Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE With a federal judge's signature on a proposed order initially submitted by prosecutors Oct. 17, the deal is sealed: Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio is criminally charged with federal contempt of court. 
 
 Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio (Photo: Nick Oza/The Republic) 
 
 PHOENIX — With a federal judge's signature on a proposed order initially submitted by prosecutors Oct. 17, the deal is sealed: Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio is criminally charged with federal contempt of court. 
 
 A trial has tentatively set for Dec. 6 in U.S. District Court in Phoenix. 
 
 Since early 2015, criminal-contempt charges have loomed over Arpaio, the potential consequence for violating a federal judge’s order to stop enforcing civil immigration laws. 
 
 The threat of criminal prosecution became increasingly likely after a prolonged series of hearings last year. A federal judge’s finding of civil contempt came in May 2016, followed by his referral for criminal prosecution in August, followed by the Department of Justice’s announcement on Oct. 11 that its attorneys would, in fact, prosecute the six-term lawman. 
 
 In signing the agreement Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton agreed that a maximum penalty of six months in jail would be appropriate for the 84-year-old sheriff if he is convicted. 
 
 In past statements, Arpaio had assailed a criminal-contempt charge as a politically motivated plot to derail his chances at re-election. 
 
 The charges are rooted in a 9-year-old racial-profiling case against the Sheriff's Office. Plaintiffs including the American Civil Liberties Union alleged that the sheriff’s signature immigration patrols violated Latinos’ constitutional rights. 
 
 In December 2011, months before the trial was to begin, U.S. District Judge G. Murray Snow issued a preliminary injunction over the Sheriff's Office. The order banned deputies from detaining anyone solely on suspicion they were undocumented immigrants, and without cause to believe a crime had been committed. 
 
 Arpaio’s attorney boiled the order into simpler terms: “Arrest or release,” he told his client at the time. 
 
 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE DOJ'S CRIMINAL-CONTEMPT CHARGE AGAINST SHERIFF JOE ARPAIO Puente Arizona cheers guilty verdict for Arpaio | 1:15 Immigrant-rights group Puente Human Rights Movement praises a federal judge's ruling finding Sheriff Joe Arpaio guilty of criminal contempt of court. Sam Caravana/azcentral.com 1 of 14 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE DOJ'S CRIMINAL-CONTEMPT CHARGE AGAINST SHERIFF JOE ARPAIO Noemi Romero reacts to Arpaio arrest | 1:34 Noemi Romero, 26, reacts to the announcement that Sheriff Joe Arpaio was found guilty of criminal contempt of court. Romero, 26, is an undocumented immigrant from Mexico and was arrested in Arpaio raid. Nick Oza/azcentral.com 2 of 14 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE DOJ'S CRIMINAL-CONTEMPT CHARGE AGAINST SHERIFF JOE ARPAIO Former Sheriff Joe Arpaio convicted of criminal contempt | 0:33 Former Sheriff Joe Arpaio has been convicted of criminal contempt. Wochit 3 of 14 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE DOJ'S CRIMINAL-CONTEMPT CHARGE AGAINST SHERIFF JOE ARPAIO Arpaio's criminal contempt trial begins | 1:32 Former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio and his attorneys emerge from the federal courthouse following the first day of his criminal contempt trial. David Kadlubowski/azcentral.com 4 of 14 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE DOJ'S CRIMINAL-CONTEMPT CHARGE AGAINST SHERIFF JOE ARPAIO Arpaio back in action | 1:02 The former Maricopa County sheriff emerges as head of a conservative non-profit. Wochit 5 of 14 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE DOJ'S CRIMINAL-CONTEMPT CHARGE AGAINST SHERIFF JOE ARPAIO Ed Montini weighs in on Arpaio's loss | 1:29 Arizona Republic columnist Ed Montini weighs in on Sherff Joe Arpaio's re-election loss. Video by azcentral 6 of 14 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE DOJ'S CRIMINAL-CONTEMPT CHARGE AGAINST SHERIFF JOE ARPAIO Arpaio officially charged with criminal contempt | 1:55 With a federal judge's signature on a proposed order initially submitted by prosecutors Oct. 17, the deal is sealed: Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio is criminally charged with federal contempt of court. 7 of 14 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE DOJ'S CRIMINAL-CONTEMPT CHARGE AGAINST SHERIFF JOE ARPAIO Inside the Sheriff Joe Arpaio protest | 1:57 Viridiana Hernandez talks about the "Arrest Arpaio Not the People" anti-Sheriff Joe Arpaio protest, which was held outside Sandra Day O'Connor United States Courthouse in Phoenix. Nick Oza/azcentral.com 8 of 14 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE DOJ'S CRIMINAL-CONTEMPT CHARGE AGAINST SHERIFF JOE ARPAIO Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio's attorney speaks | 0:46 Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio's attorney Mel Mcdonald addresses the media outside the federal courthouse in Phoenix. Nick Oza/azcentral.com 9 of 14 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE DOJ'S CRIMINAL-CONTEMPT CHARGE AGAINST SHERIFF JOE ARPAIO Protesters demonstrate against Arpaio outside federal court | 1:02 Protesters demonstrate against Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio outside federal court on Oct. 11, 2016. azcentral.com 10 of 14 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE DOJ'S CRIMINAL-CONTEMPT CHARGE AGAINST SHERIFF JOE ARPAIO MCSO's legal bills keep growing in racial-profiling case | 0:31 Maricopa County Supervisors on Sept. 21 approved an extra $4.5 million in legal fees to cover costs with a long-running racial-profiling case involving the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office. 11 of 14 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE DOJ'S CRIMINAL-CONTEMPT CHARGE AGAINST SHERIFF JOE ARPAIO MCSO considered closing Tent City | 0:51 The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office is eliminating pay raises for some of its jail detention staff to help foot the growing bill for a racial-profiling case, but they considered several other options, including closing the famous Tent City jail. Wochit 12 of 14 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE DOJ'S CRIMINAL-CONTEMPT CHARGE AGAINST SHERIFF JOE ARPAIO Arpaio stripped of internal affairs oversight | 1:13 A federal judge issued sweeping reforms over the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office's internal affairs division, stripping its leaders of autonomy over disciplinary actions related to the long-running racial-profiling case against the agency. 13 of 14 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE DOJ'S CRIMINAL-CONTEMPT CHARGE AGAINST SHERIFF JOE ARPAIO Arpaio in contempt of federal court | 0:51 A federal judge has found Sheriff Joe Arpaio in civil contempt of federal court. Wochit 14 of 14 Last VideoNext Video Puente Arizona cheers guilty verdict for Arpaio 
 
