Disgraced Sheriff's Pension $215,000 After Witness Tampering Conviction

By: Edecio Martinez
Topics: Daily Blotter

Michael Carona (CBS/AP)

SANTA ANA, Calif. (CBS/AP) Michael Carona, the disgraced former Orange County sheriff convicted of witness tampering, received over $215,000 in pension checks last year.

Carona is just one of hundreds of former employees receiving large payouts as the county's retirement system faces a massive shortfall.

Also on the list was former treasurer-tax collector Robert Citron, whose investments, which were made while consulting psychics and astrologers, led Orange County into bankruptcy in 1994.

Citron collected about $142,000 last year.

The California Foundation for Fiscal Responsibility filed a lawsuit against the system to get the list. The agency had claimed that pensioner privacy would be compromised by the release. A judge approved the release and the documents were released late last month.

In Jan. 2009, Carona was sentenced to 5 1/2 years in prison for witness tampering. He was acquitted of charges he took bribes in exchange for the power of his office in a sweeping public corruption case that stretched back to 1998.

The conviction involved a secretly recorded conversation in which Carona attempted to persuade a businessman to match his and other defendants' stories in front of the grand jury.

He is free on bail pending an appeal.

The county's retirement system is facing a $3.7 billion unfunded liability.

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by cbsblogger July 14, 2010 8:01 AM EDT: Why aren't those who work as "public servants" making or enforcing law such as sheriffs, law enforcement, DAs, judges, legislators, held to a significantly higher standard of behavior and required to serve much longer prison sentences than the general public.

They fully understand the law and their misbehavior is much more deleterious and corruptible to society in general.; Reply to this comment


by cbsblogger July 14, 2010 7:56 AM EDT: Unbelievable what these people can collect in pensions and apparently even when they steal.

http://www.ocers.org/calculator/calculator_ben.htm; Reply to this comment


by ouchitatom July 14, 2010 6:48 AM EDT: TO ANYONE PLANNING TO VISIT FORT SMITH ARKANSAS ANYTIME SOON. BEWARE THE OFFICERS WRITE PROBABLE CAUSE LAWS FROM BEHIND THIER STEERING WHEEL AND MAKE UP EXSCUSES TO STOP ANYONE THEY THINK MAY BE WORTHY OF EXTRACTING A FEW DOLLARS FROM WHILE THEY TRAVEL THROUGH. THE TOURISM OF ARKANSAS IS FALLING FAST DUE TO THE REDNECK I GOTTA BADGE YOU DON'T ATTITUDE. FORT SMITH IS BEST VIEWED FROM THE INTERSTATE AT 70 MPH. REMEMBER I WARNED YOU HERE FIRST.; Reply to this comment


by FACEITT July 14, 2010 12:57 AM EDT: I worked for the US Postal Service and the retirement plan was under Civil Service. a 29-year veteran employee was caught stealing TOILET PAPER! out of the bathrooms (didn't even bother with the unopened rolls) and lost his pension. The inspectors viewed it as stealing, which it was and he could have gone to jail. Instead, he lost a lot more than a few,"free" half rolls of toilet tissue. Bank robbers don't get to keep the money when they are caught, and this creep shouldn't either. The taxpayers should have something to say about thse pensions. In fact, any taxpayer funded pension or retirement plan should be public information since they pay for it.; Reply to this comment

by askagain July 13, 2010 2:07 AM EDT

by Al02bert July 13, 2010 12:08 AM EDT
As with any state or federal job. He paid payroll deductions for every year he was employed with the city. He should recieve his pension just as anyone of us who paid into the system. However, this does not excuse his reckless behavior.

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When a government employee betrays the public trust, he or she she should, by law, forfeit their pension benefits. Feel free to return their contributions to their pension funds. In most cases, government, using taxpayer money, pays the bulk of the pensions of government employees. The threat of losing pension benefits might keep some people honest. If it doesn't, we shouldn't be using taxpayer money to reward people for bad behavior.

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by cgirltruck July 15, 2010 12:10 PM EDT: If he paid money into the fund, regardless of what he has done, he is entitled to what he paid. No more.


by askagain July 13, 2010 2:04 AM EDT: by Al02bert July 13, 2010 12:08 AM EDT
As with any state or federal job. He paid payroll deductions for every year he was employed with the city. He should recieve his pension just as anyone of us who paid into the system. However, this does not excuse his reckless behavior.

-----------------------------------
When a government employee betways the public trust, he or she she should, by law, forfeit their pension benefits. Feel free to return their contributions to their pension funds. In most cases, government, using taxpayer money, pays the bulk of the pensions of government employees. The threat of losing pension benefits might keep some people honest. If it doesn't, we shouldn't be using taxpayer money to reward people for bad behavior.; Reply to this comment


by ourcountrygonewild July 13, 2010 12:30 AM EDT: Not surprised! Our cities, our municipalities and school taxes our putting us in the poor house because of crap like this. Their pensions are entirely to rich, hence the deficits we are witnessing across the country. A $215,000 pension. Are you kidding me. Wait until his former employees have to aggree upon different terems for their future pensions(hopefully, he will be no where to be found.

So sick of people telling me that police take on alot of risk wityh their jobs. I agree, but we all make our own choices with careers and in some sort of way we all take risk. But this is the icing on the cake. $215,000 PENSION. Give me a break. Our country can't continue to support these rich packages and pensions that most of these corrupted unions get.; Reply to this comment

by Al02bert July 13, 2010 12:08 AM EDT

As with any state or federal job. He paid payroll deductions for every year he was employed with the city. He should recieve his pension just as anyone of us who paid into the system. However, this does not excuse his reckless behavior.

Reply to this comment


by ourcountrygonewild July 13, 2010 12:37 AM EDT: Do you realize what it would take income wise to generate a $215,000 pension? His state and residents of his jurisdiction funded atleast 2/3's of that pension. That's why our cities, town's and state's our broke. Not to mention all of the overpaid state employees! You must be a state employee? On top of him being corrupt for the last ten years. This guy is a punk outside of his uniform.


by cbsblogger July 15, 2010 12:10 PM EDT: He should receive only what he paid into it, and she should lose the total taxpayer contribution. Taxpayers don't subsidize crooks.

by woody3691 July 12, 2010 11:06 PM EDT

Should public servants lose their pensions when they have been found guilty of a job related offense? If a person put in 15 years of honest public service and screwed up the last year, should it all be lost? Or should the pension be prorated to the years of honest service?

Or is the presumption that he was always crooked but managed to evade detection for all those years until eventually being caught?

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by ourcountrygonewild July 13, 2010 12:33 AM EDT: Totally agree! You have a badge, you have a free pass to pretty much everything. DUI's, speeding, parking where you well please, to even domestic abuse. Not to mention others!! Give me a badge!!


by RoboBlogger July 12, 2010 9:14 PM EDT: The dirtiest of the dirtiest crooks are always found behind the badge and/or desk. NO surprise there.; Reply to this comment