PHOENIX — Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery is facing allegations of ethical misconduct. A complaint filed Tuesday accuses Montgomery of failing to properly supervise Jodi Arias prosecutor Juan Martinez.
The complaint filed by the law firm representing Arias stems from a book Martinez wrote as he was prosecuting the Arias case and published as Arias’ conviction was being appealed, "Conviction: The Untold Story of Putting Jodi Arias Behind Bars."
According to the complaints, Martinez claimed to have permission from MCAO to write and publish the book. The complaint also says Martinez worked on his book while at his MCAO office “on county time, at taxpayer expense.”
Montgomery violated his ethical duties by allowing the publication of the book even as the case was still pending, according to the state bar complaint against Montgomery.
The complaint also says Montgomery allowed two media members access to nonpublic areas of MCAO and documents related to the Arias case during the writing of the book.
According to the bar charge, multiple appellate court findings—including ones from the Supreme Court—show a 12-year long pattern of prosecutorial misconduct by Martinez in death penalty cases like the Arias case.
Despite those court findings of misconduct, Montgomery failed to properly supervise Martinez during that time and instead “heaped praises and raises on the lawyer they glowingly refer to as ‘Homicide’s polished junkyard dog,’” the complaint states.
The bar charge against Montgomery also says he violated Arizona public records law by not responding to public records requests concerning Martinez's misconduct.
Montgomery denied the allegations in a statement Tuesday:
"Political agendas and special interests should not be allowed to have a place when it comes to the ethical responsibilities of a prosecutor. I await a full and timely review of these inaccurate claims that have been previously reviewed and found to be without merit."