Tapes of ex-O.C. sheriff contain racial, sexist slurs

Former Orange County Sheriff Michael S. Carona used racial and sexist slurs during secretly recorded conversations with a confidant and boasted that the benefits of public office included hobnobbing with billionaires and getting “phenomenal” sex.

Carona’s attorneys this week made public partial transcripts of the tapes in an effort to keep their client’s words away from a jury. In a motion, the lawyers argued that parts of the tapes should be excluded from the case because they included remarks by Carona that are “unfortunate,” but “irrelevant” to the charges he faces, not criminal in nature and likely to offend jurors.

Carona, 53, resigned in January and is set to go to trial Aug. 26 on charges he engaged in a broad conspiracy to sell access to his office for tens of thousands of dollars and gifts.

Carona’s attorneys already lost a bid to have the recordings excluded entirely from the case. Portions of the tapes previously made public in court documents include conversations that prosecutors say show Carona and former Assistant Sheriff Don Haidl plotting to cover up illegal cash payments and gifts. Haidl, who was cooperating with federal investigators, wore a hidden microphone during the conversations.

The partial transcripts included in this week’s motion show a raw side of Carona that the public probably has never witnessed, talking crassly about his sexual conquests and other women he knew and repeatedly using a racial slur.

In one of the milder exchanges, Carona interrupted the conversation when Haidl was talking about something that had happened to his private pilot.

Carona: “He still with his old lady?”

Haidl: “Ah hmmm.”

Carona: “I always figured, kind of she was so [expletive] hot, she was going to get herself in trouble.”

Haidl: “Oh, yeah. She still looks good too.”

On several occasions, when the two men talked about business deals of some close associates, Carona used a racial slur in describing the small amount of money surrounding the deals.

He also railed at accusations against him in the media, vowing that he would not be brought down by reports of his infidelity, that his marriage would not be ruined and that he “might just walk away from this deal, fly off into the sunset, spend time with my kid, do whatever I want to do with the second half of my life and fade into anonymity.”

“I don’t need to be the big man on campus anymore. But while I’m here, I ain’t taking [expletive] from anybody anymore. I just ain’t taking [expletive] from anybody anymore. Because there’s nothing you can do to me,” he said. “ . . . Hit me with your best shot, pal. . . . “

When the discussion turned to the federal investigation, Carona told Haidl that although he knew a number of wealthy people, there was never a quid pro quo.

However, he paid tribute to the good life he was afforded as sheriff.

“You’re right, I’ve had a life that’s been absolutely blessed,” he says. “I’ve met millionaires, billionaires. I’ve traveled on personal airplanes, and I never shook anybody down for any [expletive], so. . . . Not that I haven’t, you know, drank some great wine, and had great booze and . . . got some, you know, phenomenal . . . [sex] along the way.”

In the motion asking a judge to keep such remarks away from the jury, Carona’s attorney, Jeffrey M. Rawitz, said “the use of vulgar and offensive language by Don Haidl and [Carona] in conversations instigated by the government is both unfortunate and regrettable.”

“Relying on their close friendship and knowing that he was taping their conversations, Mr. Haidl sought to engage [Carona] in private banter where the terms used by both men would be clearly offensive and embarrassing to them both if revealed to others,” he wrote.

The taped conversations between Carona and Haidl span 10 hours and took place over three separate meetings during last summer. Carona was unaware at the time that Haidl had pleaded guilty to tax evasion charges. Full transcripts have not been released.

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christine.hanley@latimes.com

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On latimes.com

Taped remarks

View transcript excerpts at

latimes.com/carona.