Stringer_427 Stringer_428 Stringer_429 GRANIERI PRIVATE INVESTIGATIONS & CONSULTING 2303 N. 44th Street, Suite 14-1162 Phoenix, AZ 85008-2442 602-799-3734 License #1587578 Email: swain@granieriprivateinvestigations.com INVESTIGATIVE REPORT Date: 03/12/2019 To: Joseph Kanefield Roy Herrera Ballard Spahr LLP From: J. Swain Granieri In Re: Representative David Stringer Investigation PREDICATION Interview with Rosemary Agneessens. SUMMARY OF INTERVIEW On 03/05/2019, this investigator and Investigator Mike Torres interviewed Rosemary Agneessens in Prescott, AZ. Prior to the interview, Ms. Agneessens reviewed Attachment 1 and affirmed she understood the content of the disclosure and agreed to the interview. The following is a summary of this interview. Background Ms. Agneessens has been an educator and community organizer for over 50 years. Between 1969-1983, Ms. Agneessens was a Catholic Sister in Wisconsin and Central America. From 1983-1993, Ms. Agneessens was a community organizer for the Industrial Areas Foundation. Stringer_430 GRANIERI PRIVATE INVESTIGATIONS & CONSULTING Ms. Agneessens moved to Phoenix Arizona where she was employed as a Monte Vista Elementary School teacher from 1993-1996, and Language Director of a Dual Language Program and Principal at Creighton School from 1996-2000. Ms. Agneessens moved to Prescott in 2011 and was the Principal at Abai Judd Elementary School until 2014. Between 2014-2016, Ms. Agneessens was employed as a Principal Coach in the Prescott Unified School District. From 2016 through the present, Ms. Agneessens has been employed as a FFMA Community Organizer under the Yavapai County Education Service Agency (YCESA). As a Community Organizer, Ms. Agneessens is a leader of the Prescott Education Advocacy Council (PEAC), a nonpartisan group involved in education advocacy. Ms. Agneessens is a registered Independent and does not belong to any political organizations. Interactions with David Stringer Ms. Agneessens first met Mr. Stringer when he was a candidate for the Prescott Unified School District (PUSD) Governing Board in 2014. Ms. Agneessens attended a political forum focusing on education which was held at the Prescott High School. Mr. Stringer was an attendee along with several other PUSD Governing Board candidates who were asked questions by a moderator and given a specific time to respond. Ms. Agneessens does not recall any offensive comments made by Mr. Stringer at this forum. Ms. Agneessens organized and attended political forums in 2016 when Mr. Stringer was a candidate for the Arizona House of Representatives. Ms. Agneessens does not recall any specific offensive statements made by Mr. Stringer during these events but remembers that he did not support education funding and ethnic diversity in schools, and she did not support him. In 2017, Ms. Agneessens attended a meeting at Aspire Accommodation High School at YCESA in Prescott with Mayer School Superintendent Dean Slaga, Chino Valley School Superintendent John Scholl, Prescott School Superintendent Joe Howard, and Yavapai County School Superintendent Tim Carter. Representatives David Stringer and Noel Campbell were also present. A conversation about public schools ensued during which Mr. Stringer asserted that public schools should deal with indigent students, minorities, and special ed students, because they don’t contribute to society. In 2017, Ms. Agneessens attended a meeting with Mr. Stringer at his legislative office with school Superintendents Angela Jangula (Black Canyon City), Brian Bullington (Baghdad), and Dean Slaga (Mayer). During a conversation regarding education, Mr. Stringer intimated that the focus of school funding should be for elite students, and that public schools should deal with “Mexicans”, and special ed students because they will never contribute to their communities or the economy. Mr. Stringer further espoused that “Mexicans” and poor students should not be educated past the eighth grade, as this was a waste of education funding. 2 Stringer_431 GRANIERI PRIVATE INVESTIGATIONS & CONSULTING In the fall of 2017, or early 2018, Ms. Agneessens had a meeting with Mr. Stringer at his legislative office with Prescott Union School District teacher Lisa Groves and PTA affiliate JoAnne Chauffer. During the meeting, Mr. Stringer discussed his Internship at the ASU Preparatory Academy in Phoenix. Mr. Stringer said he was working in a third or fourth grade English Language Learning (ELL) classroom, and that he enjoyed working with ELL students, and said, “I like being a daddy figure for the little girls when they sit on my lap.” This was very shocking and disconcerting to Ms. Agneessens. Ms. Agneessens provided this investigator with a copy of written notes she prepared for the interview (Attachment 2). 3 Stringer_432 GRANIERI PRIVATE INVESTIGATIONS & CONSULTING 2303 N. 44th Street, Suite 14-1162 Phoenix, AZ 85008-2442 602-799-3734 License #1587578 Email: swain@granieriprivateinvestigations.com INVESTIGATIVE REPORT Date: 03/15/2019 To: Joseph Kanefield Roy Herrera Ballard Spahr LLP From: J. Swain Granieri In Re: Representative David Stringer Investigation PREDICATION Interview with Tom Benson. SUMMARY OF INTERVIEW On 03/06/2019, this investigator and Investigator Mike Torres interviewed Tom Benson in Prescott, AZ. Prior to the interview, Mr. Benson reviewed Attachment 1 and affirmed he understood the content of the disclosure and agreed to the interview. The following is a summary of this interview. Background Mr. Benson was a Naval Aviator in the US Military, and Vice President of Mitsubishi Motors. Mr. Benson is retired and has lived in Prescott for several years. Mr. Benson is a registered Republican. Mr. Benson is active in local politics but does not belong to any political organizations. Stringer_433 GRANIERI PRIVATE INVESTIGATIONS & CONSULTING Interactions with David Stringer Mr. Benson has interacted with Mr. Stringer on several occasions over the past several years, primarily at public political forums. Mr. Benson first met Mr. Stringer in 2013 at Prescott school Bond and Override Committee meetings. Mr. Stringer was affiliated with the Citizens Tax Committee at the time and opposed the Bond and Override which did not pass. Mr. Benson recalled another instance when he interacted with Mr. Stringer at a 2016 political forum held at the Las Fuentes Retirement Village in the spring of 2016. Prescott Education Advocacy Council (PEAC) leader Rosemary Agneessens hosted the event and was set up by Mr. Benson. Mr. Stringer was one of a panel of candidates running for the Arizona House of Representatives who attended the