Colorado Office of the Attorney General

Marijuana giveaway with pipes purchase illegal, says attorney general, police chief

Earlier this month, we wrote about Craigslist advertisements offering free marijuana as a bonus for purchasing other items, in exchange for a donation, or even for buying a $50 bumper sticker. Now, however, both the Colorado Attorney General and the Denver Police Chief have branded the practice ille ... More >>

Amendment 64 task force can't make mountains out of marijuana molehills, advocate says

In this space yesterday, marijuana advocate Christian Sederberg spoke positively about the Amendment 64 task force to which he was just named. So, too, does attorney Sean McAllister, who lobbied the governor's office about the importance of marijuana consumers being represented on the panel. But wit ... More >>

Edward Montour: The other death-penalty decision facing the new DA

This week's feature, "Lethal Election," explores how the race for district attorney in the 18th Judicial District has drawn a national spotlight because the winner will have to decide whether to pursue the death penalty in prosecuting James Holmes, the suspect in the Aurora theater shootings. It's a ... More >>

Marijuana busts timed by law enforcement to undermine Amendment 64?

The Colorado Attorney General's office announcement of a 59-count indictment against Silver Lizard dispensary weeks after a law-enforcement survey showing medical marijuana was being diverted raised a question that's buzzed in the background amid the campaign for Amendment 64, the Regulate Marijuana ... More >>

Fraud complaints: Colorado is number one again, Greeley tops metro areas

The Federal Trade Commission released its 2011 list of consumer complaints, and Colorado topped the charts for a second consecutive year, with the most reported per-capita consumer fraud complaints in the nation. Greeley -- ranked No. 1 for large U.S. metro areas -- joined Colorado Springs, Boulder ... More >>

Colorado firefighter calendar rises from the ashes tonight

​The party had everything: a worthy beneficiary (the Children's Hospital Burn Center), lots of alcohol for the mostly female crowd, and stripped-down, smokin' hot firefighters. But then the Denver District Attorney threw a wet blanket on the fun: Turns out that Fired Up for Kids might not have ... More >>

Pat Sullivan: Jail named for accused meth-for-sex sheriff to keep name for now

After ex-Arapahoe County Sheriff Pat Sullivan's November arrest for allegedly trading meth for sex, he was jailed in a detention facility bearing his name. No wonder county commissioners soon began considering a policy forbidding the naming of public buildings after individuals, living or dead. But ... More >>

Anthony Harvey, home decor expert -- and drug-ring leader, claims indictment (VIDEOS)

Big pic below.​Decorative Concrete Finishes' Anthony Harvey is the star and narrator of videos on his YouTube channel in which he and his crew reveal how an average backyard can be transformed into a showplace; see examples below. However, his current spotlight time doesn't focus on his skills ... More >>

Payday loans at 185 percent APR: Reform slashes interest rate, but desperation remains

Last year, when state lawmakers set about reining in the sky-high interest rates of payday lenders in Colorado, the industry howled and moaned that tighter regulation would cost bunches of jobs. But a new report from the Colorado Attorney General's Office suggests the biggest impact of the reform ha ... More >>

TABOR challenge: John Suthers to vigorously defend amendment against lawsuit

John Suthers.​The Taxpayer's Bill of Rights, which requires tax increases to be okayed by popular vote, was approved in 1992, meaning that it's been in place for nearly two decades -- and a pain in the neck to legislators for the same amount of time. Now, a coalition of lawmakers and notables ... More >>

Attorney General John Suthers decries Senate's inability to pass THC driving limit bill

John Suthers.​When House Bill 1261, which would have set THC driving limits, was killed on Monday, many people -- including most of the bill's supporters, and just about all of its opponents -- were surprised. John Suthers, Colorado Attorney General and medical marijuana dispensary foe was out ... More >>

Medical marijuana letter from U.S. Attorney early attack on 2012 pot legalization campaign?

Brian Vicente.​Medical marijuana advocates have been debating the intent of U.S. Attorney John Walsh's letter attacking portions of HB 1043, a bill intended to tweak MMJ regs that became law last year. Among the theories: The letter is a warning shot in what will be a full-scale federal effort ... More >>

Troy Geske's Colorado Mental Health Institute death due to "malfeasance," grand jury reports

The institute.​A grand jury has concluded that a lethal combination of bad calls, poor training and inadequate supervision led to the death of a patient in restraints at the Colorado Mental Health Institute at Pueblo last year. But the probe found no criminal misconduct by employees in the inc ... More >>

Medical marijuana cultivation no different than other pot grows, says U.S. Attorneys Office

A 2009 weed bust.​U.S. Attorney John Walsh's letter objecting to elements of HB 1043, a bill meant to clean up parts of last year's medical marijuana rules, has alarmed activists and confused legislators like Senator Pat Steadman, the measure's co-sponsor. Could dispensary raids like those tak ... More >>

Medical marijuana: Does U.S. Attorney John Walsh's letter signal end of federal MMJ truce?

