by Staff Reporter | Mar 25, 2026 | News
By Staff Reporter |
Maricopa County leaders say it’s time to bring federal monitoring to an end for a judgment made nearly 15 years ago.
President Barack Obama’s Department of Justice (DOJ) and the ACLU alleged racial profiling in a lawsuit against the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) under former Sheriff Joe Arpaio. A federal court found MCSO to be guilty in 2011, and placed the department under a federal monitor to achieve reforms.
Last December, Maricopa County filed a motion to end that federal oversight. Then, last month, Maricopa County Board of Supervisors Vice Chair Debbie Lesko followed up on that termination request before a subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee. Joining Lesko were MCSO Community Advisory Board member Felix Garcia and Goldwater Institute’s vice president for litigation and general counsel Jon Riches.
The trio emphasized in their individual testimonies how county spending has gone on “indefinitely” to meet the “moving goalposts” of federal oversight.
Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ-05), gubernatorial candidate, led the subcommittee hearing, “The Monitoring Racket: The Grift That Keeps on Giving.”
This month, another Maricopa County leader spoke up to advocate once again for an end to federal oversight. Supervisor Mark Stewart published a Substack article criticizing the federal government’s lack of interest in removing the federal monitor.
Stewart and county leaders say the oversight has cost the county nearly $350 million (though proponents of the oversight such as the ACLU argue that county inflated this total with unrelated costs and the real total is far less: around $60 million).
“Notably, over the past five years, there has not been a single sustained claim of racial profiling. Yet federal oversight remains in place, costing Maricopa County taxpayers nearly $350 million,” stated Stewart. “Even as compliance has been achieved and maintained, Maricopa County residents continue to bear the financial burden of prolonged oversight. Hindering resources that could otherwise be invested directly into public safety, training, hiring, and community engagement.”
The county’s millions spent in compliance efforts over the years have yielded reforms to include the implementation of body-worn cameras, structured constitutional policing curriculum, and data-driven accountability policies.
About ten percent of the $350 million estimate given by the county for compliance payments, over $30 million, was given to the court monitor Robert Warshaw.
Warshaw has faced allegations of capitalizing on a financial incentive to continue his federal oversight, not only in Arizona but in municipalities within other states. He has earned tens of millions over his years as a federal monitor.
Elected officials say MCSO has met and exceeded criteria for resolving the issues found by the court, yet the monitoring activities have not only continued but in recent years gone beyond the initial scope of the court findings.
The ACLU and the district judge in the case, G. Murray Snow, acknowledged last October that MCSO reached Phase One compliance with the 2011 court order.
“Courts are often called upon to correct past failures. They are also uniquely positioned to recognize when those corrections have taken hold,” said Stewart. “Maricopa County has reached that point. The progress is undeniable, leadership is strong, and the time has come to move forward.”
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
by Ethan Faverino | Mar 25, 2026 | News
By Ethan Faverino |
Arizona Senate Republicans have moved forward with a targeted plan to strengthen local law enforcement and safeguard vulnerable children, particularly runaway and at-risk youth in the child welfare system.
Senate Bill 1550, sponsored by Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman David Farnsworth (R-LD10), passed the Senate this week and now heads to the House for consideration as part of upcoming FY27 budget negotiations.
The bill appropriates $1,255,500 from the state general fund to the Town of Queen Creek for its Police Department to launch a three-year specialized law enforcement pilot program. The initiative focuses on five key areas: preventing runaway incidents among youth; protecting at-risk children from exploitation; enhancing investigative capabilities; strengthening collaboration with care providers and state agencies; and developing a replicable model framework that could be expanded statewide.
“Protecting our children is crucial and should unite us all, beyond political lines,” stated Senator Farnsworth. “Every moment counts when a child is in danger or in state care, and we must ensure law enforcement has the necessary tools to act swiftly and effectively to prevent exploitation. Our child safety system should be transparent and prioritize placing children in loving, safe environments, ideally with family.”
Queen Creek has emerged as a critical testing ground for these reforms due to a notable concentration of missing-from-care incidents at residential treatment facilities serving some of Arizona’s most vulnerable youth.
