sheriff 鈥� are asking the nine-person 蜜柚直播 County Planning and Zoning Commission to reject a proposal to house dozens of breeding females on a patch of farmland in Elfrida, a hamlet of 400 people about 100 miles from 蜜柚直播.

Critics say the venture has some characteristics of a puppy and kitten mill operation that could strain already-overburdened rescue shelters in the 蜜柚直播 area and elsewhere around the state.

Chance Mason, one of five business partners involved in the proposal, said he and his wife live on the property and will not 鈥渞un a puppy mill but a high-quality animal husbandry business鈥� that will add to state and local tax revenue.

All five of the business partners used to live in Missouri, which, according to animal welfare organizations, is one of the worst states for puppy mills.

Puppy mills mass-produce pets in inhumane conditions that damage the health of mother dogs, who often spend their lives in cages being bred every heat cycle to produce as many babies as quickly as possible, the Humane Society of the United States said.

Mason does not disagree that puppy mills are common in Missouri. However, he said he worked at a puppy mill as a teen before he realized what it was and has no intention of emulating 鈥渂ad operators.鈥�

鈥淭his will not be a 鈥榩rofit-before-animal-welfare鈥� operation,鈥� he said in a phone interview from his 25 acres on West Dillman Road, a private dirt road that intersects U.S. Highway 191 about 30 miles northeast of Bisbee, the 蜜柚直播 County seat.

Mason, 45, said he plans to start small with six breeding females and eventually hopes to produce boxers, corgis and English bulldog puppies and three kinds of exotic felines: Savannah cats, werewolf cats and fire-point Siamese.

While he owns five dogs 鈥� two boxers and three corgis 鈥� Mason has no experience breeding pedigreed pets. He said he has years of experience birthing farm animals.

Mason said his Facebook page has been overrun with 鈥渉undreds鈥� of negative comments since his plan became public.

鈥淚鈥檝e had people say I should be murdered, or neutered or put in prison,鈥� he said. 鈥淚鈥檝e lost a lot of sleep over this.

鈥淚鈥檓 being tried an convicted in the court of public opinion without any evidence.鈥�

Sheriff opposed

A statement submitted 鈥渙n behalf of鈥� the 蜜柚直播 County sheriff and written by an animal control officer said the proposed breeding facility 鈥渨ould undoubtedly have a negative effect on the county.鈥�

The sheriff鈥檚 opposition wasn鈥檛 mentioned in an eight-page county staff . To discover that fact, decision-makers would have to read through to page 417 of a that鈥檚 separate from the main staff report.

The staff report is recommending approval of a scaled-down version of the project.

Animal control officer Amber Linendoll, who expressed opposition on the sheriff鈥檚 behalf, said 蜜柚直播 County 鈥渁lready has many backyard breeders who become overwhelmed and request animal control to pick up the dogs.

鈥淥ur shelters are full almost year round and we are faced with having to euthanize them due to not being able to get them out of the shelter into loving homes or rescues.鈥�

Linendoll鈥檚 concerns are shared by animal welfare groups in 蜜柚直播, Pima and Maricopa counties and by 11 out-of-state organizations including the national Humane Society.

Nancy Young Wright, president of the animal welfare group Rescue Me 蜜柚直播, said animal welfare groups and shelters from 蜜柚直播 and Phoenix already incur substantial costs taking in overflow animals from 蜜柚直播 County.

If Mason鈥檚 enterprise were to fail and shut down, 鈥渙rganizations that step in to rescue the animals will have to spend thousands of dollars to provide veterinary care, housing and placement,鈥� she wrote in opposition to the plan.

Wright also questions what will happen to animals that need emergency veterinary care, since there are no emergency veterinarians in 蜜柚直播 County.

Proposal in flux

The l calls for up to 40 breeding females to be kept on site in a pair of 3,000-square-foot climate controlled buildings with outdoor overhangs to provide shade.

The county planning department is recommending a limit of 20 breeding females, and said the proposal meets the county goals for increased economic activity.

Mason said he鈥檚 willing to further reduce the number to 15 breeding females.

He also said he鈥檒l allow unannounced inspections of the site and will allow customers to come to the property to pick up their puppies rather than doing sales off-site as originally proposed.

