Reply #6: Miami Herald: Arza, cousin to be charged with tampering, retaliation

[seafan]

Much more coming out of this stinking mess:


Arza, cousin to be charged with tampering, retaliation


CBS-4/MIAMI HERALD FILE
FACING CHARGES: Rep. Ralph Arza, R-Hialeah, right, and his cousin, Paulino Barbon Jr., face charges related to expletive-laden phone messages.



BY MARC CAPUTO AND SUSANNAH NESMITH
November 1, 2006

Prosecutors are expected to charge state Rep. Ralph Arza and his first cousin today with felony counts of tampering with and retaliating against a witness for their expletive-laced phone calls to a Miami Beach lawmaker who found their messages threatening, according to sources close to Arza and the investigation. Both are third-degree felonies.

At press conference this morning, Arza announced his resignation from his state House seat in an attempt to stave off the criminal charges, but he was told the charges would be filed anyway, the sources say.

One reason for the charges coming now: Arza was scheduled to speak in Tallahassee to the House Select Committee to Investigate the Conduct of Representative Ralph Arza.

The committee was established after Rep. Gus Barreiro gave police five recordings of messages left by Arza and his cousin, Paulino Barbon Jr., two weekends ago in which Arza called him a ''bitch'' and used a racial slur. Barreiro had just filed a House Rules complaint against Arza, alleging the Hialeah-area lawmaker had twice used racial slurs to describe Miami-Dade's black school's chief, Rudy Crew.

Shortly after Arza left a second message, Barbon allegedly called and was far more explicit, saying, among other things, that they would ``crack your head open.''

Arza has told some friends that he wants his successor to be School Board member Frank Bolaños, who ran a vicious but failed campaign to unseat Miami Sen. Alex Villalobos this year. Villalobos said Bolaños is unacceptable.

snip