event and answered questions by a moderator. When questioned by the moderator, Mr. Stringer intimated he was not a supporter of public schools and thought they should be eliminated or privatized. Mr. Benson has never heard any offensive statements made by Mr. Stringer in his presence or witnessed any unprofessional conduct by Mr. Stringer during interactions with him. Although Mr. Benson often disagrees with Mr. Stringer, Mr. Benson believes Mr. Stringer has been very consistent about his political views on public school funding over the years and has passionately expressed them. 2 Stringer_434 GRANIERI PRIVATE INVESTIGATIONS & CONSULTING 2303 N. 44th Street, Suite 14-1162 Phoenix, AZ 85008-2442 602-799-3734 License #1587578 Email: swain@granieriprivateinvestigations.com INVESTIGATIVE REPORT Date: 03/12/2019 To: Joseph Kanefield Roy Herrera Ballard Spahr LLP From: J. Swain Granieri In Re: Representative David Stringer Investigation PREDICATION Interview with JoAnne Chaffeur. SUMMARY OF INTERVIEW On 02/27/2019, this investigator and Investigator Mike Torres interviewed JoAnne Chaffeur in Prescott, AZ. Prior to the interview, Ms. Chaffeur reviewed Attachment 1 and affirmed she understood the content of the disclosure and agreed to the interview. The following is a summary of this interview. Background JoAnne Chaffeur and her husband have resided in Prescott since 2006. Ms. Chaffeur’s children were ages six and eight at the time and she immediately became involved in the community as an education advocate. From 2010-2011, Ms. Chaffeur was the Vice President of the PTA at the Abia Judd Middle School. From 2011-2016, Ms. Chaffeur was the President of the PTSA at Prescott High School. Stringer_435 GRANIERI PRIVATE INVESTIGATIONS & CONSULTING Ms. Chaffeur is currently working with the Arizona State PTA. Ms. Chaffeur is a registered Republican but has never held a public office and does not intend to do so. Ms. Chaffeur is not a member of any political organization. Interactions with David Stringer Ms. Chaffeur first met Mr. Stringer in 2014 when he was running for the Prescott Unified School District (PUSD) Governing Board. Ms. Chaffeur was aware that Mr. Stringer was an “outsider” and a member of the Prescott Citizens Tax Committee (CTC), an organization that didn’t support education funding. All told, Ms. Chaffeur and her fellow education advocates were concerned that Mr. Stringer would not support their agenda and would oppose them. Ms. Chaffeur was instrumental in setting up political forums in the Spring of 2014 which focused on education and funding. Mr. Stringer was invited to participate in the forum along with other candidates who were running for the PUSD Governing Board at that time. The candidates were asked a series of questions by a moderator and allowed a two-minute response time and a oneminute closing statement. Prior to the event, Ms. Chaffeur consulted with the candidates over the phone to explain the content and format of the forum and provide them with the moderator’s questions in advance. Ms. Chaffeur recalls that Mr. Stringer spoke aggressively to her during their phone call, and that he expressed concerns he would not be treated fairly and tried to control the content and format. Ms. Chaffeur does not recall any unprofessional conduct by Mr. Stringer, or any offensive statements he made, during this or other 2014 political forums held for the PUSD Governing Board election. In 2015, the PTSA hosted a community forum for the Prescott Unified School District bond and override initiative which was held at Prescott High School (PHS). Ms. Chaffeur was President of the PTSA at that time and participated in the event along with about 300 other attendees. Ms. Chaffeur gave Mr. Stringer a tour of the facility which was in despair, such as leaking roofs with buckets on the floor to capture the water. During the tour, Mr. Stringer asserted that PHS looked better than the school he went to, and intimated he was surprised. During their discussion, Mr. Stringer referred to Ms. Chaffeur’s children as “Privileged white kids” and espoused that government/public schools were for the poor and that charter schools are best suited for Asian and Caucasian students. In March 2016, Ms. Chaffeur attended a political forum focusing on education which was held at the Las Fuentes Retirement Village and organized by Rosemary Agneessens and Tom Benson. Mr. Stringer, Noel Campbell, and Karen Fann were candidates for the House of Representatives in the fall election and were invited to the event which was attended by about 60-70 people from the community. At the conclusion of the forum, Ms. Chaffeur was having a conversation with PHS Principal Clark Tenney and a few other attendees when Mr. Stringer approached and joined the group. A discussion about public and charter schools ensued during which Mr. Stringer opined that Asian 2 Stringer_436 GRANIERI PRIVATE INVESTIGATIONS & CONSULTING and Caucasian students excelled in charter schools and that poor students did better in public schools. Mr. Stringer touted that there were statistics to back up these assertions. Ms. Chaffeur disagreed with Mr. Stringer and stated her views on the subject, at which time Mr. Stringer got within 12 inches from her and began pointing his finger at her and claiming she was wrong. In the spring of 2018, Ms. Chaffeur accompanied a group of education advocates to meet with Mr. Stringer at his legislative office to discuss proposition 305 during the Red for Ed rally at the Arizona State Capitol. The group included Prescott teachers Amy Bowser and Nicky Indicavitch. Ms. Chaffeur and her colleagues did not support prop 305 and wanted Mr. Stringer to oppose it. Ms. Chaffeur and her group entered Mr. Stringer’s office and sat on the couch. The office did not have a desk and Mr. Stringer sat in a reclining chair and extended the foot rest. Upon doing so, Mr. Stringer’s feet were very close to Ms. Chaffeur and the others which made them uncomfortable, so they left the office after a short meeting. Ms. Chaffeur and a group of colleagues made a follow-up trip to the state capitol about two weeks later to meet Mr. Stringer and Noel Campbell. Ms. Chaffeur does not recall who accompanied her on this trip. Ms. Chaffeur encountered a mother and young daughter, approximately 12 years of age, who recently left Mr. Stringer’s office. The daughter appeared to be upset and was crying, and the mother reported that Mr. Stringer yelled at them during their meeting. Ms. Chaffeur and her group then met with Noel Campbell and Mr. Stringer. During the meeting, Ms. Chaffeur passionately discussed