鈥淭he animals will have all the love and care and attention they need,鈥� he said. 鈥淚鈥檓 not going to run a damn puppy mill. I don鈥檛 believe in cruelty to animals.鈥�

These photos of cactus blooms will make you fall in love with 蜜柚直播

Cactus blooms

Cactus blooms

Cactus blooms

Cactus blooms

Cactus blooms

Cactus blooms

Cactus blooms

Cactus blooms

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Cactus blooms

Cactus blooms

Cactus blooms

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Blooming saguaro

Cactus blooms at the 蜜柚直播-Sonora Desert Museum

Prickly pear in bloom

Cactus blooms

Prickly pear

Brilliant bloom

Prickly pear cactus

Prickly pear cactus

Saguaro and ocotillo

Hedgehog cactus

Cholla cactus

Cholla cactus

Prickly pear

Bees and blooms

Yellow prickly pear flowers

07 VAM outside birding trail

Prickly pear cactus

Cactus blooming

Bonanza of blooms

Sabino Canyon saguaro

Multiple blooms

Cactus Flower

Trichocereus cactus in bloom

Cardon in bloom

Barrel Cactus in Bloom

Foothills flowering cactus

Pima County judge under investigation for firing 'warning shot' at unarmed stalking suspect

Editor's note: This story has been updated.

A judge has been placed on leave and authorities are investigating a criminal case that could test the limits on when it鈥檚 legal to fire a gun in 蜜柚直播.

Justice of the Peace Adam Watters, 59, was placed on paid administrative leave last month and is under investigation for firing what he called a 鈥渨arning shot鈥� 鈥� one that landed inches from an unarmed man on a recent Sunday afternoon outside Watters鈥� home in the Foothills.

The man, Fei Qin, 38, of 蜜柚直播, later was arrested on suspicion of felony stalking for allegedly driving by Watters鈥� house repeatedly and leaving litter is his yard, public records show.

Qin, a 蜜柚直播 landlord, recently had an eviction case handled by Watters in Pima County Justice Court. Some of the trash left in Watters鈥� yard contained mail addressed to the tenants Qin had hoped to evict, detectives said.

Watters, who usually handled domestic violence cases, said he鈥檇 only recently started doing some evictions work as well.

Around the same time the littering started, the tires on Watters鈥� pickup truck were slashed in two separate incidents, but so far no one has been charged for those offenses, court records show.

Deputies who searched Qin鈥檚 vehicle after the shooting found a butcher knife in a pocket behind the passenger seat, but the sheriff鈥檚 report did not establish that the knife was the same one used to slash the judge鈥檚 tires.

The report said Qin was not armed when Watters fired a round that struck the ground 鈥渄irectly next to鈥� Qin.

Qin told detectives Watters forced him out of his vehicle at gunpoint, threatened to 鈥渂low his head off,鈥� and ordered him to lie on the ground.

Watters, in his interview with detectives, acknowledged 鈥渢hat he did make mention of shooting (Qin) or blowing off his head鈥� and that he鈥檇 tried to order Qin to the ground, but denied forcing Qin from his vehicle.

A cellphone the judge used to record some of the moments prior to the shooting went missing soon afterward, the sheriff鈥檚 report said.

Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos would not comment on the case.

鈥淚t is premature for us to make a statement鈥� because the investigation is ongoing, Nanos said in an email to the 蜜柚直播.

The Star recently obtained the sheriff鈥檚 report through a public-records request.

When is it legal to shoot?

蜜柚直播 has a number of laws that spell out when it is and isn鈥檛 legal to use a deadly weapon against someone else. Penalties for violators can be substantial.

For example:

鈥� A felony charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon can apply when someone 鈥渋ntentionally, knowingly, and recklessly鈥� uses a weapon to cause another person 鈥渇ear of immediate physical harm.鈥� Conviction carries a mandatory minimum five-year prison sentence.

鈥� A felony charge of disorderly conduct with a weapon can apply when someone uses a firearm to 鈥渄isturb the peace and quiet of a neighborhood, family or person.鈥� Sentences can range from probation to two years in prison.

Exceptions can apply in certain circumstances.

The law says use of deadly force is legally justified 鈥渢o the degree a reasonable person would believe that deadly physical force is immediately necessary to protect himself against the other鈥檚 use or attempted use of unlawful deadly force.鈥�

Whether Watters actions were justified has yet to be determined,

A felony conviction could end the judge鈥檚 career as well as his ability to legally possess a gun, but Watters鈥� attorney, Mike Storie, said he doubts criminal charges will be filed against his client.

Storie said prosecutors responsible for making the decision will weigh 鈥渢he totality of the circumstances鈥� 鈥� and in his view, the circumstances are in the judge鈥檚 favor.

鈥淭he analysis will have to take into account what was in Judge Watters鈥� mind at the time he fired his weapon,鈥� he said.

鈥淲hat would you do?鈥�

On Feb. 14, the day of the incident, Watters鈥� street was already on a list of places deputies were patrolling more often because of vandalism reports from the judge鈥檚 house over a nine-day period.

By that time, Watters had had his tires slashed twice. Trash such as junk mail, burrito wrappers, salsa containers and takeout coffee cups had been left in his yard several times.

