Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s Office Says Latest Threat Under Investigation

The office of Maricopa County, Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio is investigating the origins of a threatening text message sent on a disposable cell phone in Mexico. Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office Spokesperson Lisa Allen made the announcement on Monday, stating that the FBI is assisting in the Sheriff’s office investigation into the threat, sent to a “text message tree” offering a $1million reward for killing Arpaio.

An FBI spokesman in Phoenix said he has heard reports of the threat, but is unfamiliar with the FBI’s involvement in the investigation. Special Agent Manuel Johnson said the bureau would assist Arpaio’s office if requested.

Similar news reports claim the threat was made by the Mexican Juarez drug cartel, which also offered to pay ten-thousand dollars to anyone willing to join the cartel. Allen said she did not know whether the Sheriff’s office would be able to track down the sender, and did not elaborate on how the threatening text surfaced.

Famous for his tent city jail in the Arizona desert, Arpaio earned notoriety for issuing pink handcuffs and pink underwear for prison inmates.

His tough enforcement of Arizona’s anti-immigration laws has earned national headlines for the man who calls himself “America’s toughest sheriff,” and he is a vocal proponent of the state’s latest and most controversial immigration law to date, that was blocked last week by a federal judge.

Critics say the Sheriff’s reaction to the latest text message threat is exaggerated, claiming that if a drug cartel wanted the sheriff killed, they would do it themselves rather than solicit the murder via a cell phone text tree.

Arpaio has a history of launching criminal investigations against political opponents, critics say, initiating investigations that begin with much media hype and hyperbole and rarely lead to convictions.
These complaints against Arpaio are currently being probed by a federal grand jury, but Arpaio’s allies defend the 78-year-old, who has been Maricopa County Sheriff since 1992.