The chief deputy at the Pima County Sheriffโs Department has resigned after being indicted in connection with allegations of misusing anti-racketeering funds.
Chris Radtke resigned from the second-highest post in the department, Sheriff Chris Nanos announced in a written statement issued shortly after 10 p.m. Monday.
โEarlier today I was informed by my Chief Deputy, Chris Radtke, that he had been indicted for the misuse of RICO funds. Chris Radtke has since submitted his resignation and I will not comment on another law enforcement agencyโs investigation,โ Nanos said in his statement.
Funds seized from criminals under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, commonly called RICO, are given to law enforcement agencies for enforcement-related activities.
The indictment is linked to a situation first reported by the Star last November about Radtkeโs niece taking over the operation of a cafe inside the departmentโs headquarters in 2012. The department spent more than $10,000 on equipment for the space and allowed Radtkeโs niece to run her restaurant rent-free and without a county contract.
Officials initially said the equipment was paid for with RICO funds. Later they said the money came from the countyโs general fund.
The county spent more than $30,000 on equipment for the cafe as well as a similar eatery his niece, Nikki Thompson, opened in 2014 inside the Pima County jail, public records showed.
It was not immediately clear Tuesday what specific charges Radtke faces.
The case is to be handled by the U.S. Attorneyโs Office in Salt Lake City because the office in Arizona โhas been recusedโ from the case, said agency spokesman Cosme Lopez. The reason for the recusal was not explained and calls to the Salt Lake City office were not returned Tuesday.
โIn regards to RICO money expenditures, there is a stringent process in place with independent review from an outside agency,โ Nanos said in his statement Monday night. โThere is also an audit on the backend of all expenditures and we will continue to review all processes to make sure checks and balances are working appropriately.โ
Nanos was appointed sheriff by the Pima County Board of Supervisors in July 2015 to complete the term of Clarence Dupnik. Nanos is running to be elected sheriff in November.
The Star reported in February that the FBI was investigating Nanos, Radtke and former Chief of Staff Brad Gagnepain following the Starโs report about the cafe. Gagnepain committed suicide earlier this year.
When contacted for comment at the time, Nanos said that he hadnโt been approached by the FBI and that an investigation would be a waste of taxpayer money.
During the past several months, the FBI investigation has been a focus of criticism of Nanos by political rivals.
The investigation was discussed at a news conference last week by Dr. Richard Carmona, who leveled several criticisms of Nanos, citing what he called โreprehensible behavior.โ He said many department employees โ including himself โ had been interviewed by the FBI.
When asked about the investigation in late September, Nanos told the Star that he still hadnโt been formally interviewed by the FBI. He did, however, say he had spoken to an FBI agent, who told Nanos he was โin the clear.โ
The FBI does not confirm or deny the existence of investigations, said Andrew Black, assistant special agent in charge of the Tucson office.
The Sheriffโs Department spent more than $7 million in RICO money from January 2010 through October 2015, a public records request revealed.
In a meeting with the Starโs editorial board in September, Nanos said that he spent about $300,000 in RICO funds this past year to โhelp kids get through high school,โ by donating to nonprofit groups like Youth on Their Own and the Boys and Girls Club.
The departmentโs spending of RICO funds ranged greatly and included two planes, several police dogs, payments to confidential informants, funding for Sheriffโs Auxiliary Volunteer units and donations to dozens of local nonprofits, including $10,000 each to the Tucson Arizona Boys Chorus and the Southern Arizona Lacrosse Academy.
While all RICO purchases must be approved by the Pima County Attorneyโs Office, the forms submitted by the Sheriffโs Department do not provide line-item descriptions for the money requested, but rather a total dollar amount and generic โpurpose of request.โ
โItโs disappointing that after months and months of denials and attacks by Nanos, that we now find out the concerns about corruption in the department have a factual basis,โ said Mark Napier, the Republican candidate for sheriff who is challenging Nanos.