her views on education funding and got emotional and started to cry. Mr. Stringer told Ms. Chaffeur to calm down and “Take a Valium” and Mr. Campbell told Ms. Chaffeur to “Take a chill pill.” Ms. Chaffeur believes this was unprofessional conduct for state representatives. Ms. Chaffeur went to the December 6, 2018 Prescott Valley City Council Meeting, which was attended by Representatives David Stringer and Noel Campbell, and Senator Karen Fann. Ms. Chaffeur prepared a written statement calling for Mr. Stringer’s resignation and received permission to read the letter at the end of the meeting (Attachment 3). Prior to the meeting, Ms. Chaffeur, and other education advocates who were wearing red clothing to support the Red for Ed movement, were sitting waiting for the meeting to begin, when Mr. Stringer approach them and said he was glad the Humboldt Unified School District bond did not pass. Ms. Chaffeur thought this was unprofessional conduct as Mr. Stringer was aware that they supported the bond which funded education. Mr. Stringer left the meeting before it concluded and prior to Ms. Chaffeur reading her prepared statement. Upon leaving, Mr. Stringer approached Ms. Chaffeur who was sitting with Nicky Indicavitch and other education advocates. Mr. Stringer told Ms. Chaffeur he didn’t recognized her, and then addressed Nicky Indicavitch and indicated he knew her and said she looked “heavier” than she did the last time he saw her. Mr. Stringer referred to Ms. Chaffeur and her group as “covert operatives” and then left the building escorted by a police officer who was performing security at the meeting. 3 Stringer_437 GRANIERI PRIVATE INVESTIGATIONS & CONSULTING On 02-08-2019, Ms. Chaffeur wrote a letter to the Arizona House Ethics Committee summarizing her interactions with Mr. Stringer and emailed the letter to Ruth Lambert (Attachment 3). 4 Stringer_438 GRANIERI PRIVATE INVESTIGATIONS & CONSULTING 2303 N. 44th Street, Suite 14-1162 Phoenix, AZ 85008-2442 602-799-3734 License #1587578 Email: swain@granieriprivateinvestigations.com INVESTIGATIVE REPORT Date: 03/15/2019 To: Joseph Kanefield Roy Herrera Ballard Spahr LLP From: J. Swain Granieri In Re: Representative David Stringer Investigation PREDICATION Interview with Stephen Chmura. SUMMARY OF INTERVIEW On 03/13/2019, this investigator and Investigator Mike Torres interviewed Stephen Chmura at Arizona State University (ASU). Prior to the interview, Mr. Chmura reviewed Attachment 1 and affirmed he understood the content of the disclosure and agreed to the interview. The following is a summary of this interview. Background Mr. Chmura is an ASU student majoring in Political Science. Mr. Chmura is a registered Independent, and a member of the Alexander Hamilton Society, a nonpartisan political organization. Stringer_439 GRANIERI PRIVATE INVESTIGATIONS & CONSULTING Interactions with David Stringer On November 19, 2018, Mr. Chmura attended a Political History and Leadership lecture given by Professor Donald Critchlow at the ASU Coor Hall, which was attended by approximately 2030 students. Mr. Chmura’s friends and fellow ASU students, Daniel Rubio and Sam Thiele, also attended the lecture. Mr. Stringer arrived at the lecture shortly after it began and was introduced by Professor Critchlow as an Arizona House Representative. Mr. Chmura and his friends were not familiar with Mr. Stringer and did Google research on their cell phones and learned that he made controversial statements about immigration in June 2018 during a Prescott speech, and that Governor Ducey had called for his resignation. During the lecture, Professor Critchlow discussed the recent midterm election results and opined that the Republican Party needed to obtain a larger percentage of Hispanic voters. Mr. Stringer interjected and asserted that Republicans would never get more Hispanic voters because they were pro-immigration and opposed immigration control. At or about this time, Mr. Chmura noticed that Mr. Rubio was recording the lecture with his cell phone. After the lecture concluded, Mr. Stringer asked Mr. Chmura and his colleagues for directions out of the building. Mr. Chmura, Mr. Rubio, and Mr. Thiele then got into the elevator alone with Mr. Stringer to assist him. While in the elevator, Mr. Stringer referenced the midterm elections and intimated that the results were favorable for Mr. Chmura and his friends. A conversation then ensued about immigration in which Mr. Rubio or Mr. Thiele expressed a pro-immigration viewpoint, to which Mr. Stringer replied, “I hope they treat you well when they are in charge.” Mr. Chmura believes Mr. Thiele started recording Mr. Stringer with his cell phone in the elevator or shortly after they got off the elevator with Mr. Stringer. Mr. Stringer made a series of disconcerting comments about immigration and assimilation during the recorded conversation, after which Mr. Chmura and his friends shook hands with Mr. Stringer and they parted company. Mr. Chmura, Mr. Rubio, and Mr. Thiele went to Mr. Chmura’s ASU dorm room that day to discuss what had occurred, and they made the decision to go public with the audio recordings of Mr. Stringer. Mr. Chmura knew someone who had media connections so it was decided that Mr. Chmura would spearhead the effort to get the recordings publicized. Mr. Rubio and Mr. Thiele sent the original recordings to Mr. Chmura via their cell phone devices to facilitate the same. Later that day, Mr. Chmura engaged a colleague to connect him with the media. Mr. Chmura received a call the next day from a Phoenix New Times reporter who interviewed him over the phone. Mr. Chmura provided the reporter with the two complete audio recordings of Mr. Stringer. The reporter did not interview Mr. Rubio or Mr. Thiele. On 11/30/2018, Mr. Chmura learned that the Phoenix New Times had published the article along with the two audio recordings of Mr. Stringer. On that same date, Mr. Chmura was contacted by 2 Stringer_440 GRANIERI PRIVATE INVESTIGATIONS & CONSULTING Channel 12 news reporter Bianca Buono who arranged a televised interview with Mr. Chmura, Mr. Rubio, and Mr. Thiele that evening. Mr. Chmura sent the two complete original recordings of Mr. Stringer to Ms. Buono in advance of the interview. A televised interview was also scheduled with Channel 5, and both took place at the ASU Memorial Union Building that evening on 11/30/2018. At the conclusion of the interview, Mr. Chmura provided this investigator with the two 11/19/2018 original audio recordings of Mr. Stringer. Mr. Chmura affirmed they were complete, unedited recordings that were taken on 11/19/2018 (See 11/18/2018 Audio Recordings). 