Fact check
“The court ordered an audit of the sheriff’s office spending, and findings showed that nearly 72% of the sheriff’s office spending was misattributed or misappropriated.”
Reasoning
The claim states that a court ordered an audit of the sheriff’s office spending and that the audit found nearly 72% of the spending was misattributed or misappropriated. The provided evidence includes several excerpts from a ProPublica article and an AZ Luminaria article that explicitly mention the court-ordered audit and the 72% misattribution figure, confirming both components of the claim.
On confidence: Multiple independent excerpts from the same primary source (ProPublica) and a secondary source (AZ Luminaria) report the court-ordered audit and the 72% figure.
Important context
The audit focused on $226 million of settlement‑related charges over a ten‑year period and identified $63 million as appropriately charged, implying the remaining $163 million (about 72%) was misattributed or misappropriated.
Evidence
Supporting (5)
- Tier 1 — Primary sourceJudge Denies Efforts to End Oversight of Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office — ProPublica
Following complaints by Sheridan and Republican county supervisors that oversight costs topped $200 million, the court ordered an audit of the sheriff’s office spending. Court findings, shared in 2025, showed that nearly 72% of the…
- Tier 1 — Primary sourceJudge Denies Efforts to End Oversight of Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office — ProPublica
showed that nearly 72% of the sheriff’s office spending was misattributed or misappropriated . Only $63 million was appropriately charged to the settlement, they said. Officials with the sheriff’s office, however, welcomed parts of the…
- Tier 1 — Primary sourceJudge Denies Efforts to End Oversight of Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office — ProPublica
racial bias in policing. “The court has maintained an unelected and unaccountable federal monitor over MCSO – creating bureaucracy and regulatory burdens that have cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars. That ‘oversight’ comes at…
- Tier 1 — Primary sourceThis sheriff’s office says racial profiling reforms are too costly. Auditors found it misused $163 million. - AZ Luminaria
dollars went to expenses that had little or nothing to do with the settlement. (The audit focused on $226 million that the sheriff’s office charged to the settlement over a 10-year period; it didn’t examine legal and monitoring costs or…
- Tier 1 — Primary sourceThis sheriff’s office says racial profiling reforms are too costly. Auditors found it misused $163 million. - AZ Luminaria
reviews of the department’s traffic stops continue to show racial disparities affecting Latino residents. The lingering disparities amplified Latino leaders and community members’ concerns as the second Trump administration has boosted…
Limitations
All evidence comes from two outlets reporting on the same audit; no direct court documents or independent audit reports are provided. The consistency across sources mitigates this, but primary source verification (e.g., court order text) is not available.
- Last verified:
- Sep 27, 2026, 4:44 AM CDT
- Pipeline:
- 2.1.0
- Claim type:
- Factual
Where this claim appeared
Judge Denies Efforts to End Oversight of Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office as Racial Profiling of Latinos PersistsProPublica · Yana Kunichoff