Watters told detectives two suspicious vehicles had recently been seen on his street: one a white BMW, the other a gray Subaru SUV.

A neighbor who saw the Subaru nearby during one of the littering incidents took a photo of the license plate and a few days later, the same Subaru drove by again, the sheriff鈥檚 report said.

Watters could have called 911 and gone inside his house to wait for law enforcement, Storie acknowledged in an interview.

Instead, the judge and one of his daughters chose that day to sit outside with guns on lawn chairs hidden by landscaping, cellphones poised in hopes of getting a photo of the SUV driver.

Watters was not intending to shoot the driver, Storie said. He just wanted to be prepared in case of trouble.

By then the judge was frightened and frustrated because the vandalism had persisted despite multiple calls to law enforcement, Storie said.

鈥淧ut yourself in this guy鈥檚 shoes. What would you do? He鈥檚 afraid for his wife. He鈥檚 been harassed for days. He鈥檚 called police four times and the problem isn鈥檛 getting any better,鈥� he said.

Watters told detectives he and Qin were a few feet away from each other just before the shot was fired.

He said Qin had left his vehicle and was standing nearby staring. The distance between them was about 3 feet according to Watters and about 5 feet according to Qin, the sheriff鈥檚 report said.

Watters said he pulled the trigger after Qin took a single step forward. He said he feared Qin might be armed even though he had not produced a weapon that day.

Cellphone missing

Watters was filming on his cellphone camera when the Subaru stopped near him at the end of his driveway

That raised the possibility the phone contained proof of what happened just before the shooting, but detectives did not take the phone into custody to be examined by a forensic expert.

Investigators faced a roadblock at first because Watters鈥� cellphone had disappeared by the time deputies arrived 鈥渨ithin seconds鈥� of the shooting, the sheriff鈥檚 report said.

The judge said his sister had stopped by briefly and must have taken his phone by mistake because their phones looked identical.

Someone 鈥� it isn鈥檛 clear who in the public records released to date 鈥� decided to let the judge鈥檚 sister keep the phone overnight instead of retrieving it from her that day.

The next day, Watters brought the phone with him to his lawyer鈥檚 office for an interview with detectives. But the only footage they found on it ended before the encounter.

The judge told investigators 鈥渉e was unsure how or why鈥� the camera had turned off and assured them the phone鈥檚 contents had not been altered since the incident.

Instead of having an expert check whether anything was removed surreptitiously, the detectives looked at a folder for recently deleted files, saw nothing suspicious, then handed the phone back to Watters, records show.

蜜柚直播 attorney Jeff Grynkewich, who represents Qin on the stalking charge, filed court paperwork last week asking the prosecution to make Watters鈥� phone available for forensic testing by the defense.

鈥淎 forensic audit of this phone is necessary as the only steps taken by officers solely consisted of making sure no files were within the 鈥榙eleted files,鈥欌�� Grynkewich wrote in his March 3 request filed at Pima County Superior Court.

One of the detectives later acknowledged at a preliminary hearing that 鈥渇iles could have been further removed from the deleted files folder,鈥� during the time the phone was missing, Grynkewich said in his written request to the court.

He said Qin will plead not guilty to the stalking charge.

鈥淢y client has a right to be presumed innocent and he is asserting his innocence,鈥� the defense attorney said in an interview.

Prosecutor resigns

While the incident took place in Pima County, it is not being handled by the Pima County Attorney鈥檚 Office, which typically prosecutes such cases.

The Watters case isn鈥檛 typical due to the involvement of the judge鈥檚 daughter, a prosecutor with the Pima County Attorney鈥檚 Office since late 2018.

Caitlin Watters, who brought a loaded shotgun to the scene but did not use it, was interviewed as a witness in the case. Two days later she submitted a letter of resignation from her prosecutor鈥檚 job, but a libel lawsuit she filed against the Star in January 2022 says she already had been offered a new job when the incident occurred.

Because of the Caitlin Watters connection, Pima County Attorney Laura Conover referred the case to the 蜜柚直播 Attorney General鈥檚 Office to avoid a conflict of interest.

The attorney general has since forwarded the matter to prosecutors in two neighboring counties, Conover said in an email.

The 蜜柚直播 County Attorney has taken over Qin鈥檚 stalking case. The Pinal County Attorney鈥檚 Office is conducting a 鈥渞eview of Judge Watters鈥� use of a firearm鈥� that will determine if the judge should face charges, she said.

Watters, a Republican, was first appointed to his post in early 2008 to replace a retiring justice, but lost the seat when he had to run for election later that year.

He was elected to his first four-year term in 2014 and reelected in 2018 to a second term that expires at the end of 2022.

