Four years after Phoenix police colluded with county prosecutors to invent a fake gang and falsely charge protesters as members, officials finally decided that the officers involved in the arrests will not face any criminal repercussions.
A criminal investigation recommended that charges should be considered against eight officials – seven officers and one prosecutor.
But in a declination letter, Pinal County Attorney Kent Volkmer wrote his office’s incident review board would not bring a case.
“It is the opinion of this Board that none of the (individuals) committed any acts that warrant criminal prosecution,” according to the letter.
A defense attorney for the falsely charged protesters disagreed.
“I believe there’s more than enough evidence to bring that to a jury,” said attorney Christina Carter. She added, “I think it speaks to there’s not accountability. There’s no real accountability.”
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The criminal investigation was farmed out to retired FBI agent James Egelston because a handful of other Arizona law enforcement agencies refused to investigate the scandal. Egelston’s investigation was submitted to the Pinal County Attorney’s Office because of Maricopa County’s role in falsely charging the protesters.