O.C. Grand Jury Opens Probe of District Attorney

The Orange County Grand Jury has opened a wide-ranging examination of the district attorney’s office, which has been mired in internal strife and allegations of wrongdoing and conflicts of interest for more than a year.

Several current and former prosecutors said they have received subpoenas requiring them to testify before the panel’s criminal justice committee, which evaluates the efficiency of the county’s justice system and issues reports to the Board of Supervisors.

The grand jury inquiry appears to be focused on a host of allegations that have dogged the office. Critics have accused Dist. Atty. Tony Rackauckas of giving favorable treatment to political allies and contributors in several cases. Last month, he agreed to dissolve a nonprofit charity he said he formed to help troubled youths but that had come under investigation by the attorney general’s office.

Rackauckas has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and blamed any turmoil in his office on political adversaries.

The grand jury has been taking testimony for about a month.

Christopher Evans, a former top assistant to Rackauckas, said he has been questioned about Rackauckas privately by state attorney general investigators and in front of the grand jury.

“I have received a subpoena, and I’ve cooperated fully. I was admonished not to discuss questions and answers,” said Evans, who left the office in 1999.

Rackauckas declined to comment on the grand jury inquiry. But a district attorney’s supervisor who spoke on condition of anonymity described the investigation as a routine audit and noted that the grand jury has studied the public defender’s office, Sheriff’s Department and, in 1997, the district attorney’s office.

“We assume the office will receive a good evaluation,” the supervisor said. “This is a normal procedure.”

The new grand jury inquiry comes as Rackauckas is in the midst of a heated reelection campaign. Prosecutors in the office voted last month to endorse veteran prosecutor Wally Wade instead of their boss, the first time the prosecutors have failed to endorse an incumbent district attorney.

Wade has attacked Rackauckas’ integrity throughout the campaign, accusing the district attorney of using his position to reward those who supported his candidacy. The challenger said the grand jury inquiry was terribly embarrassing to the office.

Adam Probolsky, a spokesman for the Rackauckas campaign, said Wade is mischaracterizing the grand jury investigation “to feed his negative campaign.”