Pima County sheriff illegally withholding public records, experts say

Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos illegally withheld public information four times during his first five months on the job, several experts in 蜜柚直播鈥檚 public-records law say.

Nanos, who has publicly pledged his commitment to openness and transparency, is refusing to comment on the experts鈥� unanimous opinions that the sheriff ignored decades of 蜜柚直播 Supreme Court rulings to repeatedly block the release of public records to the 蜜柚直播.

The denied records include a video in which a judge threatened to blow a man鈥檚 head off moments before firing a gun and a case in which Nanos initially withheld that a 19-year-old man was unarmed when a deputy shot and killed him early this year.

鈥淭he sheriff is breaking the law,鈥� said David Cullier, one of four experts who reviewed Nanos鈥� public-records decisions at the Star鈥檚 request. Between them, the experts have more than a century of experience litigating, lecturing or testifying in government hearings on public access to information.

Nanos did not reply to repeated requests for comment for this story. The Star sent him detailed email requests on May 18 and June 2 and copied them to four other members of his public records and public information staff, none of whom responded.

Cullier said Nanos鈥� records decisions show 鈥渁 clear pattern of obstruction.

鈥淭hese are not gray areas where the law is unclear,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hese cases are black and white for anyone who knows how to read.鈥�

Cullier, an associate journalism professor at the University of 蜜柚直播, has researched public-access laws at the the state and federal levels for two decades. He鈥檚 a member of a federal advisory committee on access to information and is president of the National Freedom of Information Coalition.

Media law attorney David Bodney of the Phoenix law firm Ballard Spahr said 鈥渋t is difficult to fathom any legitimate basis鈥� for Nanos鈥� public-records decisions.

Whoever authored the decisions 鈥渟hows little recognition of the law and the sheriff鈥檚 duty to comply with it,鈥� said Bodney, who has decades of experience teaching media law at 蜜柚直播 State University and is slated to teach a course at the University of 蜜柚直播 this fall.

鈥楿nacceptable,鈥� says Huckelberry

It鈥檚 unclear if Nanos sought or followed legal advice before deciding to withhold information. He won鈥檛 say, and neither will the Pima County Attorney鈥檚 Office, which is responsible for advising the sheriff on public-records matters but would not comment for this story, citing attorney-client privilege.

The Star shared the experts鈥� findings with Pima County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry, who oversees the budgets of all county-funded departments including the Sheriff鈥檚 Department and the county attorney. He said he intends to look into the situation, which he called 鈥渦nacceptable.鈥�

Huckelberry said transparency is a high priority for his elected bosses, the county Board of Supervisors. 鈥淢y guess is the board will not be pleased when they hear about this,鈥� he said.

Mishandling of public-records requests can create unnecessary costs for taxpayers. If a public record is wrongly withheld and a requestor is forced to sue to obtain it, the offending government agency typically must pay the requestor鈥檚 legal bills.

Nanos, a Democrat, won the sheriff鈥檚 job by about 3,500 votes in the 2020 election, defeating former Republican Sheriff Mark Napier, who held the job from 2017 to 2020 without any notable public-records problems.

Nanos took over on Jan. 1, and problems arose almost immediately.

Key shooting detail withheld

On Jan. 20, one of Nanos鈥� deputies shot and killed a 19-year-old man while responding to reports of a suspect trying to break into vehicles northwest of 蜜柚直播. Experts said Nanos misused the public-records law by concealing a key shooting detail for weeks.

The sheriff should have revealed immediately that the man was unarmed, they said. Instead Nanos told the Star to file a public-records request for that detail, wrongly claiming he did not have to reveal if the man was armed because the incident was still under investigation.

It took two weeks for Nanos to publicly disclose that the man shot dead did not have a gun in his hand, but rather, a key fob mistaken for a gun by the deputy who fired on him. The deputy, whose name the sheriff withheld for 12 days, later was cleared of criminal wrongdoing by Pima County Attorney Laura Conover.

Attorney Gregg Leslie, executive director of the First Amendment Clinic at 蜜柚直播 State University鈥檚 law school, said state law does not allow the sheriff to withhold basic facts about a fatal law enforcement encounter simply because an investigation is ongoing.

鈥淭hings like details about a shooting should be released to the public immediately and should not be tied to public-records requests,鈥� said Leslie, formerly the longtime legal director of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.

鈥淢any police agencies seem to believe that any time there is an ongoing investigation, they don鈥檛 have to release anything about the case. But that has never been the law in 蜜柚直播.鈥�

In mid-May, Nanos released an outline of changes he said he is making within the department that he said are designed to improve transparency and public trust. One of those steps, he said, is the creation of a regional critical incident review team made up of outside law enforcement agencies that will 鈥渉andle鈥� cases where someone dies while in the custody of the department, including fatal shootings by deputies.

