Former Carbon County sheriff admits to misusing public funds


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PRICE — As a politician, former Carbon County Sheriff James Cordova asked people for their votes.

On Friday, he asked for something else, after admitting in court that he used public money for personal benefit during his final year in office.

"I sincerely apologize to the citizens of Carbon County and ask their forgiveness for my lapse in judgment," Cordova said, reading from a prepared statement after pleading guilty in 7th District Court to misuse of public money, a third-degree felony.

The veteran lawman's apologies didn't end there.

"I apologize to the Carbon County Sheriff's Office, the Utah Sheriff's Association, including all 28 sheriffs of the state of Utah, and the law enforcement community for any embarrassment I have caused," he said. "It was never my intent to bring shame to this honorable profession."

In court records filed as part of Cordova's plea, the former sheriff admitted he used his patrol truck and a county-owned trailer to move personal property from his home in Carbon County to his new home in Washington County. He also admitted that he used his county-issued credit card to buy gas for his truck during the trips.

"For the past 16 years, as the sheriff of Carbon County, I used my county patrol vehicle at all times in order to respond in emergency situations, because as sheriff, I was on essentially on duty 24/7," Cordova told Judge Lyle Anderson, still reading from his statement.

"This was obviously bad judgment on my behalf to use this vehicle and a sheriff’s office trailer to move personal belongings to my home in St George," Cordova said. "In hindsight, I see now that I did benefit from the use of the trailer and county vehicle."


I sincerely apologize to the citizens of Carbon County and ask their forgiveness for my lapse in judgment.

–James Cordova, former sheriff


Cordova used his county credit card 26 times between December 2013 and April 2014 to fill the patrol truck's fuel tank in five different counties between Price and St. George, racking up a bill of more than $2,100, according to charging documents. He also switched the license plates on the county trailer during one trip, investigators said.

Prosecutors agreed to dismiss the misdemeanor license plate violation in exchange for Cordova's guilty plea to the felony charge. His plea will be held in abeyance for three years, under the terms of the deal.

If Cordova makes full restitution to the county, completes 80 hours of community service in the next year and has no new criminal violations, his guilty plea will be dismissed.

Cordova was first sworn in as sheriff in 1999 and has been a law enforcement officer for 30 years, having served 14 years with the Price Police Department. In early 2013, he announced that he would not seek re-election and later that same year bought a house in St. George. Shortly after the purchase, multiple sources say, he was frequently absent from his office.

Several members of the public complained to the Carbon County Commission that Cordova was spending too much time in St. George. Commissioners asked the Carbon County Attorney's Office to investigate the issue, and prosecutors there turned the case over to the Utah Attorney General's Office to avoid a potential conflict of interest.

Cordova, who had more than a dozen supporters in the courtroom Friday, told Anderson he chose to plead guilty "in order to avoid further shame and embarrassment upon my family and the office I held."

"I would like to move forward with my life, out of the political and public arena," Cordova told the judge. "Again, I take full responsibility for my poor judgment and I take full responsibility for any sanctions that have been levied against me."

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Geoff Liesik

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