Michael S. Carona (born May 23, 1955) is a convicted felon and former sheriff-coroner of Orange County, California. He gained national prominence during the hunt for the killer of Samantha Runnion. After the quick capture of her murderer, Alejandro Avila, late night television host Larry King dubbed him "America's Sheriff" during an interview. In late 2007, a federal grand jury indicted Carona, his wife, and his alleged longtime mistress on corruption charges. He resigned effective January 14, 2008, and was convicted on one count of witness tampering, a year later. He was sentenced to 66 months in prison and on January 25, 2011, turned himself in to a federal prison in Colorado to start serving time on the conviction. In May 2015, he was released to his Orange, California, home for home confinement after being released from Federal Medical Center, Lexington and spending time at a halfway house in Los Angeles County. Personal life Mike Carona was born on May 23, 1955, in Santa Monica, California. In 1978, Carona graduated from Mount San Antonio College, a community college in Walnut, California, with an Associate of Arts degree and in 1983, he graduated from University of Redlands with a Bachelor of Arts degree. In 1986, Carona received a Master of Arts degree in management, also from the University of Redlands. In 1992, he received another Master of Arts degree in management, this time from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. Carona graduated from the OCSD training academy in 1976. He was assigned to the County Marshal's Department, where he worked as a deputy for 12 years. Carona identifies with his Sicilian heritage, having explicitly noted it in his biography on the Orange County Sheriff's Department website. He became a lodge member of the Order of the Sons of Italy in 1999. He is also a member of Mensa. Law enforcement In 1988, at the age 33, Carona was appointed as the Marshal of Orange County. After 10 years as Marshal, Carona was elected by popular vote as the Sheriff of Orange County in 1998. Carona ran unopposed during his re-election campaign in 2002 and began his second term in 2003. In 2003, President George W. Bush appointed Michael Carona to the federal Emergency Response Senior Advisory Committee on Homeland Security. On November 15, 2007, the Department of Homeland Security asked for, and received, Carona's resignation from the task force, citing distractions due