Panel to screen possible charges against Workman

Published: Tuesday, June 29, 2004 6:55 a.m. MDT
 |  E-MAIL | PRINT | FONT + - 
Salt Lake County District Attorney David Yocom has established a panel of independent attorneys to screen possible criminal charges against Salt Lake County Mayor Nancy Workman.

Yocom has asked his counterparts, the district attorneys of Utah, Summit, Davis and Weber counties, to review evidence gathered by his investigators and decide whether to charge Workman with regard to her hiring of two employees to work at the South Valley Boys and Girls Club under the supervision of her daughter, Aisza.

"Obviously there's a possible conflict of interest involved in prosecuting the mayor, who's your chief executive officer, when you're an executive officer in the same county," Yocom, a Democrat, said Monday.

Yocom said the investigation, which began three weeks ago, will likely wrap up by the end of this week or the early part of next week, at which time the panel will meet and make its decision on whether to charge Workman.

The district attorney has not yet interviewed Workman herself as part of the investigation. Depending on the investigation's outcome, she could be charged with felony misuse of public monies or other crimes.

Workman has declined comment regarding details of the matter on the advice of criminal defense attorney Ron Yengich, but she maintains the investigation is "politics at its worst." Workman supporters say Yocom is trying to smear the mayor during an election year simply by initiating an investigation, which they say is enough for many people to assume she's guilty of crimes.

Story continues below

Salt Lake County Council vice chairman Russell Skousen, like Workman a Republican, acknowledged Workman may not have followed proper procedure in the hiring. Nevertheless, "It's pure politics. (Yocom) has got a personal grudge against the mayor, and he's not afraid to hide it. . . . There are a lot of things that don't smell right" with regard to how the investigation is being conducted.

While applauding Yocom's convening of an independent review panel, Skousen said the district attorney also needs to let go of the investigation phase.

Skousen said investigators may have browbeaten Aisza Workman, threatening her when she refused to comment without an attorney present. He also faulted Yocom for the timing: Investigators began interviews with Aisza Workman and others two days before her wedding last Friday.

Yocom maintains the timing was sheer coincidence.

"I don't do criminal prosecutions just to spoil people's weddings," he said.

The whole thing started when Workman hired an eastern European woman named Alina Iorga last June, ostensibly to help minority groups access county services. There were two potential problems with the hiring: Iorga, a temporary employee, also worked as an accountant at the Boys and Girls Club under Aisza Workman's supervision, raising the possibility that Iorga was being paid county money simply to do work for Workman's daughter.

Comments

You can be the first to comment on this story.

previousnext

Latest comments

I find it interesting how our culture has a total disregard for "innocent...

Animals removed from feces-filled home

I agree with "where is his family?", someone within his circle of...

Obama controls all

The only real chance the GOP has in putting a man in the White House anytime...

Utah's crowded classrooms are breeding grounds for all kinds of diseases. ...

The biggest myth of them all has to be that all native Americans are direct...

In Utah, Seminary teachers go to school and choose it for a career. They are...

Thomas will be a restricted free agent after next year so his contract would...

Obama controls all

amen!! there needs to come a time where all this bickering stops.. how long...

Utah's lessons for California

When this government will kill a Father for refusing to send his kids to...

Report: Bush program extended beyond wiretapping

Did Bush cut her a deal to?. You know that I voted for Sarah Palin in 2008...

Advertisements