3 Stringer_441 GRANIERI PRIVATE INVESTIGATIONS & CONSULTING 2303 N. 44th Street, Suite 14-1162 Phoenix, AZ 85008-2442 602-799-3734 License #1587578 Email: swain@granieriprivateinvestigations.com INVESTIGATIVE REPORT Date: 03/12/2019 To: Joseph Kanefield Roy Herrera Ballard Spahr LLP From: J. Swain Granieri In Re: Representative David Stringer Investigation PREDICATION Interview with Allison Conant. SUMMARY OF INTERVIEW On 02/27/2019, this investigator and Investigator Mike Torres interviewed Allison Conant, in Prescott, AZ. Prior to the interview, Mrs. Conant reviewed Attachment 1 and affirmed she understood the content of the disclosure and agreed to the interview. The following is a summary of this interview. Background Ms. Conant and her husband, Jonathan, have resided in Prescott for six years. Ms. Conant has been an educator for over 20 years in Florida and Arizona and has been an Education Professor at Northern Arizona University for two years. Stringer_442 GRANIERI PRIVATE INVESTIGATIONS & CONSULTING Interactions with Mr. Stringer Mr. and Mrs. Conant attended the Yavapai County Bar Association membership picnic at Watson Lake on 07/08/2017. Mr. and Mrs. Conant were seated at a Ramada picnic table having a conversation with a small group of professionals that included Yavapai County College Professor Michael Davis and his wife, Heather. Mr. Stringer approached the table with a female associate who was running for Prescott mayor at the time and he introduced her to the group. Ms. Conant initiated a conversation with Mr. Stringer about education during which Mr. Stringer said he was getting a master’s degree in education and implied that teaching was an easy job and that anybody could be a teacher. Mr. Stringer also said teachers didn’t work any harder than anyone else and that he didn’t understand why they complain about their salaries. Someone at the table then addressed Mr. Stringer and said, “You don’t know who you’re talking to.” Mr. Stringer then leaned in closer, pointed at Ms. Conant and said, “I know exactly who you are,” “that, that Star of David,” “that San Francisco T-shirt,” “you are a radical liberal.” Mr. Stringer was red in the face and appeared to be agitated when he made these comments. Mr. Conant then intervened and told Mr. Stringer he insulted and disrespected his wife, and that he owed her an apology. Mr. Stringer then turned to Mr. Conant and said, “Another radical liberal.” Mr. Stringer spoke in a raised, angry tone, and a contentious argument took place between Mr. Stringer and Mr. Conant. Mr. and Mrs. Conant then left the picnic. Ms. Conant made a contemporaneous Facebook posting of her encounter with Mr. Stringer on 07/08/2017. Mrs. Conant reviewed Attachment 4 and confirmed this was the Facebook posting she made on 07/08/2017. Mr. and Mrs. Conant are Jewish, and Mrs. Conant was wearing a small gold necklace with the Star of David, and a San Francisco T-shirt with the peace sign at the picnic. Mrs. Conant believes Mr. Stringer profiled her based on what she was wearing, and that his statements were antiSemitic and offensive. 2 Stringer_443 GRANIERI PRIVATE INVESTIGATIONS & CONSULTING 2303 N. 44th Street, Suite 14-1162 Phoenix, AZ 85008-2442 602-799-3734 License #1587578 Email: swain@granieriprivateinvestigations.com INVESTIGATIVE REPORT Date: 03/12/2019 To: Joseph Kanefield Roy Herrera Ballard Spahr LLP From: J. Swain Granieri In Re: Representative David Stringer Investigation PREDICATION Interview with Jonathan Conant. SUMMARY OF INTERVIEW On 02/27/2019, this investigator and Investigator Mike Torres interviewed Jonathan Conant in Prescott, AZ. Prior to the interview, Mr. Conant reviewed Exhibit A and affirmed he understood the content of the disclosure and agreed to the interview. The following is a summary of this interview. Background Mr. Conant and his wife, Allison, have resided in Prescott for several years. Mr. Conant is a practicing attorney in Prescott at his law firm, Jonathan D. Conant. Mr. Conant has been a lifelong registered Republican. Mr. Conant has been the Treasurer of the Yavapai County Bar Association (YCBA) for approximately five years. YCBA is a countywide organization consisting of local attorneys that has a voluntary membership program with annual membership fees. Stringer_444 GRANIERI PRIVATE INVESTIGATIONS & CONSULTING Interactions with David Stringer Mr. Stringer was a member of the YCBA for several years. In approximately August or September 2015, Mr. Stringer came to a monthly YCBA luncheon. Mr. Conant advised Mr. Stringer he was in arrears on his annual membership fee of $150 and that he could pay $20 to attend the luncheon as a nonmember. Mr. Stringer became indignant and said he intended to pay $150, but since Mr. Conant wanted $20, he would give him that. Mr. Stringer then gave Mr. Conant a check in the amount of $150. Mr. Conant is Jewish and believes Mr. Stringer’s statement may have been intended as anti-Semitic, based on the content of the statement and Mr. Stringer’s tone and mannerisms when he made the comment. The YCBA held a picnic at Watson Lake on 07/08/2017. Mr. Conant attended the picnic with his wife Alison. Mr. and Mrs. Conant were sitting at a ramada picnic table while engaged in a conversation with Yavapai County College Professor Michael Davis and a few others when Mr. Stringer approached the table. Mr. Stringer was accompanied by a female associate who was running for Prescott Mayor at the time, and he introduced her to everyone at the table. A conversation then ensued between Mr. Stringer and Mrs. Conant about education. At first the conversation was amicable and then became heated, and Mr. Stringer seemed frustrated that Mrs. Conant didn’t agree with his point of view. Mrs. Conant was wearing a small gold necklace with the Star of David and a San Francisco T-shirt. At one point, Mr. Stringer pointed at Mrs. Conant and said, “I know exactly who I am speaking to, that Star of David, that T-shirt.” Mr. Conant intervened and told Mr. Stringer he disrespected his wife, and that he owed her an apology. Mr. Stringer did not apologize, called Mr. Conant “a radical liberal” and started arguing with him. Mr. and Mrs. Conant left the picnic shortly thereafter. Ms. Conant made a contemporaneous Facebook posting of her encounter with Mr. Stringer on 07/08/2017. After Mr. Stringer’s November 2018 comments to ASU students were made public by the media, the YCBA Board held a meeting to address the matter and made the decision to terminate his membership. Due to Mr. Conant’s prior dealings with Mr. Stringer, Mr. Conant abstained from participating in any actions regarding the board’s decision. On 12/10/2018, the YCBA Board sent a letter to Mr. Stringer terminating his member. Mr. Stringer sent a written rebuttal letter to the YCBA Board, dated 12/26/2018. 