Video wrongly concealed

Justice of the Peace Adam Watters has been under investigation since February in a shooting case that raised questions about the competence of sheriff鈥檚 investigators.

Detectives allowed Watters鈥� sister to keep, overnight, a cellphone he used to record part of the incident. The next day they asked Watters for a copy of the video but did not seize the phone for a forensic examination to see if anything was deleted surreptitiously.

In March, a 蜜柚直播 TV station aired the judge鈥檚 cellphone without specifying how it was obtained. It shows Watters repeatedly screaming 鈥淚鈥檒l blow your (expletive) head off,鈥� to an unarmed man he suspected of stalking him, moments before Watters fired a shot that landed inches from the man鈥檚 feet.

The question of whether Watters should be charged with a firearms offense has been under review for weeks by the Pinal County Attorney鈥檚 Office. The status of the effort is unclear because Pinal officials did not respond Friday to a request for an update.

Experts said Nanos violated the law twice when the Star filed a public-records request to examine the video.

First, he denied the request without providing a reason, which is contrary to law. Second, when pressed, Nanos gave a reason that has no basis in law, claiming the video was not a public record because it wasn鈥檛 created by sheriff鈥檚 officials 鈥� a claim Phoenix media attorney Dan Barr called 鈥渓udicrous.鈥�

A public record is any record 鈥渕ade or received鈥� by a public agency in connection with agency business, said Barr, of the law firm Perkins Coie, who has represented numerous news organizations, including the Star, in public-records lawsuits and is a legal adviser to the First Amendment Coalition of 蜜柚直播.

Cullier, of the UA, called the sheriff鈥檚 rationale for withholding the video 鈥渢he dumbest reason I ever heard.鈥�

E-records denied

It鈥檚 been 12 years since 蜜柚直播鈥檚 Supreme Court ruled that computerized public records must be provided for inspection in their original form upon request, a condition most government agencies routinely comply with by providing such records as email attachments.

But Nanos refuses to do so. Instead, he makes paper printouts of electronic records and requires requestors 鈥� in the midst of a pandemic 鈥� to come to sheriff鈥檚 headquarters to view them in person.

鈥淚t鈥檚 been years since I鈥檝e heard a government agency claim that even though a record exists in electronic form, they鈥檒l only release it in paper form,鈥� said Leslie of ASU. 鈥淭his battle was won by openness advocates years ago.鈥�

Cullier said the situation creates the appearance the sheriff is hiding something.

鈥淲hen I see agencies playing games like this, it鈥檚 usually a sign that something worse is going on that needs to be exposed,鈥� he said

鈥淭his kind of behavior leads to a loss of trust, and that鈥檚 not good for anybody,鈥� Cullier said.

鈥淚 really hope the sheriff will reconsider and do the right thing.鈥�

Homes that take in troubled kids from 蜜柚直播 face state shutdown, federal tax woes

A charity that runs homes for troubled children from 蜜柚直播 and beyond is fighting a state effort to shut them down for having the worst health and safety record in 蜜柚直播 for such facilities, public records show.

Mary鈥檚 Mission, which operates two homes for 11- to 17-year-olds about 100 miles southeast of 蜜柚直播, has been cited 64 times since 2019 for deficiencies including chronic overcrowding, lack of nutritious food, faulty dosing of prescription medications and failure to demonstrate that children were receiving mental health care, records show.

Most of the home鈥檚 residents come from abusive or unstable backgrounds and have emotional scars that impair their ability to function. Their treatment is covered largely by taxpayers through the state Medicaid program, which contracts with private health insurers to provide care or pays facilities directly at a fee-for-service rate of $255 a day per child.

The Mary鈥檚 Mission homes in 蜜柚直播 County 鈥� one for boys in Sierra Vista, one for girls in Hereford, a smaller community nearby 鈥� together have racked up more than $18,000 in fines in three years, more than any of the other 150 or so licensed, live-in facilities for children with behavioral health problem. The 蜜柚直播 searched all their histories to establish which had the worst track record.

The fines imposed on Mary鈥檚 Mission by the 蜜柚直播 Department of Health Services, which licenses and inspects care facilities, did not lead to improvements, state records show. Rather, things got worse.

Problems started coming to a head in April when a Mary鈥檚 Mission employee blocked the entrance to the girls鈥� home for nearly half an hour to keep health inspectors out 鈥� defying a state requirement that inspectors must have access on demand. The inspections that happened later that day found dozens of violations at each of the homes, more than at any other time in the last three years, records show.

