Cochise County supervisors indicted for conspiracy, interference in 2022 election
Download mp3 (7 MB)An Arizona state grand jury indicted two Republican supervisors in rural Cochise County for refusing to meet a state deadline to certify the county’s 2022 election results.
Supervisors Tom Crosby and Peggy Judd tried to prevent the certification of votes despite finding no legitimate issues with the election and repeated warnings that their actions were against state law.
The board only made the county’s results official after a judge ordered them to hold an emergency meeting three days past the state deadline for certification.
Now, both Crosby and Judd are charged with felony offenses of conspiring to delay the canvass of votes and interfering with the Secretary of State’s duty to complete a statewide count of votes.
Each felony count carries a maximum penalty of two and a half years in prison and a $150,000 fine. If convicted, both Crosby and Judd would lose their seats on the county board of supervisors as required by Arizona law.
Democratic Attorney General Kris Mayes announced the indictments on Wednesday morning.
“The repeated attempts to undermine our democracy are unacceptable,” Mayes said in a statement. “I took an oath to uphold the rule of law, and my office will continue to enforce Arizona’s elections laws and support our election officials as they carry out the duties and responsibilities of their offices.”
Crosby’s attorney, Dennis Wilenchik, called the indictment “political partisanship and persecution.” He said in a statement that his client is innocent, intends to fight back and is not currently negotiating a plea deal.
Judd could not immediately be reached for comment.