2 Stringer_445 GRANIERI PRIVATE INVESTIGATIONS & CONSULTING 2303 N. 44th Street, Suite 14-1162 Phoenix, AZ 85008-2442 602-799-3734 License #1587578 Email: swain@granieriprivateinvestigations.com INVESTIGATIVE REPORT Date: 03/14/2019 To: Joseph Kanefield Roy Herrera Ballard Spahr LLP From: J. Swain Granieri In Re: Representative David Stringer Investigation PREDICATION Interview with Michael Davis. SUMMARY OF INTERVIEW On 03/06/2019, this investigator and Investigator Mike Torres interviewed Michael Davis, in Prescott, AZ. Prior to the interview, Mr. Davis reviewed Attachment 1 and affirmed he understood the content of the disclosure and agreed to the interview. The following is a summary of this interview. Background Mr. Davis has resided in Prescott for 12 years. Mr. Davis has been a Criminal Justice Professor at Yavapai College for about 11 years. Mr. Davis is an attorney but is not licensed to practice in Arizona. Mr. Davis is a member of the Yavapai County Bar Association (YCBA), a countywide organization of local attorneys with a voluntary membership program. Mr. Davis is a registered Democrat but does not belong to any political organizations. Stringer_446 GRANIERI PRIVATE INVESTIGATIONS & CONSULTING Interactions with David Stringer Mr. Davis has briefly interacted with Mr. Stringer during YCBA monthly meetings but doesn’t recall any specifics about these encounters. Mr. Davis attended the YCBA picnic at Watson Lake on 07/08/2017. Mr. Davis and his wife sat at a Ramada picnic table with Jonathan and Allison Conant and other attendees. Mr. Stringer approached the table with Mary Beth Hrin, who was a candidate for Prescott mayor at the time, and he introduced her to the group. A conversation ensued between Mr. Stringer and Ms. Conant about education funding. During the discussion, Ms. Conant passionately related her point of view and asserted that the state budget cuts had negatively impacted education. Mr. Stringer disagreed and referenced the Arizona Supreme Court’s decision to restore funds that had been removed from the education budget and said, “Let them come and get it.” Initially, the conversation was amicable, but then became contentious and heated as it progressed. Mr. Stringer seemed frustrated that Ms. Conant and others at the table didn’t agree with his point of view. At one point, Mr. Stringer pointed to Ms. Conant and referred to the “Star of David” necklace and “T-shirt” she was wearing and said something like, “I know your kind.” Mr. Conant then intervened and told Mr. Stringer he insulted his wife, and an argument resulted between Mr. Conant and Mr. Stringer. Mr. Davis recalls Mr. Conant telling Mr. Stringer he was a “Life-long Republican” during the argument. Mr. Davis walked away briefly and when he returned Mr. Stringer and Mr. Conant were still arguing, so he put his arm around Mr. Conant and escorted him away from Mr. Stringer. Ms. Conant made a Facebook posting the same day in which she summarized the incident with Mr. Stringer on 07/08/2017. Mr. Davis read the posting on that date and recalls it was an accurate account of what occurred. Mr. Davis believes Mr. Stringer’s reference to the Star of David and the subsequent comment he made to Ms. Conant was anti-Semitic and offensive. 2 Stringer_447 GRANIERI PRIVATE INVESTIGATIONS & CONSULTING 2303 N. 44th Street, Suite 14-1162 Phoenix, AZ 85008-2442 602-799-3734 License #1587578 Email: swain@granieriprivateinvestigations.com INVESTIGATIVE REPORT Date: 03/26/2019 To: Joseph Kanefield Roy Herrera Ballard Spahr LLP From: J. Swain Granieri In Re: Representative David Stringer Investigation PREDICATION Interview with Carolyn de Looper. SUMMARY OF INTERVIEW On 03/25/2019, this investigator and Investigator Mike Torres interviewed Carolyn de Looper. Prior to the interview, Ms. de Looper reviewed Attachment 1 and affirmed she understood the content of the disclosure and agreed to the interview. The following is a summary of this interview. Background Ms. de Looper was the Manager of the Attorney Admissions Unit in Phoenix, AZ from 19832007. Between 1983-1998 the Attorney Admissions Unit (hereafter the Unit) was an entity of the State Bar of Arizona (hereafter the Bar), a non-profit organization that operates under the supervision of the Arizona Supreme Court, and Ms. de Looper was employed by the Bar at that time. In 1999, the Unit moved to the Arizona Supreme Court (hereafter the Court) and Ms. de Looper became an employee of the Court until she retired as Manager of the Unit in 2007. Stringer_448 GRANIERI PRIVATE INVESTIGATIONS & CONSULTING Ms. de Looper’s position and job function remained the same throughout her tenure as Manager of the Unit. In this capacity, Ms. de Looper managed and oversaw all aspects of the Character and Fitness and Exams process for attorney admissions. As part of the process, applicants underwent an extensive background investigation by the Court Character and Fitness Committee (hereafter Committee) and were required to complete a lengthy application form as part of the process. One of the questions on the form directed the applicant to disclose any and all police contacts, arrests, and criminal charges, regardless of whether the charges were expunged. Applicants were also instructed to list every address, city, and county where they resided since age 18. Independent research was not conducted to verify the address history and relied upon information disclosed by the applicant. In turn, written inquiries were sent out from the Court to all pertinent law enforcement agencies requesting any police records for that individual. The applicant was further required to be fingerprinted by the Arizona Department of Public Safety who conducted a criminal records history search for that person. Any issue of concern disclosed by the applicant, or discovered by the Committee through independent investigation, was addressed via 1) direct communication with the applicant by the lead Committee member handling the case, 2) an Informal Hearing, or 3) a Formal Hearing, all of which depended upon the nature and severity of the issue. An Informal Hearing typically entailed a meeting with the applicant and two to three Committee members. A court reporter was typically present to document and transcribe the hearing but was not required. In some instances, the matter would be referred to a Formal Hearing for final resolution. The Formal