At this point, the two homes pose 鈥渁 direct risk to the life, health and safety鈥� of the children living there, state officials said, The department notified Mary鈥檚 Mission CEO William Lacey in June that it intends to revoke the licenses of both facilities. Mary鈥檚 Mission has the right to object, and has done so, officials said.

Lacey has asked the state Office of Administrative Hearings to review the case before the health department takes further action, said Steve Elliott, a health department spokesman. The hearing is pending, he said.

Lacey, 57, a retired Army officer, could not be reached for comment for this story despite five attempts made over a three-day period last week.

He did not reply to two voicemails left at Mary鈥檚 Mission鈥檚 headquarters, to two emails with detailed questions copied to Chris Russell, the Sierra Vista attorney advising him in the state licensing dispute, or to a phone message left with a receptionist at Russell鈥檚 law office.

In a to 蜜柚直播 County鈥檚 Board of Supervisors posted on the county鈥檚 YouTube channel, Lacey did not mention the state鈥檚 bid to shut down the two homes. Instead, he handed out promotional pamphlets, listed the charity鈥檚 achievements and told the board he is 鈥渢rying to expand services.

鈥淚 know this stuff like the back of my hand,鈥� he said.

鈥淚t broke my heart鈥�

Alexis Valenzuela of South 蜜柚直播 was 17 when she spent six months at Mary鈥檚 Mission four years ago and describes it as 鈥渢he worst experience of my life.鈥�

Valenzuela said her grandparents raised her because her mom was a substance abuser. She said she was diagnosed with depression and anxiety disorder and ended up at Mary鈥檚 Mission after her grandparents died.

These days, she said, her life has taken a turn for the better. Now 21, Valenzuela has a 7-month-old daughter, is engaged to the baby鈥檚 father and studies at Pima Community College hoping to make a career of helping troubled girls.

Valenzuela said she ended up running away from the girls鈥� home and later sought counseling on her own after turning 18.

Her memories of Mary鈥檚 Mission include taking cold showers and eating 鈥渄isgusting鈥� food. Group therapy was non-existent and individual therapy only happened about once a month, she said. When staffers forgot to dispense her bedtime dose of Xanax, they鈥檇 double up and give her two the next morning, which made her so high she couldn鈥檛 concentrate at school, she said.

Former employee Krystina Bosanko said hot water ran out every morning due to extreme overcrowding at the 888-square-foot girls鈥� home. Though licensed for eight, it often housed 12 to 16 girls, a feat achieved by cramming three or four bunk beds into each of its two tiny bedrooms. State inspectors have cited Mary鈥檚 Mission repeatedly for having too many residents at both of its facilities, with the boys home housing up to 24 at a time 鈥� 50% more than the 16 its state license allows.

Bosanko, 36, who worked at the girls home for 18 months in 2017 and 2018, said Mary鈥檚 Mission had a well-rehearsed routine to trick state inspectors into thinking the homes were not above capacity. Residents and staffers were put to work to break down and hide the extra cots and bunk beds, she said.

The children who shouldn鈥檛 be there then were loaded into vehicles and taken on long drives to keep them out of sight until inspectors left, she said. State inspection reports make repeated mentions of beds being moved out just as inspectors arrived on scene.

In 2019, Mary鈥檚 Mission reached a confidential out-of-court settlement in a $5 million lawsuit that blamed overcrowding and poor supervision for the sexual assault of 15-year-old resident of the boys鈥� home. The attacker, an 18-year-old male resident later sentenced to several years in prison, shouldn鈥檛 have been there since the home wasn鈥檛 licensed for adults, records show.

The victim and his mother, who filed the suit, were from New Mexico. Bosanko said that鈥檚 one of several states that sent children to Mary鈥檚 Mission including Idaho, Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota.

Though the two homes are licensed for a total 24 residents, Mary鈥檚 Mission鈥檚 nonprofit tax returns say the charity 鈥減rovides a safe environment for 42 at-risk boys and girls.鈥�

In another repeat violation, the homes were cited for ignoring a rule aimed at ensuring children had nutritious food. Menus were supposed to be approved by a licensed dietician, but that didn鈥檛 happen, Bosanko said.

Valenzuela recalls endless offerings of 鈥渄ollar-store food鈥� such as frozen burritos or mini pizzas or boiled macaroni and sauce, with no fresh fruits or vegetables. Bosanko said she and a co-worker felt sorry for the girls and sometimes bought meat and produce at their own expense to make them a decent dinner.

鈥淚t broke my heart,鈥� said Bosanko, who wept during a phone interview when a reporter mentioned Mary鈥檚 Mission listed $1.9 million in revenue on its most recent nonprofit tax return.