John Walsh.​HB 1043, a bill sponsored by Representative Tom Massey and Senator Pat Steadman to clean up last year's medical marijuana regulations, seemed to be quietly moving toward passage -- but no more. A letter from U.S. Attorney John Walsh attacking aspects of the legislation call into qu ... More >>

Medical marijuana letter from U.S. Attorney worrisome to business, says Sen. Pat Steadman

Pat Steadman.​Earlier today, we shared a letter from U.S. Attorney John Walsh attacking elements of HB 1043, a bill intended to clean up aspects of last year's medical marijuana legislation. Senator Pat Steadman, who's co-sponsoring the measure with Representative Tom Massey, confesses to bein ... More >>

Medical marijuana advisory committee shuts down, health dept. rejects caregiver definition

Brian Vicente.​In February, a meeting of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment's medical marijuana advisory committee resulted in a definition of caregivers that cheered committee member Jill Lamoureux, who called it "movement forward for patient and caregiver rights." Now, ... More >>

Douglas Bruce, father of TABOR and controversy magnet, indicted for tax evasion

Big pic below.​Douglas Bruce has made no shortage of enemies over the years -- and plenty of them are likely grinning at the sight of his mug shot, released in conjunction with word that he's been indicted for failing to pay taxes he earned in 2005-2007. His alleged method of evasion? Funnelin ... More >>

Top 10 consumer complaints in Colorado in 2010 and early 2011

​The Colorado Attorney General's Office has compiled its list of the top 10 complaints it received in 2010 -- an unhappy roster broken down generically and specifically. In both cases, gripes about rebates hold the top spot. But when it comes to businesses by name, the outfit that prompted the ... More >>

John Reinholdt II gets sixteen year sentence, to pay $2.5 million restitution in Ponzi scheme

Charles Ponzi.​Charles Ponzi may be dead and buried, but his infamous scheme continues to inspire sharpies across the globe -- like, for instance, John Reinholdt II, who was just sentenced to sixteen years behind bars, and ordered to pay $2.5 million restitution in a complex, long-running frau ... More >>

John Suthers calls ruling against health-care legislation a victory for federalism: Read it here

John Suthers.​Last March, Colorado Attorney General John Suthers joined "nearly a dozen" state AGs in challenging the constitutionality of just-passed health-care legislation. Now, he is celebrating a U.S. District Court ruling in Florida that concludes Congress "exceeded the bounds of its aut ... More >>

Attorney General John Suthers could use some Facebook friends

Marijuana bust: Richard Caleel among group accused of using MMJ as cover for illicit pot ring

Big pics below.​North Metro Drug Task Force Commander Jerry Peters has long argued that criminals are abusing Colorado's medical marijuana system -- and now he's got more evidence go back up his contention. The Colorado Attorney General's Office, working with the NMDTF, has just announced a ma ... More >>

Azimdzhon Mazhidov, 15 others from Russia, Tajikistan charged with ripping off $300,000

Large pics below.​Azimdzhon Mazhidov is accused of getting rich with a little help from his friends. He's among sixteen defendants from Russia and Tajikistan charged with stealing more than $300,000 from assorted banks. But they didn't use guns. Instead, according to an indictment on view belo ... More >>

John Suthers's anti-bullying event gives Chatfield students inside look at modern media

John Suthers.​Yesterday, my seventeen-year-old daughters, Lora and Ellie, helped sing the "Happy Birthday" song used at Red Robin restaurants to Colorado Attorney General John Suthers. And no, I'm not kidding. Suthers was the star attraction at a Monday press event at Chatfield High School int ... More >>

Stan Garnett-John Suthers race (and others) get brutal thanks to serial killers and smears

Scott Kimball​"Who would you rather have protecting you? The man who unleashed a serial killer on Colorado, or Stan Garnett -- the man who put the killer away?" That tag line from a new attack ad in the Colorado Attorney General's race puts aside any doubt that we're entering the campaign's c ... More >>

Myrl Serra, DA for 7th Judicial District, busted for unlawful sexual conduct, indecent exposure

