Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard 2009 Annual Report

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About the Office’s Budget (continued) Chart Attorney 3 Attorney General's General’s Office: Office: Percentage Percentage of Total of Total State State General General Fund Fund 1.00% 30,000,000 Chart Attorney 4 Attorney General's General’s Office: Office: General General Fund Fund Appropriations Appropriations 0.90% 0.80% 25,000,000 0.70% 20,000,000 0.60% 0.50% 15,000,000 0.40% 0.30% 10,000,000 0.20% 5,000,000 0.10% 0.00% FY89 FY90 FY91 FY92 FY93 FY94 FY95 FY96 FY97 FY98 FY99 FY00 FY01 FY02 FY03 FY04 FY05 FY06 FY07 FY08 FY09 FY10 0 FY89 FY90 FY91 FY92 FY93 FY94 FY95 FY96 FY97 FY98 FY99 FY00 FY01 FY02 FY03 FY04 FY05 FY06 FY07 FY08 FY09 FY10 The Office’s workload increased Second, state agencies, boards litigation against the State. As the burden on employees in every In sum, the Office headed into significantly in the past year for two and commissions that rely on State’s legal counsel, my Office division. FY2010 with fewer people than at primary reasons. First, as a result of the State’s rough economic situation, a dramatic increase has been seen in financial crime, fraud, child abuse and claims against state government. the Office to provide legal advice and review their contracts and regulations are often operating in uncharted territory, giving rise to novel legal issues, often requiring prompt action. Finally, budget decisions made by the Legislature spawned additional has had to defend against this large increase in litigation. These waves of additional work – and corresponding increased risks to the State – came during same period when we were forced to lay off dozens of experienced legal professionals, placing a heavier The Office sought to absorb the budget cuts in the most fiscally responsible manner, making layoffs earlier than any other state agency to minimize the number of personnel cuts and instituting mandatory furloughs for higher-compensated employees. any point in more than a decade to perform critical legal work and protect the citizens of Arizona. While attorneys and staff have risen to the occasion, the challenge in meeting the greater demands on the Office has been substantial. Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard • 2009 Annual Report 6
Office Highlights Combating Cross-Border Crime The U.S. Justice Department has called the criminal cartels based in Mexico “the biggest organized crime threat to the United States,” and our Office has moved aggressively to combat them. Two multi-agency investigations were culminated during the year: • Operation Tumbleweed was one of the largest take-downs of a drug-smuggling operation in Arizona history. The yearlong investigation broke up a binational syndicate that in the past five years smuggled two million pounds of marijuana into the U.S. with a wholesale value estimated at $1 billion. The Garibaldi- Lopez drug trafficking organization relied on vehicles stolen from the U.S. Each vehicle was modified to carry Terry Goddard, joined by Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon (left) and state and federal law enforcement officials, announces the results of Operation Tumbleweed, which broke up a major drug trafficking organization believed to have smuggled two million pounds of marijuana from Mexico into the United States. 2,000 to 2,500 pounds of bundled marijuana at a time. Indictments were returned against 59 individuals. • Operation En Fuego dismantled a massive Phoenix-based human-smuggling organization with the indictment of 35 individuals. It contracted with other smuggling organizations to transport 40 to 90 undocumented immigrants per week in vans from Phoenix to their final destinations throughout the United States. Border organizers used money transmitters to collect payments of $1,800 per person to smuggle migrants from Mexico to Phoenix-area drop houses. Terry Goddard (left) is sworn in before giving testimony at a congressional hearing in Washington, D.C., on steps needing to be taken by the federal government to control border violence. Drivers were contracted to take the migrants to their final destination for another $700 fee. These two investigations took scores of violent criminals off the streets and were models of close coordination among local, state and federal agencies. Attorney General Goddard also worked on other fronts to improve border security. In testimony to two congressional committees and in meetings with senior Administration officials, he emphasized the need for additional resources and closer collaboration among federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. He also Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard • 2009 Annual Report 7
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Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard 2009 Annual Report

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