Baugh, Carmony Trials Set in August

SANTA ANA — A Superior Court judge Friday tentatively set an Aug. 26 trial date in the separate felony cases against Assemblyman Scott Baugh and political worker Rhonda Carmony for alleged campaign and election law violations in a special election last year.

Judge James L. Smith also set June 17 as the trial date for Baugh’s chief of staff, Maureen Werft, who is charged with felony counts of perjury and voting illegally in the same election.

The defendants have asked for jury trials in the cases, all three of which are to be held before Smith.

“These are viable court dates,” Smith said in an interview, adding that they could change if circumstances dictate it.

Such scheduling changes often occur as the trial date approaches. “Right now, that is our best guess at when the trials would be,” said Assistant Dist. Atty. John Conley.

Baugh (R-Huntington Beach), elected to the Assembly on Nov. 28, is charged with four felonies and 18 misdemeanors in connection with the 67th District special election campaign, in which Republicans allegedly recruited a decoy Democrat to siphon votes from another Democratic candidate. Voters also recalled Assemblywoman Doris Allen on the same day.

Three GOP aides have pleaded guilty to election fraud for their roles in helping Laurie Campbell, a longtime friend of Baugh’s, get on the ballot. A Sacramento Superior Court judge removed her before the election.

Ron Brower, one of Baugh’s attorneys, said it would be best “to resolve this prior to the election [next November]. . . . He is not guilty and the public should know that.”

Defense attorneys for Carmony and Werft had concerns about being prepared by their trial dates.

Creighton Laz, who represents Carmony, said he had “limited resources” and other trials that could cause him a problem. Doug Otto, who represents Werft, said he was “not certain we will be ready on the 17th.”

Baugh must stand for reelection in November. The trial is expected to take at least a month.

Political observers following the case have generally assumed Baugh and Carmony would push to delay their trials until after the election to avoid having testimony about Republican campaign tactics in the news during the fall campaign, which includes contests on the local, state and national levels.

Baugh is charged with falsely reporting or failing to report thousands of dollars in campaign loans, contributions and expenditures, as well as the improper use of cash in the campaign. Among the alleged violations was failing to timely report a $1,000 contribution from Campbell, then returning the contribution in cash. Cash expenditures of $100 or more are prohibited in a campaign.

Prosecutors contend Baugh lied on campaign statements to conceal his relationship with Campbell until after the election so it would not damage his candidacy. Baugh’s defense has blamed the alleged wrongdoing on Baugh’s campaign treasurer, or attributed it to honest mistakes and complicated campaign reporting laws.

Carmony, who organized Baugh’s campaign and is campaign manager for Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Huntington Beach), is charged with three felonies, including conspiracy, stemming from her alleged role in coordinating the filing of falsified nominating papers by Campbell.

Campbell, who has testified before the grand jury, has not been charged with a crime.