Myrl Serra.​Colorado Attorney General's office spokesman Mike Saccone confirms that Myrl Serra, district attorney for the 7th Judicial District, which covers several Western Slope counties, is in Montrose County jail following his arrest this morning on three startling charges: unlawful sexual ... More >>

Mariya Barmak is suburban superhero Broomfield Bluenose: Kenny Be's Hip Tip

Full-sized comic below.​Broomfield Bluenose Real name: Mariya Barmak; Occupation: Assistant Colorado Attorney General; Suburb of operation: Broomfield; Hair: Scarved; Eyes: Burning Suburban superhero skills: Broomfield Bluenose possesses the conventional attributes of a Latvian immigrant as w ... More >>

Drug ring in Boulder County: 17 indicted for meth, cocaine, to Stan Garnett's delight

Stan Garnett.​Boulder District Attorney Stan Garnett, who's challenging John Suthers for the job of Colorado Attorney General, was able to burnish his law-and-order credentials today via the actions of a grand jury, which just handed down a 127-count, seventeen-person indictment aimed at a Lon ... More >>

Mary Mullarkey retirement: Clear the Bench's Matt Arnold says pressure's driving her out

Mary Mullarkey will leave the bench in November.​During yesterday's announcement about her intention to retire in November, Colorado Supreme Court Chief Justice Mary Mullarkey said a vigorous campaign against her and three other justices had nothing to do with her decision. That's Mullarkey m ... More >>

Cannabis Therapy Institute to Stan Garnett: Drop cases against 4/20 weed smokers

Will Stan Garnett receive the pro-marijuana vote?​Boulder District Attorney Stan Garnett recently announced his intention to challenge John Suthers for the Colorado Attorney General gig -- and his comparatively progressive views on marijuana presumably meant he could count on support from pro- ... More >>

Rob Corry offers free defense for anyone ticketed for smoking weed on 4/20

No one's taken Rob Corry up on his offer -- yet.​As noted in a just-published blog, the Cannabis Therapy Institute has called on Boulder DA Stan Garnett to forgo prosecuting anyone ticketed for smoking weed at CU's annual orgasm of cannabis consumption. If Garnett decides to go ahead anyway, ... More >>

Pot power players Who's Who in Colorado: The anti-marijuana team

​Keeping track of all the individuals and organizations duking it out on the front lines of the state's medical-marijuana debate is trickier than picking through the med strains at your corner dispensary. To help weed through the chaos, we've created this guide to the state's top marijuana pow ... More >>

Wake-Up Call: Talk about the Mile High (and Higher) City!

​Even Balloon Boy couldn't knock our hunt for a medical-marijuana reviewer out of the national news. Yesterday, NPR's Sunday show ran a piece about our quest, resulting in still more applications coming in from across the country. But sorry, folks: We're looking for a Colorado resident, someon ... More >>

Wake-Up Call: Salazar needs to stay put

Timing is everything. Early on, as president-elect Barack Obama started filling his Cabinet, Ken Salazar's name kept surfacing -- but so did word that what the first-term senator and former Colorado Attorney General ultimately wanted was a seat on the U.S. Supreme Court, and in the meantime, he wa ... More >>

Denver Blogs: How the military's homophobia cost a cadet $30,000

Courtesy of FlickrThese are the fruits of our daily blog-surfing labor. Make our jobs easier by sending nutritious links here. One cadet's experience with Don't Ask, Don't Tell: As you might guess, it pretty much sucked. It was also expensive. (Colorado Independent) Lawmakers have asked the govern ... More >>

Shmuck: Roll over and play dead

Again with the animals? Poor Rover. Poor Fluffy. Why is it that we humans take out our aggressions on our pets. Why do we put them in the middle of battles over money and politics? Why? Okay, well, for one, they are annoying and they smell bad. Oh, and they are expensive and obnoxious and chew up e ... More >>

Show and Tell

Cut to the quick.

A Really Raw Deal

Who Should Be the Keepers of Columbine's Remaining Secrets?

Arapahoe County DA Charges Death-Penalty Fees to the State

How does DA Carol Chambers beat the high cost of a death-penalty prosecution? By billing the prison system.

LANS Corp. Faces the Music

We'll Drink to That

Law and Order

Denver's DA candidates take a seat in the docket.

The Gangs All Here

What's in a name?

Best Scandal -- Business

My Twinn

What's Up With Colorado?

State of infamy

Best New Consumer Service

Colorado Consumer Line

The AG's No. 1 Problem

A gender-changing lawyer in Gale Norton's office causes a bathroom stink.

The Wheels of Justice

A lawsuit on behalf of handicapped state prisoners moves toward a settlement.