County seeks additional reimbursement from former county manager

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Lawyers from Pinal County and the Arizona Counties Insurance Pool have filed a motion asking for restitution payments being made by former Pinal County Manager Stanley Griffis to increase from $2,000 to $5,000 a month.

The 68-year-old Griffis served as the Pinal County manager from 1989 until 2004 when charges were filed against him for defrauding the county for more than $400,000.

Griffis pled guilty to six felony charges in January 2007, receiving three years in prison and seven years of probation. He was also ordered to pay $639,035 in restitution.

Upon his release from prison in 2010, Griffis reported to the adult probation department on his December income and expense report that he spends $500 a month on hair cuts, $75 a month on manicures, $800 in dental co-pays, $500 in veterinarian fees, $1,200 for groceries and $185 for phone services.

To explain these fees Griffis attached a letter stating he had $10,000 in dental costs in 2010 because “he didn’t receive any dental care in prison” and “his dentist remarked he didn’t want to work on me because he was afraid I would die in the chair.”

The former county manager added in the letter his extreme food costs were due to his heart condition, "Heart patients need to eat low-fat, healthy food such as lean chicken and turkey, fish, fresh vegetables and fruit. This type of diet is not cheap. . . . Two of my four bypasses became blocked while in prison due to the fatty, starchy diet," Griffis said.

In addition to the lavish expenses, the lawyers filing for an increase in payments argue Griffis’ annual income is now $196,000, about 44 percent more than his reported annual income of $135,457.20 when he was sentenced in March 2007.

The lawyer filing the motion for the state insurance fund, Russell Rea, said increasing Griffis’ payments give the victims the opportunity to recover the full amount owed by the end of Griffis’ probation in 2017.
 
"Due to defendant's advanced age and health history, victims should have an opportunity to recover restitution as soon as possible," Rea wrote.

Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Roland Steinle is expected to rule on the motion June 9.

Submitted photo