{"id":72608,"date":"2017-05-14T15:24:20","date_gmt":"2017-05-14T19:24:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/?p=72608"},"modified":"2017-05-14T15:35:53","modified_gmt":"2017-05-14T19:35:53","slug":"72608","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/?p=72608","title":{"rendered":"Orange County DA Tony Rackauckas Accused of Interference with Investigations, Official Misconduct"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1>Rackauckas \u2018Interfered\u2019 in Political Corruption Investigations, Says Former Top Investigator<\/h1>\n<p><!--more--><div id=\"attachment_72609\" style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/nlcbzv-b88358884z.120150316221421000geh8i8to.50-1170x615.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-72609\" class=\"size-large wp-image-72609\" src=\"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/nlcbzv-b88358884z.120150316221421000geh8i8to.50-1170x615-1024x538.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"336\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/nlcbzv-b88358884z.120150316221421000geh8i8to.50-1170x615-1024x538.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/nlcbzv-b88358884z.120150316221421000geh8i8to.50-1170x615-300x158.jpg 300w, https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/nlcbzv-b88358884z.120150316221421000geh8i8to.50-1170x615-768x404.jpg 768w, https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/nlcbzv-b88358884z.120150316221421000geh8i8to.50-1170x615.jpg 1170w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-72609\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Tony Rackauckas, Orange County&#8217;s elected district attorney, interviews a witness during day three of the preliminary hearing into the Kelly Thomas&#8217; death \u00a0| \u00a0PHOTO BY JOSHUA SUDOCK, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER &#8211; \u00a0POOL PHOTO<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n<p>By NICK GERDA<br \/>\nVoice of OC<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Craig Hunter, the former chief investigator to Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas, is leveling a series of explosive allegations against the top prosecutor, including claims Rackauckas \u201cinterfered\u201d in corruption investigations of his political allies.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Hunter, who <a href=\"http:\/\/voiceofoc.org\/2017\/04\/district-attorneys-chief-of-investigations-suddenly-leaves-job\/\">abruptly left his position\u00a0last month<\/a>, said in a legal claim against the county he investigated \u201ca number of political corruption cases\u201d and provided Rackauckas information about them.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">\u201cIn general, Rackauckas interfered in political corruption criminal investigations in the County of Orange, involving candidates that he endorsed politically,\u201d states\u00a0Hunter\u2019s legal claim, which was filed by attorney Bradley C. Gage.<\/span><\/p>\n<aside class=\"scaip scaip-1\"><\/aside>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">No names of candidates were listed in the claim, a copy of which Gage provided to Voice of OC.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">\u201cThis information will be provided in detail at the appropriate time. However, it is part of the reasons why [Hunter] is now a whistleblower victim,\u201d the claim states.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Hunter\u2019s claim says he was retaliated against \u2013\u00a0and ultimately given the option of resigning or being fired \u2013\u00a0after Rackauckas learned Hunter had given testimony to the county\u2019s grand jury that \u201ccould be highly embarrassing\u201d to Rackauckas.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">\u201cOn multiple instances, [Hunter] complained and or disclosed violations of various laws and statutes by Tony Rackauckas, District Attorney\u201d and others, the claim states.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Asked when the corruption allegations will be further explained, Gage said it depends on whether the county resolves Hunter\u2019s claim.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">If the county doesn\u2019t resolve it, Gage said, \u201cit comes out, and it won\u2019t be pretty.\u201d Hunter expects to return to work on May 21 or 22, he added.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Legal claims are filed with government agencies as a precursor to filing a lawsuit and are typically required before filing the lawsuit.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Rackauckas\u2019 office disputed Hunter\u2019s claims, but said they were barred from discussing specifics unless Hunter gives his permission.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">\u201cA legal claim filled with false allegation [sic] and factually inaccurate information was filed by Orange County District Attorney\u2019s Office (OCDA) employee Craig Hunter \u2014 clearly with the goal of trying to get<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>money from Orange County Taxpayers,\u201d said the DA\u2019s statement.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">\u201cThe OCDA would like nothing more than to share all of the details about Mr. Hunter\u2019s employment and the merits of the claim. In order for us to do this, Mr. Hunter needs to simply sign some documents that would allow us to tell our side of the story.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>Mr. Hunter and his attorney know full well that because this is a personnel matter, without his consent, the OCDA would be handcuffed from publicly responding to these allegations.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>We do not expect him to do so, as transparency in this matter would only expose the falsehoods and inaccuracies in his frivolous claim. That said, we are calling on Mr. Hunter to immediately waive any and all rights to confidentially so that the public can know what actually happened.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">In his claim, Hunter also alleges wrongful behavior by Rackauckas\u2019 chief of staff, Susan Kang Schroeder.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Schroeder gathered \u201cnomination signatures in the office for Tony Rackauckas\u2019 re-election,\u201d the claim states.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Additionally, Hunter\u2019s claim says he \u201cadvised Tony Rackauckas that Schroeder during times she should have been at work, was sending out requests for individuals to come to a fund raiser for Tony Rackauckas. While this went from a private computer, it was sent during normal working hours that Schroeder was paid for. Schroeder was frequently out of the office.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">And, Hunter\u2019s claim says, Schroeder used Rackauckas\u2019 name to raise money through a nonprofit and then used that money to promote her private business partner, musician Scott Foster. The claim also suggests Rackauckas failed to disclose the payments as required by law. Such payments to nonprofits at the request of elected and top government officials are known as \u201cbehested payments.