SMC Supes Share Scathing Report On Sheriff Corpus, Chief Of Staff

REDWOOD CITY, CA — A retired judge tasked with carrying out an independent investigation into the office of San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus and her chief of staff found multiple instances of malfeasance in a scathing report, the county Board of Supervisors announced Tuesday.

Judge LaDoris Cordell's independent 400-page investigation into allegations of retaliation, racism and abuse of authority was shared Tuesday evening in a special session held by the Board of Supervisors.

Supervisors Noelia Corzo and Ray Mueller addressed the public at the meeting.

"I will be blatantly honest with you and say that what Supervisor Mueller and I will be sharing with you shortly is extremely concerning and warrants immediate action," said Corzo, adding that the investigation came about due to an "unprecedented volume" of complaints against Corpus and her chief of staff Victor Aenlle.

Cordell found multiple leadership failures in the office by Corpus and other senior team members, with a particular focus on allegations of abuse of power, intimidation, retaliation and conflicts of interest.

"Notably, one individual, Victor Aenlle, who Sheriff Corpus appointed, was central to many of these complaints," said Corzo. "As stated in the report, and I quote, 'Aenlle has repeatedly exceeded and abused his authority with the knowledge and approval of Sheriff Corpus.'"
Cordell wrote that the Corpus/Aenlle administration "is obsessed with loyalty that borders on paranoia."

She investigated 15 allegations against the office and found 12 of them to be sustained.

They are as follows:

-Corpus had an intimate relationship with Aenlle, who was promoted to work in her office despite having a background in real estate and not law enforcement. Cordell also found that Corpus repeatedly recommended pay raises for him and had him working directly underneath her, in violation of the Sheriff's Office's conflict of interest policies.
-Cordell found that fear of retaliation is "rampant" in the office and Corpus even fired a deputy who took part in the judge's investigation.
-Corpus has uttered and texted racist and homophobic messages. At the Board of Supervisors meeting, a section of the report was shared that said when Corpus was a captain in 2022, she entered a civilian employee's office as the woman was watching then-Sheriff Carlos Bolanos in a Zoom meeting on her screen. The judge found that Corpus stood behind the woman and said "N----r" twice about Bolanos. The judge also noted that the employee had a biracial son and that Corpus knew it.

As for Aenlle, Cordell found the following:

-Aenlle exercises authority far beyond his duties and has inched his way up the chain of command where he applies wide-ranging and sometimes abusive authority over civil and sworn staff.
-He showed a conflict of interest when he brokered a lease for a substation daycare center for officers' children with a real estate company that he is an associate broker for.
-Aenlle wears a gold badge despite never being a sworn officer, which the judge said is a misdemeanor. Cordell further found that Corpus gave him the badge, which she said may also be a misdemeanor.

Corpus was not available for comment but described the report as having "glaring lies" in a release sent out by her office.

Corzo said the Board of Supervisors learned Tuesday that Corpus had arrested a deputy in her office, San Mateo County Deputy Sheriff's Association president Carlos Tapia, on suspicion of felony grand theft by false pretenses. The union immediately condemned the arrest, saying it had "all the earmarks of whistleblower retaliation" in the wake of Cordell's report.

"You might remember that Carlos Tapia also brought the vote of no confidence against Aenlle," said Corzo. "While we don't know the facts surrounding the arrest or the merits of the case, we know it is highly irregular in San Mateo County for the Sheriff's Office to conduct a criminal investigation and arrest a member of their own department. Such an investigation would typically be turned over the district attorney for handling."

Corzo concurred with the Deputy Sheriff's Association, saying that Tapia was one of the people who reported a whistleblower complaint against Aenlle and that the timing and circumstances of Corpus' arrest of him are "highly troubling, especially given the other findings of Judge Cordell's investigation."

In her report, Cordell concluded, "Lies, secrecy, intimidation, retaliation, conflicts of interest, and abuses of authority are all the hallmarks of the Corpus administration. Corpus should step down and Victor Aenlle's employment with the Sheriff's Office should be terminated immediately. Nothing short of new leadership can save this organization that is in turmoil, and its personnel demoralized."

Mueller said the Board of Supervisors will convene Wednesday at 4 p.m. to discuss the findings of the report. He anticipates that the board will consider censuring the sheriff, calling for her resignation, and/or removing Aenlle from his role. They will also consider referring the report to a civil grand jury and the District Attorney's Office.

On Tuesday, San Mateo County District Attorney Stephen Wagstaffe said in an email that his office won't comment on the report until it has had a chance to fully review it, but that "there are several matters raised in the report that call for our examination and we will do so."

Story by Katy St. Clair, Bay City News.

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