FBI questions witness in Carona probe about L.A. County undersheriff
Federal investigators have made inquiries into the conduct of one of Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca's top assistants as part of their corruption probe of former Orange County Sheriff Michael S. Carona, according to court documents.
The key informant in Carona's case told FBI agents that he gave L.A. County Undersheriff Larry Waldie a used Chevrolet Camaro as a gift for Waldie's daughter, records show. The disclosure has prompted an internal affairs investigation of Waldie by the Sheriff's Department.
According to an FBI report, Don Haidl, an ex-assistant sheriff under Carona who owned a vehicle auction business, said he gave Waldie an old but "good-running" Camaro in 1999 that had no value to his business. Before giving the car to Waldie, Haidl said he "had a cheap set of tires put on the Camaro and had the car detailed" at a cost of about $125, records show.
In an interview with The Times, Waldie acknowledged accepting the car but said he believed it had little value and that he was not required to report it on state forms in which he must disclose gifts of more than $50. "It was a junker," Waldie said. "It wasn't worth anything."
Waldie, however, said he sent his wife over with the checkbook to pick up the vehicle, but Haidl refused to accept any money for the "old, old Chevy." Later, he said, he gave Haidl a bottle of wine worth $150 to $300 as payment.
Haidl told FBI investigators that Waldie did try to pay him, but that he rebuffed his attempts to give him money, the documents show. The FBI report did not reveal the Camaro's mileage or year, and Waldie said he did not remember those details.
Waldie, who at the time was an assistant sheriff and an elected Walnut City Council member, said the car did not last long and he has never been questioned by the FBI about it.
Under state law in 1999, Waldie -- as a high-ranking member of the Sheriff's Department and as an elected councilman -- was required to report any gift of $50 or more, experts say.
Waldie's forms show that he did not declare the car as a gift, but did report several thousands of dollars in other gifts, including tickets to a concert, hockey games, Laker games and a championship boxing match.
Bob Stern, president of the Center for Governmental Studies and a key architect of the state's conflict-of-interest laws, said Waldie should have reported the car as a gift.
