Carona, who may be facing his toughest election in 2006 because of sex scandals and corruption charges surrounding his administration, has not returned calls from the Journal.

However when Candidate For Sheriff Lt. Bill Hunt was contacted by the Journal he said "I find it very interesting that the Sheriff surrounds himself with such questionable characters and than denies any wrong doing or even any knowledge of wrong doing". Lt. Hunt feels the sheriff's Dept. needs a change in leadership from the top down and if elected he will focus on bringing such experienced and qualified leaders to the Dept. and will restore integrity and safety throughout the Sheriff's Dept.

"Obviously, Sheriff Carona had no idea about these alleged connections," said Schroeder. "No campaign has the resources, from the governor, the president, on down, to investigate every one of their donors."

However, Robert Stern, president of the nonpartisan Center for Governmental Studies and former general counsel to the California Fair Political Practices Commission, told the Orange County Register that Carona cannot claim ignorance.

"Absolutely, they should be screening all the contributions to make sure they are not embarrassed," Stern said. "Candidates who say, 'I don't look (at) who contributes to me,' they are being foolish."

First elected in 1998, Carona has been slammed in recent years by criminal investigations into his command staff; sex allegations revealing a frat-boy atmosphere at sheriff's administrative offices; and a loss of credibility among his rank and file.

Recently, Carona was accused in two county liability claims of pressuring female relatives of former chief of staff George Jaramillo to have sex with him or accompany him to San Francisco. Jaramillo himself was indicted on state charges of using department resources to benefit a Newport Beach company that gave him money. The owner of that company, Charles Gabbard, admitted last year that he also funneled as much as $29,000 in illegal donations to Carona's 2002 campaign. Meanwhile, a sheriff's captain is facing criminal charges for soliciting donations from sheriff's employees for Carona's war chest, a violation of state campaign laws.

In each case, the sheriff denied wrongdoing or blamed others who he said acted behind his back.

Carona, through Schroeder, said he met Rizzolo two or three times but knew him only as someone from Newport Beach. Campaign documents initially listed Rizzolo as "owner, nightclub." Orange County political watchdog Shirley Grindle in late August contacted the Registrar of Voters Office and noted the nightclub should be identified in the financial disclosure. The documents were amended by the campaign last week to read "president/CEO Rizzolo Corporation." No such corporation could be found in California or Nevada.

Rizzolo's past is well-documented on the Internet, in Las Vegas newspapers and federal court records. He is a heavy contributor to Las Vegas City Council members, the district attorney and Nevada judges. His nightclub is legendary in the adult-entertainment world - and well-known to police and paramedics.

"For years, the management and 'security staff' of the Crazy Horse has been infested by a rogues' gallery of thugs, thieves, drug pushers and corrupt ex-cops. Most, if not all, have well documented ties to organized crime figures," said court papers filed by attorneys in a lawsuit against the nightclub. "All of this has nurtured a culture of violence marked by robberies, beatings and even death."

The lawsuit, as well as the federal indictment, were spurred by allegations of the beating of tourist Kirk Henry, who was left paralyzed from the neck down after he disputed a nightclub tab in September 2001. Crazy Horse lawyers have found a cab driver, also a chauffeur for the club, who said he saw Henry fall by himself and hit his head on the curb.

According to the indictment of shift manager Robert D'Apice, patrons who disputed fees demanded by dancers were threatened or physically assaulted by male staff members, amounting to extortion or robbery. The dancers paid a percentage of their tips to managers and staff members at the end of their shifts.

The indictment indicates that federal agents are trying to determine whether D'Apice and club employees overcharged patrons for service, food and beverages; were involved in bringing women from outside Nevada to engage in prostitution and aided the distribution of illegal narcotics within the club.

According to Steve Miller a former Las Vegas City Councilman and critic says the extortion and violence reportedly continues former mob lawyer-turned-mayor, Oscar Goodman, coddles Mr. Rizzolo and his friends, some who were Goodman's former law firm's clients and now prospective clients for his partner David Chesnoff and Goodman's two lawyer sons. It is speculated that the mayor fears several of Rizzolo's close associates. The mayor sponsored custom designed ordinances allowing the bar to expand, and employ teenage strippers.  Rick Rizzolo made his fortune by paying off crooked cops, politicians, DAs and judges to keep a lid on his and his associate's criminal activities. It will now take the FBI and IRS to clean up what Las Vegas should have had the courage to stop years ago. -- It looks as if Orange County will have to go the same way. The FBI and the California Attorney General are investigating. ( Go to: ORANGE COUNTY SHERIF AND HIGH RANKING ELECTED OFFICIALS UNDER INVESTIGATION BY THE FEDS AND THE CALIFORNIA ATTORNEY GENERAL

More... related stories: Saga Of Orange County's Sheriff Michael S. Carona

Steve scolds Oscar Goodman for protecting Crazy Horse Too
                                (AmericanMafia.com photo by Mike Christ)

Some of the Vegas information for this story was obtained from Steve Miller who writes a nationally syndicated columns on organized crime and political corruption for American Mafia. com: http://www.americanmafia.com/Inside_Vegas/Inside_Vegas_Archive.html
and Twisted Badge.com: http://stevemiller4lasvegas.com/TwistedBadgeStories.html
Visit his website at: http://www.stevemiller4lasvegas.com/
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