SANTA ANA (AP) -- Former Orange County Sheriff Michael Carona uses racial slurs and obscenities and makes sexual comments in parts of a conversation secretly recorded by federal investigators building a public corruption case against him.
A transcript of parts of the 10 hours of recordings was filed Monday as an attachment to a defense motion seeking to exclude those comments from the evidence at trial.
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Carona's attorney, Jeffrey Rawitz, wrote that the remarks ``are irrelevant ... and are likely to offend and anger the jury, resulting in unfair prejudice to Carona.''
Carona left the department in January after he was indicted on federal charges of public corruption, witness tampering and fraud. Prosecutors allege he pocketed hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and gifts in exchange for political favors.
Two former assistant sheriffs pleaded guilty to lesser federal charges and helped prosecutors build a case against Carona. One of those men wore a wire during several meetings with Carona to discuss the federal probe against him.
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