鈥淚 saw these kids go without basic needs,鈥� she exclaimed through tears. 鈥淲e had to fight tooth and nail to get them clothes, to get their hair cut, to get them shoes that fit.鈥�

$300,000 in tax liens

A Star review of property records, nonprofit tax returns and corporate registration records raised several red flags about Mary鈥檚 Mission鈥檚 bookkeeping and finances. An expert said the operator does not seem to be following best practices for nonprofit management.

About $300,000 in federal tax liens are registered against Lacey, the CEO, at the boys home address. The liens, documented at the 蜜柚直播 County Recorder鈥檚 Office, were filed because Mary鈥檚 Mission kept the payroll taxes withheld from employees instead remitting the funds to the government, public records show.

The unpaid taxes piled up between 2012 and 2019, the same timeframe in which Lacey took out a $320,000 mortgage on his personal residence and paid it off in less than seven years. The mortgage on his home in Sierra Vista was taken out June 20, 2012, and paid in full on Jan. 3, 2019, property records show.

Mary鈥檚 Mission鈥檚 tax returns also show Lacey failed to disclose that he and a Mary鈥檚 Mission board member registered a for-profit property acquisition company at the boys home address in 2002, a firm that remains active, state corporation records show. Last year, Lacey registered a second, similar for-profit firm at the address of a Mary鈥檚 Mission satellite location in Mesa, the records show.

In another irregularity, Mary鈥檚 Mission鈥檚 tax returns list amounts for 鈥渓and and buildings鈥� even though the charity does not own land or buildings. The boys鈥� and girls鈥� home properties are owned personally by Lacey, not by the nonprofit, property records show.

The Star shared its Mary鈥檚 Mission findings with a representative of Charity Navigator, one of several national organizations that rates nonprofits for their effectiveness and adherence best practices.

Spokesman Kevin Scalley said, while he鈥檚 not directly familiar with the organization, the findings suggest a need for further investigation.

鈥淚t does raise some eyebrows,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t does cause concern.鈥�

Mary鈥檚 Mission鈥檚 boys home has been accredited since 2010 by a 蜜柚直播-based accreditor, the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities

The Star tried unsuccessfully to reach commission board chairman Brian Boon of 蜜柚直播 to explain how a facility with the worst track record in the state is able to remain accredited. A message left with a woman who answered Boon鈥檚 home phone was not returned.

An attempt to reach the chief accreditation officer, 蜜柚直播 attorney Darren Lehrfeld, also was unsuccessful because Lehrfeld was out of the office and not available for an interview.

The three-year inspection history of any state-licensed care facility is available online at

Family preparing to sue Pima County sheriff over shooting death of unarmed man

The family of an unarmed man shot to death by a Pima County sheriff鈥檚 deputy who mistook the man鈥檚 key fob for a gun is contemplating a $35 million lawsuit against the county, public records show.

A lawyer representing the family has served a notice of claim, a precursor to a lawsuit, against Sheriff Chris Nanos and other county officials that alleges authorities used excessive force in pursuing Bradley 鈥淎lex鈥� Lewis, who died two weeks after his 19th birthday in a Jan. 20 confrontation north of 蜜柚直播. A notice of claim is a precursor to a lawsuit.

鈥淎lex had yet to live any of the most exciting and enjoyable years of adulthood. His family has been robbed of all the years, milestones and memories enjoyed by most families,鈥� said the notice from attorney Eduardo Coronado.

The shooter, Deputy Gilbert Caudillo, a 20-year veteran of law enforcement, was cleared of criminal wrongdoing by the Pima County Attorney鈥檚 Office. But a consultant hired by the Lewis family claims the shooting could not have unfolded the way Caudillo described it to investigators.

According to the sheriff鈥檚 account of the event, Lewis was pulled over by deputies responding to a report of a man trying to break into vehicles early in the morning. Based on a description of the man鈥檚 vehicle, the sheriff said deputies identified Lewis as the suspect and determined he was wanted in another case on suspicion of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

The Sheriff Department maintains Lewis rammed a patrol vehicle 鈥� no deputies were injured in the encounter 鈥� then 鈥渃harged鈥� at a deputy. Caudillo, in a statement to detectives five days after the incident, said Lewis got out of his vehicle and was 鈥渇lying鈥� toward Caudillo when the deputy fired.

The Sheriff鈥檚 Department does not yet have body-worn cameras for its deputies, so video footage of the incident is not available.

The consultant hired by the Lewis family, who reviewed deputy statements and autopsy reports, said the fatal shot struck Lewis on the side of his body as he was squeezing himself between two vehicles less than a foot apart, which prevented him from moving quickly.

An autopsy report from the Pima County medical examiner said the bullet that killed Lewis pierced his right shoulder, then penetrated his right lung.