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 In May 2013, Snow officially determined the office had racially profiled Latinos. The following months would introduce multimillion-dollar reforms to the Sheriff's Office, including anti-bias training, recording devices for deputies, and a court-appointed monitor to ensure the agency followed the letter of the law. 
 
 But information emerged that the office continued to detain undocumented immigrants for at least 18 months after the judge’s preliminary order — up to May 2013 and maybe beyond. 
 
 Arpaio’s attorneys didn’t deny the violations, but they said the mistakes were unintentional. Plaintiffs’ attorneys, who pointed to Arpaio’s hard-line rhetoric on illegal immigration, argued otherwise. 
 
 The violations, along with two other allegations of the office failing properly to turn over evidence, would amount to contempt of court. A finding of accidental missteps would lead to civil contempt, while deliberate defiance could mean criminal contempt and potentially jail time. 
 
 Snow in August recommended three separate allegations of criminal charges for Arpaio, though DOJ prosecutors have only chosen to pursue one. Arpaio may also face a charge of obstruction of justice. 
 
 Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/2fdrwKx ||||| PHOENIX (Reuters) - A federal judge on Tuesday ordered Arizona lawman Joe Arpaio to stand trial in December on a criminal contempt charge of violating the terms of a court ruling against the controversial sheriff in a 2007 racial profiling case. 
 
 Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio announces newly launched program aimed at providing security around schools in Anthem, Arizona, U.S. January 9, 2013. REUTERS/Laura Segall/File Photo 
 
 The latest court order setting Arpaio’s trial date for Dec. 6 means that the six-term Maricopa County sheriff will be spared from facing the contempt charge in court until well after his bid for re-election on Nov. 8. 
 
 Arpaio, a Republican who has styled himself as “America’s toughest sheriff” while pursuing an aggressive crackdown on undocumented immigrants, trails his Democratic challenger by 15 percentage points, according to a poll released last week. 
 
 Under contempt proceedings approved by U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton, Arpaio is accused of disobeying the terms of a 2011 court injunction barring his officers from stopping and detaining motorists based solely on suspicion that they were in the country illegally. 
 
 According to court documents in the case, sheriff’s deputies acting at Arpaio’s behest continued making such traffic stops for 18 months in defiance of another judge who presided over the civil lawsuit challenging the practice. 
 
 Bolton said Arpaio’s trial will decide whether he “should be held in criminal contempt for willful disobedience” of the 2011 injunction, issued by U.S. District Judge Murray Snow. If Arpaio is convicted, prosecutors said they would seek a jail term of no more than six months for the 84-year-old sheriff. 
 
 Arpaio attorney Mel McDonald said his client was innocent of criminal wrongdoing. 
 
 “The beauty of the justice system is now we have a right to a trial,” McDonald told Reuters. “The sheriff denies the allegations and looks forward to having his day in court.” 
 
 Arpaio has already been cited for civil contempt by Snow as part of the underlying racial profiling case brought against the sheriff by civil liberties groups on behalf of Latino motorists who claimed they were discriminated against in Arpaio’s crackdown. It was Snow who recommended in August that Arpaio face a criminal contempt charge as well. 
 
 Arpaio, who weighed into the 2016 presidential race by campaigning for Republican nominee Donald Trump, has blasted the decision to prosecute him, suggesting the timing was politically motivated. 
 
 His campaign manager has disputed the results of last Thursday’s Arizona Republic/Morrison/Cronkite News survey that showed Arpaio trailing Democrat Paul Penzone and cited internal polling that showed the incumbent ahead by 7.5 points.
– It's official: Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Arizona has been criminally charged with federal contempt of court and could face up to six months in jail if convicted. The case stems from December 2011 when a federal judge barred the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office from conducting Arpaio's signature immigration patrols targeting Latinos, solely on suspicion they were in the country illegally, as a racial-profiling case against the Sheriff's Office was playing out. Evidence, however, suggests officers continued with the program for at least another 18 months, reports the Arizona Republic. Lawyers for Arpaio, 84, say he unintentionally violated the judge's order. Arpaio—who may still face a charge of obstruction of justice for allegedly failing to hand in evidence—has previously said a criminal-contempt charge would be nothing more than an effort to prevent his re-election to a seventh term. His Dec. 6 trial date ensures he won't lose any time on the campaign trail, which he apparently needs: Arpaio sits 15 points behind his Democratic challenger, according to a poll released last week, per Reuters. Arpaio's campaign manager, however, says internal polling has Arpaio leading by 7.5 points.