PHOENIX – The United States Justice Department is threatening to sue Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio.
The department says Sheriff Arpaio has refused to cooperate with a civil rights investigation into his office for alleged discrimination and unconstitutional searches and seizures.
In a letter, the justice department says Arpaio has until August 17 to turn over relevant documents.
The sheriff did not discuss that topic Tuesday but he did comment on the million-dollar bounty on his head, phoned in from Mexico. Arpaio joked that two years ago it was a $5 bounty.
"I guess the economy has gotten bad in Mexico City or Mexico, so it's gone down. I guess my guys take it serious but I'm going to continue doing my job, nothing's changing."
The Federal Bureau of Investigations is investigating the threat.