Hearing involved a meeting with the applicant and all Committee members. A Court reporter was required to be present to document the proceedings and provide a follow-up transcription. In the event a Committee member could not attend, a hearing transcription was provided to that member for review. In all instances, the Formal Hearing required a majority vote by the Committee to deny or approve admission. Ms. de Looper attended many of the Informal Hearings and was present during most of the Formal Hearings that occurred during her tenure as Manager of the Unit. On some occasions, Ms. de Looper was unavailable and could not attend. In these instances, Ms. de Looper believes she would have been privy to the particulars of those hearings and the outcomes. Application of David Stringer Ms. de Looper does not recall the application of David Stringer, or the 2004 admission of Mr. Stringer. Ms. de Looper does not recall an Informal or Formal hearing pertaining to David Stringer. Ms. de Looper does not recall any applicant that was arrested, charged, or accused of possessing child pornography who was approved and admitted by the Court. Ms. de Looper is certain that any applicant who disclosed the same would have been required to have a Formal hearing. 2 Stringer_449 GRANIERI PRIVATE INVESTIGATIONS & CONSULTING Ms. de Looper does not recall any applicant that was arrested, charged, or accused of having sex with a minor or underage prostitute who was approved and admitted by the Court. Ms. de Looper is certain that any applicant who disclosed the same would have been required to have a Formal hearing. All records involving the Character and Fitness and Exam process were retained for seven years after the date of admission, after which they were purged, with one exception. Ms. de Looper maintained a contemporaneous log of Informal and Formal hearings which documented the following information: • • • • • Applicants name Lead Committee member name Hearing date Reason for the hearing Hearing outcome/decision Ms. de Looper kept the log in a three-ring binder which she left in her office when she retired in 2007. 3 Stringer_450 GRANIERI PRIVATE INVESTIGATIONS & CONSULTING 2303 N. 44th Street, Suite 14-1162 Phoenix, AZ 85008-2442 602-799-3734 License #1587578 Email: swain@granieriprivateinvestigations.com INVESTIGATIVE REPORT Date: 03/10/2019 To: Joseph Kanefield Roy Herrera Ballard Spahr LLP From: J. Swain Granieri In Re: Representative David Stringer Investigation PREDICATION Interview with Ashley Fine. SUMMARY OF INTERVIEW On 02/26/2019, this investigator and Investigator Mike Torres interviewed Skyview Charter School teacher, Ashley Fine, in Prescott, AZ. Prior to the interview, Ms. Fine reviewed Attachment 1 and affirmed she understood the content of the disclosure and agreed to the interview. The following is a summary of this interview. Background Ms. Fine was born and raised in Prescott, AZ. Ms. Fine has been an educator for 10 years and has been employed as a teacher at Skyview Charter School for eight years. Ms. Fine is a registered Republican. Ms. Fine does not belong to any political groups but is an advocate for education and education funding. Ms. Fine has never run for political office and does not intend to do so. Stringer_451 GRANIERI PRIVATE INVESTIGATIONS & CONSULTING Interactions with David Stringer Ms. Fine and her fellow Skyview colleagues were involved in the Red for Ed movement to promote education funding for schools, teachers, and students. Ms. Fine and other Skyview teachers participated in a nationwide school walk out as part of the movement. Ms. Fine first met Mr. Stringer in the spring of 2018 during the Red for Ed rally held at the state capital. Ms. Fine and her 14-year-old daughter, Sedona, participated in the event and were accompanied by Skyview Teacher Aid, Michelle Grubert, and her 14-year-old daughter, Lily. One of the speakers at the rally encouraged participants to meet with their state representatives to promote the movement, so Ms. Fine, Ms. Grubert, and their daughters went to Mr. Stringer’s office and requested to meet with him. Mr. Stringer’s assistant told them Mr. Stringer was busy and suggested they leave a written message for him regarding their agenda. Ms. Fine and Ms. Grubert authored written messages for Mr. Stringer regarding their views on education funding and left. As they were leaving the building, Ms. Fine received a call from Mr. Stringer’s assistant who said Mr. Stringer agreed to meet with them. Ms. Fine and her entourage returned and were shown into Mr. Stringer’s office where two female teachers from Tucson were seated on a couch having a discussion with him regarding education. Mr. Stringer greeted Ms. Fine and her group, and they joined the discussion. During the conversation, Mr. Stringer used the adjective “little” several times to describe their discussion and the written messages Ms. Fine and Ms. Grubert left for him. Ms. Fine felt that Mr. Stringer’s use of the word “little” was condescending and demeaning so she addressed Mr. Stringer and asked him not to use the word “little” to depict the conversation they were having. Ms. Fine recalls that she spoke in a calm, firm voice when doing so. Mr. Stringer, who was seated at the time, immediately stood up and told Ms. Fine to leave his office. Mr. Stringer was standing approximately four feet from Ms. Fine at this time, appeared to be upset, and spoke with an aggressive tone and a raised voice when he addressed her. Ms. Fine was taken back by Mr. Stringer’s unexpected response and told him it was not her intent to be disrespectful. A back and forth exchange ensued during which Ms. Fine continued asking Mr. Stringer’s permission to remain and continue the discussion, and Mr. Stringer repeatedly asked Ms. Fine to leave. During this exchange, Mr. Stringer approached Ms. Fine and stood about two feet from her and continued speaking to her with an elevated voice and aggressive tone. Mr. Stringer asserted that Ms. Fine was being disrespectful because she wouldn’t leave and said he would do so if the situation were reversed. Ms. Fine responded by saying she wouldn’t ask Mr. Stringer to leave her office. At this point, Mr. Stringer told Ms. Fine she was being “militant” and “combative” and called out for security, and Ms. Fine complied and left Mr. Stringer’s office. Ms. Fine was escorted down the hall by an unknown man in plain clothing and Mr. Stringer’s assistant. Ms. Grubert remained with her daughter, Lily, and Ms. Fine’s daughter, Sedona. Ms. Fine estimates that her entire meeting with Mr. Stringer totaled approximately three to four