Carona’s attorneys target talk of affair

Attorneys for indicted former Orange County Sheriff Michael S. Carona asked a federal judge Monday to prohibit a former secretary from testifying that Carona asked her to lie to investigators about their lengthy sexual affair.

Prosecutors say Sandy Trujillo’s testimony would show that Carona has a proclivity to interfere with investigations. Among the corruption charges Carona faces is an allegation that he encouraged former Assistant Sheriff Donald Haidl to lie to a grand jury investigating the former sheriff.

Carona’s attorneys contended in a brief filed Monday that Trujillo lacks credibility because she once submitted a sexual harassment complaint against Carona to the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing in which she said she had rejected Carona’s advances.

Federal prosecutors said Trujillo later told them that she and Carona had sex and that he told her to lie to investigators about it.

“Mrs. Trujillo’s credibility is seriously in question,” Carona lawyer Jeffrey Rawitz said in an interview. “Even taking her statements at face value, they don’t prove any material allegation in the indictment.”

Assistant U.S. Atty. Kenneth Julian declined to comment.

The motion is the latest effort by Carona’s lawyers to prevent potentially damaging evidence from being presented at his trial. Last week, they sought to exclude racist and sexist statements Carona made during a secretly recorded conversation.

Carona’s lawyers allege Trujillo became angry with Carona when he decided to seek a third term in 2006 and not endorse former Lt. Bill Hunt for sheriff. Trujillo supported Hunt and Carona was reelected.

Trujillo worked with former Assistant Sheriffs Haidl and George Jaramillo in an effort to discredit Carona, his lawyers contend. To support its case, the defense included a statement from a private investigator who alleged that Jaramillo, Haidl and attorney Joseph Cavallo conspired to discredit Carona during the 2006 campaign. All three are expected to testify against him.

Carona, who was indicted in October, resigned in January to concentrate on his trial, which is scheduled to begin Aug. 26. He is charged with corruption, mail fraud and witness tampering.

Prosecutors allege that Carona provided favors for Haidl and others in exchange for cash and gifts.

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