Arizona attorneys stripped of licenses

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PHOENIX, April 10 (UPI) -- An Arizona disciplinary panel stripped a former Maricopa County attorney and his onetime deputy of their law licenses Tuesday for alleged ethical violations.

The disbarment of former Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas and deputy Lisa Aubuchon was the toughest sanction possible for allegations of a total of 33 ethical violations reaching as far back as 2006, The Arizona Republic reported.

Thomas is implicated in 30 of the charges and Aubuchon in 28, while another Thomas deputy, Rachel Alexander, faces seven charges, the Phoenix newspaper said.

The three-member panel appointed by the Arizona Supreme Court suspended Alexander for six months and one day for her involvement, the newspaper said.

The three were variously accused of conflict of interest for holding press conferences to denounce the county's board of supervisors and threatening county officials with litigation. In one instance, Thomas and Aubuchon allegedly filed criminal charges against a county supervisor even though they knew the statute of limitations had expired on his offenses, The Republic reported.