Fraud charges against McDonald dropped

The Pinal County Attorney has dropped fraud charges against former city of Maricopa employee Marty McDonald.

“At this point there is no reasonable likelihood of conviction based on a review of Federal Express business records and possible exculpatory evidence provided by the defense,” said James P. Walsh, Pinal County Attorney. “In the interests of justice we made a motion to dismiss the case.”

The case came to the Pinal County Attorney’s Office in April 2009, following an investigation by the Phoenix Police Department, at the request of the city of Maricopa.

That investigation revealed a personal account McDonald had with Fed Ex had been listed as a government account, giving McDonald more than $10,000 in city shipping discounts.

However, McDonald’s attorney, Clair Lane, filed a motion to dismiss the claim when the lawyer discovered an e-mail between McDonald and a FedEx employee in which McDonald asked why the connection between the two accounts was made and asked for the link to be removed.

That e-mail was generated Aug.16, 2005, nearly a year after McDonald had begun working for the city, but the link between the two accounts remained until December 2007. Throughout the time the accounts were linked McDonald never received any financial gain from the discount, nor did the city incur any loss.

McDonald was removed from the city’s payroll Aug. 7 after nearly four months on administrative leave.

City manager Kevin Evans said he expects to open up hiring soon and have a new community services director in place within the next 60 days. However, the new position will be one with diminished duties compared to those McDonald once held.

More information will be posted as it becomes available.