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">As of 2015, Schroeder <a href=\"http:\/\/voiceofoc.org\/2015\/04\/das-charity-events-prompt-questions-about-chief-of-staffs-side-business\/\">was president of a music promotion company with Foster<\/a>, known as M3Connection, <a href=\"http:\/\/voiceofoc.org\/2015\/06\/das-chief-of-staff-files-incomplete-conflict-of-interest-forms\/\">from which Schroeder received income while also working as Rackauckas\u2019 full-time chief of staff<\/a>. Foster performed at annual rock concerts sponsored by Rackauckas and the DA\u2019s\u00a0office, and then <a href=\"http:\/\/voiceofoc.org\/2015\/04\/das-charity-events-prompt-questions-about-chief-of-staffs-side-business\/\">used videos of his performance to promote his career<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">It\u2019s the latest round of wrongdoing\u00a0leveled at the DA\u2019s office, which <a href=\"http:\/\/voiceofoc.org\/2016\/12\/feds-announce-investigation-into-jailhouse-snitch-scandal\/\">is embroiled in a U.S. Justice Department investigation into alleged illegal misuse of jailhouse informants and concealment of evidence<\/a>. In November, <a href=\"http:\/\/1ccaxf2hhhbh1jcwiktlicz7.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Dekraai-CoA-opinion-on-recusal-appeal-1.pdf\">a state appeals court reviewing the allegations\u00a0ruled<\/a> Rackauckas\u2019 office \u201cviolated targeted defendants\u2019 constitutional rights\u201d and \u201cintentionally or negligently\u201d ignored violations by the Sheriff\u2019s Department.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">After retiring as Anaheim\u2019s deputy police chief in 2012, Hunter joined Rackauckas\u2019 office in early 2014 as the chief of the DA\u2019s Bureau of Investigations, overseeing about 240 employees.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">But last month, <a href=\"http:\/\/voiceofoc.org\/2017\/04\/district-attorneys-chief-of-investigations-suddenly-leaves-job\/\">Rackauckas suddenly announced Hunter was gone.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">\u201cEffective immediately, Craig Hunter is off duty and not expected to return,\u201d Rackauckas told his staff in an email April 24.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\">Rackauckas\u2019 office has not said why Hunter left.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\">\u201cDue to the protection afforded by the Police Officers Bill of Rights and the laws protecting personnel matters, the OCDA is prohibited from discussing the facts surrounding the employment status of its employees,\u201d spokeswoman Michelle Van Der Linden wrote last month in a statement.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">But the DA\u2019s office did respond to Hunter\u2019s departure by saying it \u201cwill continue to take swift and appropriate action to maintain the excellent work\u201d in the investigations bureau.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Meanwhile, Hunter\u2019s attorney says his client was wrongfully acted against and expects to return to work soon.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">The reason Hunter was out of the office was because of a \u201cminor medical issue,\u201d Gage said in a phone interview Friday evening. \u201cI don\u2019t even know that he\u2019s been terminated.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Hunter has been cleared by a medical professional to return to work on Sunday May 21, Gage said, and expects to come back that day or Monday the 22nd.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">\u201cHe is coming back, and he\u2019s healthy and he\u2019s ready to work. And so hopefully they\u2019ll allow him to,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">\u201cWhat they\u2019re really trying to do is go after him because he\u2019s a whistleblower. And that\u2019s wrong. And there certainly is a lot to be a whistleblower on.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Gage also disputed suggestions that Hunter\u2019s departure was related to allegations he improperly used his work phone to receive sexual text messages.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Any discipline against a peace officer, such as Hunter, must legally take place within a year of the allegation, Gage said, while the \u201csexting\u201d allegations were made two years prior to Hunter\u2019s departure.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Hunter was the subject of <a href=\"http:\/\/voiceofoc.org\/2017\/04\/district-attorneys-chief-of-investigations-suddenly-leaves-job\/\">allegations he sent and received sexual text messages<\/a> \u2013 including nude photos \u2013 using his county-owned cell phone. The results of any investigation, if one was conducted, have not been made public by the DA or county.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Those sexting allegations were found to be false, Gage said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">In the claim, Hunter also alleges Rackauckas \u201cfailed to conduct an investigation\u201d after Hunter informed him of rumors that one of his highest-ranking prosecutors was having an affair with another high-ranking DA official.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Additionally, Hunter\u2019s claim states, \u201cA supervisor got his administrative assistant pregnant without investigation. However, Tony Rackauckas would investigate rumors of others rumored to be but not involved in sexual relations as a way to retaliate against whistleblower employees.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">The County Counsel\u2019s office released part\u00a0of Hunter\u2019s claim to Voice of OC Friday, but redacted the specific allegations against Rackauckas and Schroeder.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">A decision on whether to release the full claim will be made within 10 days, Senior Assistant County Counsel Jack Golden told a Voice of OC reporter Friday.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Legal claims against the county were previously available immediately upon request at the Clerk of the Board\u2019s office. But the county recently implemented a policy requiring that legal claims first be reviewed by an attorney.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">As for Hunter, his attorney suggested Rackauckas could be concerned about the\u00a0grand jury testimony.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">\u201c[Hunter] has provided testimony to the grand jury, which maybe Rackauckas is concerned about,\u201d Gage said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">\u201cMy client has a right to talk to the grand jury. And nobody has the right to go after him for that,\u201d he added. \u201cIf that is the reason, then that\u2019s wrongful.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">___<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/voiceofoc.org\/2017\/05\/rackauckas-interfered-in-political-corruption-investigations-says-former-top-investigator\/\">http:\/\/voiceofoc.org\/2017\/05\/rackauckas-interfered-in-political-corruption-investigations-says-former-top-investigator\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Rackauckas \u2018Interfered\u2019 in Political Corruption Investigations, Says Former Top Investigator<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-72608","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72608","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=72608"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72608\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=72608"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=72608"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=72608"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}