minutes. The two teachers from Tucson left Mr. Stringer’s office at the same time as Ms. Fine. Ms. Fine saw the teachers later that afternoon in the gallery of the House of Representatives and one of them said, “I can’t believe he did that.” 2 Stringer_452 GRANIERI PRIVATE INVESTIGATIONS & CONSULTING Ms. Fine had a happenstance meeting with Representative Athena Salman in the stairwell of the capitol building. While speaking with Ms. Salman, Ms. Grubert, Lily, and Sedona approached and joined them. Sedona was visibly upset and appeared to have been crying, and Ms. Fine told Ms. Salman about their experience in Mr. Stringer’s office. Ms. Salman consoled Sedona, apologized, and told her that shouldn’t have happened. Ms. Salman suggested Sedona document her experience. After returning to Prescott Sedona made a written account of what occurred and shared the story with family friends who posted it on Facebook (Attachment 5). Ms. Fine has not had any other interactions with Mr. Stringer. When Ms. Fine learned about the House Ethics Committee’s investigation into Mr. Stringer, she wrote a letter to the committee, dated 02/10/2019, which she forwarded through Ruth Lambert. Ms. Fine reviewed Attachment 6 and verified this was the letter she authored on that date. 3 Stringer_453 GRANIERI PRIVATE INVESTIGATIONS & CONSULTING 2303 N. 44th Street, Suite 14-1162 Phoenix, AZ 85008-2442 602-799-3734 License #1587578 Email: swain@granieriprivateinvestigations.com INVESTIGATIVE REPORT Date: 03/08/2019 To: Joseph Kanefield Roy Herrera Ballard Spahr LLP From: J. Swain Granieri In Re: Representative David Stringer Investigation PREDICATION Interview with Prescott High School Principal Mark Goligoski. SUMMARY OF INTERVIEW On 02/26/2019, this investigator and Investigator Mike Torres interviewed Prescott High School (PHS) Principal, Mark Goligoski, in Prescott, AZ. Prior to the interview, Mr. Goligoski reviewed Attachment 1 and affirmed he understood the content of the disclosure and agreed to the interview. The following is a summary of this interview. Background Mr. Goligoski is the Principal at the PHS and was formerly the Prescott Mile High Middle School Principal. Interactions with David Stringer Mr. Goligoski only recalls one personal interaction with Mr. Stringer which occurred when Mr. Goligoski was the Principal at Prescott Mile High Middle School. In or about 2017, Arizona House of Representative’s David Stringer and Noel Campbell were being given a tour of the Stringer_454 GRANIERI PRIVATE INVESTIGATIONS & CONSULTING school by Prescott Unified School District Superintendent Joe Howard. During the tour, a conversation ensued regarding education and ethnic diversity. Mr. Goligoski recalls Mr. Stringer opined that “Mexican” students had a negative impact on the graduation rate. Mr. Goligoski responded by sharing his positive experience with ethnic diversity as a Principal. Mr. Goligoski has attended Prescott political forums over the years in which Mr. Stringer participated as a political candidate but does not recall any offensive comments made by Mr. Stringer at those events. 2 Stringer_455 GRANIERI PRIVATE INVESTIGATIONS & CONSULTING 2303 N. 44th Street, Suite 14-1162 Phoenix, AZ 85008-2442 602-799-3734 License #1587578 Email: swain@granieriprivateinvestigations.com INVESTIGATIVE REPORT Date: 03/10/2019 To: Joseph Kanefield Roy Herrera Ballard Spahr LLP From: J. Swain Granieri In Re: Representative David Stringer Investigation PREDICATION Interview with Michelle Grubert. SUMMARY OF INTERVIEW On 02/26/2019, this investigator and Investigator Mike Torres interviewed Skyview Charter School Teacher Aid, Michelle Grubert, in Prescott, AZ. Prior to the interview, Ms. Grubert reviewed Attachment 1 and affirmed she understood the content of the disclosure and agreed to the interview. The following is a summary of this interview. Background Ms. Grubert has resided in Prescott for four years and has been employed as a Teacher Aid at Skyview Middle School for three years. Ms. Grubert is a colleague and friend of Ashley Fine. Stringer_456 GRANIERI PRIVATE INVESTIGATIONS & CONSULTING Interactions with David Stringer Ms. Grubert and other Skyview employees were involved in the Red for Ed movement to promote education funding for schools, teachers, and students, and she participated in a nationwide school walk out to facilitate the cause. In the Spring of 2016, Ms. Grubert and her 14-year old daughter, Lily, traveled to Phoenix with Ms. Fine and her 13-year old daughter, Sedona, to participate in the Red for Ed rally at the state capitol. One of the key note speakers at the event urged participants to meet with their state representatives to promote the movement, which prompted Ms. Fine and Ms. Grubert to do so. Ms. Fine, Ms. Grubert and their daughters went to Mr. Stringer’s office and requested to meet with him and were told by Mr. Stringer’s assistant that he was busy. Ms. Grubert and Ms. Fine left messages for Mr. Stringer summarizing their concerns about education, to include the hard work that teachers do and the unfair salaries they receive in return. As they were leaving the building, they received a phone call from Mr. Stringer’s assistant and were told that he agreed to meet with them. Ms. Grubert and her party returned and were shown into Mr. Stringer’s office. There were two female teachers from Tucson seated on a couch engaged in a conversation about education with Mr. Stringer when they entered. Mr. Stringer addressed Ms. Grubert and her party and used the adjective “little” several times when referring to the written notes they left and the conversation they were having with him. Ms. Fine addressed Mr. Stringer and said she would appreciate it if he didn’t use the word “little” when describing their discussion, and spoke in a calm, self-assured tone when doing so. Ms. Grubert doesn’t recall Mr. Stringer’s exact response but remembers he became immediately defensive and began speaking with a raised voice which she thought was very odd and unwarranted given the circumstances. Ms. Fine told Mr. Stringer she was not trying to be disrespectful and asked if she could remain and continue the conversation. At one point, Mr. Stringer told Ms. Fine she was being “militant” and “combative” and called out for security, after which Ms. Fine complied and left the office. Someone may have entered the room and escorted Ms. Fine out of the office, but Ms. Grubert is uncertain because she was facing the opposite direction. Sedona became upset during the exchange and started crying and Lily was on the verge of tears. Lily and Sedona started to leave with Ms. Fine, but Ms. Grubert encouraged them to stay because she thought it would be a good experience for them. Sedona and Lily addressed Mr. Stringer for about 15 minutes and expressed their views that teachers work hard and received unfair salaries in return. In response, Mr. Stringer rejected the idea of increasing teacher’s salaries and implied they didn’t work harder than anyone else and received substantial benefits along with their salaries and didn’t deserve anything more. At the conclusion of the meeting, Ms. Grubert asked Mr. Stringer to consider supporting teacher salary increases and then left the office with Lily and Sedona. Ms. Grubert, Lily, and Sedona then reunited with Ms. Fine who was speaking with Representative Athena Salman and the two teachers from Tucson. Ms. Grubert and Ms. Fine related to Ms. Salman what had occurred in Mr. Stringer’s office. Ms. Salman responded in apologetic fashion. 