The adjacent Canyon State Academy (serving boys) and Desert Lily Academy (serving girls), operated by the Nevada-based Rite of Passage under contract with the Department of Child Safety (DCS), have seen significant police activity since the Queen Creek Police Department’s establishment in 2022.
According to Fox10 Phoenix, officers have responded to more than 2,000 calls for service at the campuses, with annual calls reaching 430 at Canyon State and 306 at Desert Lily by 2024.
Between January 2024 and December 2025, police recorded 208 missing persons reports for boys at Canyon State Academy and 119 for girls at Desert Lily Academy—averaging roughly one child going missing every two days across the two facilities. Many of these runaways have escalated into exploitation and trafficking investigations.
Queen Creek Police Chief Randy Brice emphasized the urgency: “If we don’t find them within that first few hours, our concern is that they’ll be trafficked, and we have to put a lot of resources into solving those quickly.”
A notable case involved Wendell Whyte, who was sentenced in July 2025 to 20 years in prison for trafficking three girls (ages 14, 16, and 17) from Desert Lily Academy. Court records indicate that Whyte has previously exploited one of the victims in Phoenix’s “The Blade” area, a known corridor for prostitution near 27th Avenue and Indian School Road.
The girls reportedly ran from the facility, were provided drugs and alcohol, and were coerced into sex work.
Additional concerns have surfaced regarding facility operations. In September 2025, former Desert Lily Academy Supervisor Christopher Lamont Allen was arrested and later indicted on two counts of sexual conduct with a minor after a 17-year-old resident alleged he had sex with her on two occasions, with surveillance video reportedly capturing the encounters.
Fox 10 Phoenix investigations have also documented prior cases of staff physically assaulting students at both academies, including incidents involving punching, tackling, and pinning youth to the ground.
Senator Farnsworth, who collaborated with group homes and local leaders to develop a three-pillar strategy of prevention, response, and investigation, highlighted the bill’s broader goals.
“This bill enhances support for law enforcement, encourages collaboration among agencies, and underscores our commitment to caring for our most vulnerable,” added Farnsworth. “We aspire to create a model that can be emulated across Arizona, ensuring that every child feels safe and valued. Together, we can guarantee that protecting our children and strengthening law enforcement remain top priorities.”
Ethan Faverino is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Staff Reporter | Mar 24, 2026 | News
By Staff Reporter |
Arizona Senator Ruben Gallego (D) invested campaign funds into an AI startup launched by Rep. Eric Swalwell, a California Democrat and gubernatorial candidate.
Gallego paid Swalwell’s startup FindRaiser over $13,000 between April and July of last summer from two campaign committees: Gallego for Arizona and Juntos PAC, as first reported by NOTUS. About $10,500 came from Gallego for Arizona and over $2,600 came from Juntos PAC. Both issued identical disbursements of $2,613.75 for subscriptions to the startup, per Federal Election Commission (FEC) records.
First congressional district candidate Marlene Galan-Woods also got in on the action. Galan-Woods, a former Fox News and CBS News anchor and key member of Gov. Katie Hobbs’ gubernatorial transition team in 2023, paid almost $1,000 to Swalwell’s startup between October and November of last year.
Swalwell and Gallego have described one another as “best friends” in various media interviews over the years. In a more recent interview with CNN last November, Swalwell likened himself and Gallego to “the Avengers,” describing them as the standard-bearers of the Democratic Party.
The startup, FindRaiser, uses AI to search and provide advice to candidates about their donor databases. Swalwell’s former chief of staff, Yardena Wolf, cofounded the startup and serves as its CEO. NOTUS reported that Wolf sent promotional emails for FindRaiser prior to stepping down as chief of staff last December.
Wolf joined Swalwell’s office in 2021, making the transition from the vice presidency of a fundraising company where she’d raised funds for Swalwell. Listed on Wolf’s LinkedIn under her chief of staff employment is a link to a 2024 Elle article, “The Group Chat That Secretly Runs Congress.” Members of that group chat, all females, included chiefs of staff for Democratic representatives that gave campaign funds to FindRaiser.
