Judge Gary Donahoe Charged with Bribery

The Maricopa County judge who sent a detention officer to jail recently could end up in jail himself thanks to a criminal complaint filed Wednesday.

Superior Court Judge Gary Donahoe has been charged with a number of crimes, including bribery and obstructing a criminal investigation.

County Attorney Andrew Thomas insisted the charges against Donohoe are about justice and putting an end to corruption; they have nothing to do with any issues his office has had with the judge.

"We cannot allow the precedent to be set that if you are a powerful politician and have powerful friends in court you can avoid prosecution or investigation for crimes," Thomas said.

Thomas and Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio held a joint news conference Wednesday to explain the charges against the judge.

They allege that Donahoe participated in a scheme to hinder an investigation into possible criminal conduct by the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors and to block an investigation into the judge himself.

The charges center on Donahoe's role in the new court tower under construction in downtown Phoenix and whether the judge received any benefits from the project.

The judge is also accused of failing to disclose an attorney-client relationship with two lawyers involved in the court tower's construction.

"I've worked corruption around the world and never seen this type of situation," Arpaio said. "It gets worse and worse as time goes on."

The sheriff and the county attorney said the charges against the judge have nothing to do with Donahoe holding a sheriff's detention officer in contempt and putting him in jail for looking through a defense attorney's papers.

They also insisted that the Sheriff's Office's dispute with Donahoe over transportation of prisoners is unrelated.

"The issues with transportation and the deputy incarcerated had nothing to do with it, other than the fact that it is simply interesting that the pattern of outrageous conduct by the judge involves these other matters," Thomas said.

CBS 5 News contacted Donahoe's office to get reaction to the criminal complaint, but the judge had no comment.

A preliminary hearing has been set for Jan. 11.