Deadly force 鈥渨as inappropriate and excessive under the circumstances,鈥� said the consultant, William M. Harmening, a former sheriff鈥檚 deputy and securities fraud official in Illinois who also taught forensic psychology as an adjunct faculty member at Washington University in St. Louis.

Harmening has testified in numerous lawsuits against law enforcement but in recent years some judges have blocked his testimony, ruling that he lacks real-world experience in police use-of-force situations.

In a 2019 federal court ruling in a wrongful-death lawsuit against a New Mexico sheriff鈥檚 deputy, a judge who barred his testimony noted Harmening has been involved only in one homicide investigation in the early 1990s, has never investigated an officer-involved shooting, has only taken a single course in investigative methods and is not trained in crime scene analysis.

Harmening could not be reached for comment. He did not reply by deadline to request for comment made through Coronado, the Lewis family attorney.

A sheriff鈥檚 official said the department does not comment on legal matters.

The report cites examples of nonwhite consumer fraud encountered by the agency鈥檚 investigators, among them:

Help learning English 鈥� Scammers posing as government agents make unsolicited calls, typically in Spanish, offering English-language training at a discount. Victims learn only after paying that the training doesn鈥檛 exist.

Inmate services 鈥� Because of racial disparities in U.S rates of incarceration, minority neighborhoods are targeted with fake offers for phone-calling plans or magazine subscriptions for inmates.

Affordable housing 鈥� Scammers charge a fee for a list of landlords that accept Section 8 housing vouchers, but the list is bogus.

Immigration help 鈥� Phony websites charge up to $300 in 鈥渇iling fees鈥� for immigration paperwork.

Auto buying 鈥� 鈥淩esearch indicates that consumers of color experience discrimination in the sale and financing of cars, and often pay higher prices as a result,鈥� the report said. It lists cases in which car dealers falsified contracts and paperwork for members of the Navajo Nation and targeted Latinos with deceptive ads in Spanish.

For-profit colleges 鈥� Latinos and Black communities are often targeted with misleading ads about job opportunities after graduation and with false promises of student loan forgiveness, the report said. In some cases, students were asked to pay 鈥渋llegal, upfront fees鈥� for loan forgiveness.

Black and Latino consumers who complained to the FTC reported more often than whites that they were contacted by scammers through social media, the report said. 鈥淭his trend raises concerns about how bad actors may use social media to target certain communities,鈥� it said.

The federal agency has responded to the trend by creating public education materials in , and by establishing a version of its website at .

To file a consumer fraud complaint online, go to reportfraud@ftc.gov or, in Spanish, reportefraude@ftc.gov

A jury has awarded $2.6 million to the family of a 74-year-old grandmother who died of lung failure after being treated by a 蜜柚直播 doctor for a severe ulcer in her intestine.

Following a five-day trial in Pima County Superior Court, jurors took less than two hours to unanimously find Dr. Fadi Deeb at fault in the wrongful death of Hansaben Patel, who was under his care for several days at St. Joseph鈥檚 Hospital in 2016. The hospital was not faulted.

Patel, who retired with her spouse to 蜜柚直播 from Chicago in 2001, never recovered after a major bleed in which she vomited so forcefully that blood reached her lungs and caused damage that left her unable to breathe on her own. She spent more than a month on a ventilator, then died surrounded by loved ones after mechanical life support was discontinued.

鈥淲hile nothing will ever bring Hansaben back, we feel that justice has been done,鈥� her husband Naran Patel said in an email after the decision. 鈥淪he was a wonderful wife and mother and she will always be in our hearts.鈥�

Jurors heard expert testimony that Deeb, a gastroenterologist, should have taken aggressive action to treat the woman鈥檚 ulcer because its location near blood vessels put her at high risk for heavy bleeding. Instead, the doctor ordered further monitoring and said she seemed to him to be improving.

Deeb鈥檚 attorney, Tom Slutes of 蜜柚直播, could not be reached for comment. He did not immediately return a voicemail or an email sent to his office Friday, Dec. 17.

蜜柚直播 attorney James Campbell, who represented the plaintiffs, said the Patels were an active couple who contributed to the community through years of service to the 蜜柚直播 Rincon Lions Club. Born in India and wed in an arranged marriage, they arrived in America decades ago with very little and built a successful life together.

Campbell said Naran Patel was at his wife鈥檚 bedside throughout the ordeal and became depressed after her death. He moved and now lives in Florida.

The jury awarded Naran Patel $1.2 million in damages and another $500,000 to each of the couple鈥檚 three grown children.

Deeb鈥檚 medical license currently remains in good standing, the 蜜柚直播 Medical Board鈥檚 website shows. Lawyers are required to report wrongful death awards against physicians to the board, Campbell said.

A voice message to the medical board office was not immediately returned.