Indicted ex-Pima County sheriff's commander sets defense plan
The former second-in-command of the Sheriff’s Department, who was indicted on charges of theft of federal funds, is claiming in a court filing he was acting on behalf of the department when the alleged crimes occurred, documents show.
In a notice filed this week with U.S. District Court, Christopher M. Radtke said he intended to use a “public authority defense” in his upcoming trial on seven felony charges related to money laundering and embezzlement of roughly $500,000 in public funds, court documents show.
“At all times alleged in the indictment, and with respect to the acts alleged in the indictment, Christopher Radtke was acting as an employee of the Pima County Sheriff’s Department, acting within the lawful scope and authority of his employment on behalf of and in the interests of his employer,” the document says.
A public authority defense means the defendant knowingly committed a crime, but did so “in reasonable reliance upon a grant of authority from a government official to engage in illegal activity,” according to the U.S. Department of Justice website.
Read more: http://tucson.com/news/local/crime/indicted-ex-pima-county-sheriff-s-commander-sets-defense-plan/article_364a6dd4-73b5-5d53-80c6-3c930e691f04.html