Swalwell invested over $7,000 of his own campaign funds into the startup as well. In his annual financial disclosure report, Swalwell estimated FindRaiser’s value to be between $250,000 and $500,000.
Others to give money to the startup out of their campaign coffers were:
- Alabama Rep. Shomari Figures, over $1,000 from Committee to Elect Shomari Figures For Congress through payments made last June and July;
- California Rep. Jimmy Gomez, $3,000 from Jimmy Gomez For Congress through payments made from last July through November;
- California Sen. Adam Schiff, about $2,000 from Schiff For Senate through payments made last November and December;
- Michigan U.S. House candidate Matt Maasdam, $500 from Matt Maasdam For Congress through a payment made last August;
- Michigan Rep. Haley Stevens, over $3,600 from Hayley Stevens For Senate through payments made from last June through October;
- Minnesota Rep. Angie Craig, $2,300 from Angie Craig For Minnesota through payments made from last September through December;
- Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar, over $4,500 from Ilhan For Congress, through payments made from last March through October;
- Nevada Rep. Steven Horsford, $500 from Nevadans For Steven Horsford in a payment made last October;
- New York Rep. Dan Goldman, over $7,400 from Dan Goldman For New York, through payments made from last April through December;
- New York Rep. Joe Morelle, over $6,500 from Joe Morelle For Congress, through payments made from last April through December;
- Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett, $4,500 from Jasmine For Us and $1,000 from Jasmine For Texas, through payments made from last March through this February;
- Texas Rep. Tom Suozzi, $5,000 from Suozzi for Congress in a payment made last July; and
- South Carolina U.S. Senate candidate Annie Andrews, over $4,200 from Dr. Annie Andrews For Senate, through payments made from last July through November
FEC records show FindRaiser raised nearly $67,500.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
by Ethan Faverino | Mar 24, 2026 | News
By Ethan Faverino |
The Goldwater Institute put the City of South Tucson on notice for alleged non-compliance with Arizona’s Permit Freedom Act, a 2023 law designed to streamline government permitting processes and protect citizens from arbitrary bureaucratic delays and decisions.
In a formal letter on March 13, 2026, addressed to Mayor Roxanna Valenzuela, Goldwater Institute Staff Attorney Parker Jackson reminded city officials of their obligations under the Act (codified at A.R.S. § 9-843).
The letter highlights the city’s handling of a permit application from businessman Marv Kirchler for a billboard near I-10. Despite initial approval from the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission, the city has refused to grant the permit, prompting the group’s intervention.
The Permit Freedom Act requires municipalities to:
- Specify permit criteria in “clear and unambiguous language” for activities affecting land use, appearance, or density.
- Process complete applications within 60 days, after which the application is deemed approved if no decision is made.
- Provide proper notice of application completeness or deficiencies, adhere to statutory timelines for reviews, and include specific details in denial notices.
The Act also states that cities print notices of these protections on permit applications and comply with related statutes like A.R.S. §§ 9-495, 9-834, and 9-835. Failure to follow these rules can result in automatic permit approval, fee refunds in certain cases, and exposure to litigation.
The Goldwater Institute’s letter points out apparent shortcomings in South Tucson’s processes, including potential non-compliance with notice requirements on its new Permit Portal, which became effective March 2, 2026. It warns that ongoing violations could lead to automatic approval of Mr. Kirchler’s application.
Since its passage, the Permit Freedom Act has been credited with significantly reducing permit timelines, improving objectivity in criteria, and easing backlogs across Arizona. This action underscores broader concerns about government overreach in land-use permitting, which has long frustrated property owners, developers, and businesses. The U.S. Supreme Court has recognized the need to curb “the uncontrolled will of an official” to protect constitutional rights, including property use.
The Goldwater Institute emphasized that the dispute with South Tucson is not isolated but reflects the importance of full statewide compliance nearly three years after the law’s enactment. The organization vowed to continue holding officials accountable and advocating for similar reforms nationwide.
Ethan Faverino is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Matthew Holloway | Mar 24, 2026 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
Congressman Abraham Hamadeh (R-AZ08) partnered with the U.S. Secret Service to host a fraud prevention seminar for residents of Arizona’s 8th Congressional District earlier this month.
