Arizona lawmaker suspected of human smuggling gets Dec. 11 hearing to contest suspension
(Jacques Billeaud | AP File Photo) In a Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2019 photo, Maricopa County Assessor Paul Petersen, right, along with his attorney, Kurt Altman, leave after Petersen's arraignment hearing in Phoenix.
Phoenix • The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors has scheduled a Dec. 11 hearing for Assessor Paul Petersen to appeal his suspension amid human smuggling and other charges
Lawyers for Petersen say the suspension last month was illegal. They say they don’t expect the county supervisors will change their minds, but they must go through the formal appeal before it before filing a lawsuit seeking to reinstate the Republican assessor.
Prosecutors in three states say Petersen brought pregnant women from the Marshall Islands to the United States and paid them to give up their babies for adoption. He’s pleaded not guilty.
The county supervisors last month declared that Petersen had neglected his duties and suspended him without pay for 120 days.
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