According to a social media post from the congressman’s office, the event was held in Sun City and focused on educating residents about how to identify and avoid common financial scams.
The event listing described the seminar as an opportunity for residents to learn from U.S. Secret Service experts how to recognize and prevent fraud schemes. A video shared on social media by Hamadeh’s office stated that the seminar aimed to help residents learn about fraud and scam tactics that target consumers.
The presentation focused on common forms of financial fraud, including scams that frequently target older Americans.
Concerns about deed fraud and property scams have been increasing in Arizona, prompting the Arizona Senate to introduce Senate Bills 1479 and 1254 in February to strengthen protections for property owners and close gaps in the state’s deed recording process. SB 1479 was advanced unanimously by the state Senate on March 3.
“Property ownership is the cornerstone of financial security for families, seniors, and small businesses in Arizona,” said the bill’s sponsor, Senate Majority Whip Sen. Frank Carroll (R-LD28).
“When criminals are able to forge documents, record false claims, or quietly transfer property without the rightful owner’s knowledge, it erodes trust in our entire system. These bills deliver a strong message: Arizona will not tolerate deed fraud. We are enhancing identity verification, increasing penalties for offenders, improving notification systems, and ensuring that no property changes hands without proper approval. This initiative aims to protect homeowners, restore confidence in our public records, and ensure that the law firmly supports legitimate property owners.”
Sun City and the surrounding communities in Arizona’s 8th Congressional District have a significant population of retirees and senior residents. Hamadeh’s office said the seminar was part of an effort to provide constituents with resources and information on financial crime prevention.
The U.S. Secret Service is responsible for investigating financial crimes, including fraud, identity theft, and other forms of financial exploitation.
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
by Staff Reporter | Mar 23, 2026 | Education, News
By Staff Reporter |
Arizona Treasurer Kimberly Yee is advocating for reforming the Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) Program to reduce improper spending.
The treasurer’s office manages the contract with the vendor operating the portal through which ESA holders submit reimbursement payments.
Yee shared that she directed her office to seek out vendors proposing to innovate better means of facilitating the expanding ESA program. The treasurer’s office will publish a formal request for information to secure a platform better suited to support the current scope of the program.
Over 100,000 families participate in the ESA Program.
“If there is a financial platform, or are updates to the current platform, that can provide families ESA program funds efficiently and identify any misspending or misuse, then Arizona taxpayers deserve to use that system,” said Yee.
Yee announced her RFI plan following a public dispute between Arizona Department of Education (ADE) Superintendent Tom Horne and the media over fraud, abuse, and waste within the ESA Program.
Horne maintains the program has low levels of those problems, but 12News argues they’re much higher.
12News claimed based on a risk-based audit that 20 percent of purchases under $2,000 within the ESA Program were fraudulent. Horne disputed that total as a “ridiculous” misunderstanding of data.
“Only 20 percent of that 20 percent were improper — that’s only four percent,” said Horne in an interview with KTAR News. “The other thing to know is, [those improper expenditures are] not all fraud. A lot of times it’s innocent mistakes, a paper that needs to be submitted, things that people think are okay but don’t fall into our standards. The amount of actual egregious purchases or fraud is 0.3 percent.”
The 0.3 percent figure came from a randomized study by a Stanford PhD, per Horne, which reviewed 3,000 random ESA orders between July 2025 and February 2026.
12News relied on public records to estimate in a report published last month that misspending “could” amount to 20 percent of all purchases in the ESA Program. According to their report, at least 18,000 of the 102,000 ESA Program participants had one or more unallowable purchases over the course of one year, which amounted to nearly 84,000 unallowable purchases.
Horne has demanded that 12News issue a retraction of their reporting perpetuating the 20 percent claim.
“A ridiculous figure of 20 percent fraud has been circulating concerning ESA purchases which resulted from a total misinterpretation of data provided to Channel 12. The 20 percent figure represented program participants that ADE had selected for risk-based auditing,” said Horne in a press release last week. “Continued use of the 20% fraud allegation is an outrageous misrepresentation to the public that must stop.”
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