2 Stringer_457 GRANIERI PRIVATE INVESTIGATIONS & CONSULTING 2303 N. 44th Street, Suite 14-1162 Phoenix, AZ 85008-2442 602-799-3734 License #1587578 Email: swain@granieriprivateinvestigations.com INVESTIGATIVE REPORT Date: 03/22/2019 To: Joseph Kanefield Roy Herrera Ballard Spahr LLP From: J. Swain Granieri In Re: Representative David Stringer Investigation PREDICATION Interview with Merissa Hamilton. SUMMARY OF INTERVIEW On 03/21/2019, this investigator and attorney Mark Kokanovich interviewed Merissa Hamilton at Ballard Spahr. Ms. Hamilton’s attorney, Kory Langhofer was also present. Prior to the interview, Mr. Kokanovich explained that the Arizona House of Representatives Ethics Committee investigation regarding complaints against Representative David Stringer was a public process and that confidentiality or anonymity could not be guaranteed. Ms. Hamilton affirmed she understood this disclosure and agreed to the interview. The following is a summary of this interview. Background Ms. Hamilton is a political activist and has focused much of her efforts on protecting children and victims of child sex trafficking. Ms. Hamilton has conducted research and gathered a considerable amount of information in this regard. Stringer_458 Stringer_000459 GRANIERI PRIVATE INVESTIGATIONS & CONSULTING “damage” caused by child sex trafficking. In response, Mr. Stringer said he didn’t think there was any “damage”. In support of this claim, Mr. Stringer said, “If an uncle takes his niece or nephew to a playground, and they go on the merry-go-round and have some ice cream, and then do their thing, that’s just part of the experience”. Ms. Hamilton then told Mr. Stringer he was wrong, and that that child sex trafficking caused irreputable, life-long damage to children. In response to this, Mr. Stringer said, “We can agree to disagree”. Ms. Hamilton was very “shaken up” and “frazzled” by Mr. Stringer’s comments about child sex trafficking and adults having sex with children, and left phone messages for Mr. Perry and Constantin Querard that evening to discuss the matter but did not receive return calls that evening. Ms. Hamilton was concerned about Mr. Stringer’s statements but wanted to give him the benefit of doubt given the brief interaction she had with him, and because he was highly respected in the community. Ms. Hamilton took down the Facebook video recording of the RWOP speech as a precaution and maintained a copy of for her records. In June 2018, after Mr. Stringer’s controversial remarks at a Prescott political forum which were reported by the Phoenix New Times and other media outlets, Ms. Hamilton assisted Mr. Stringer with setting up a news conference with Reverend Jarret Maupin. In preparation for the event, Ms. Hamilton had a meeting with Mr. Stringer at the Biltmore in Phoenix to provide consultation about the news conference and how to deal with the overall controversy. During the meeting, Ms. Hamilton told Mr. Stringer he should always assume he is being recorded and admonished him to be cautious about how he expressed his views in the future, as it could be detrimental to him and the Republican Party. Mr. Stringer insisted that what he said at the Prescott political forum was factual and that the controversy would soon go away. Mr. Stringer used the term “White flight” several times during their conversation and proclaimed that “white” people were moving from cities to the suburbs to get away from “Hispanics”, “African-Americans” and other minorities. Mr. Stringer also implied that the white culture was superior and that immigrants needed to adapt to the superior culture. During the televised news conference with Rev. Maupin, Mr. Stringer invited Rev. Maupin to be on his Criminal Justice Reform team. About a month later, Ms. Hamilton telephoned Mr. Stringer and inquired about the invitations, and Mr. Stringer said he rescinded Rev. Maupin’s invitation because he didn’t call back, and that Ms. Hamilton was not qualified to be on the team. Ms. Hamilton severed her ties with Mr. Stringer and ceased communicating with him after learning about the November 2018 statements he made to ASU students. Shortly thereafter, Ms. Hamilton heard news media reports that Mr. Stringer he had been arrested in 1983 for child pornography and soliciting prostitutes and discovered an old Prescott eNews article published on 10/16/2017 in which Mr. Stringer made white nationalist comments. Ms. Hamilton has since opted to not run for the House of Representatives in 2020. Ms. Hamilton provided this investigator with a copy of the 05/18/2018 live-stream Facebook video recording she made at the Prescott RWOP forum. 3 Stringer_460 GRANIERI PRIVATE INVESTIGATIONS & CONSULTING 2303 N. 44th Street, Suite 14-1162 Phoenix, AZ 85008-2442 602-799-3734 License #1587578 Email: swain@granieriprivateinvestigations.com INVESTIGATIVE REPORT Date: 03/13/2019 To: Joseph Kanefield Roy Herrera Ballard Spahr LLP From: J. Swain Granieri In Re: Representative David Stringer Investigation PREDICATION Interview with Prescott Unified School District Superintendent Joe Howard. SUMMARY OF INTERVIEW On 03/05/2019, this investigator and Investigator Mike Torres interviewed Prescott Unified School District (PUSD) Superintendent Joe Howard, in Prescott, AZ. Prior to the interview, Mr. Howard reviewed Attachment 1 and affirmed he understood the content of the disclosure and agreed to the interview. The following is a summary of this interview. Background Mr. Howard has resided in Prescott since 1985. Mr. Howard began his career in education in 1996 as a teacher and coach. Mr. Howard was the Principal at Chino Valley Mile High School for seven years commencing in 2002. From 20092014 Mr. Howard was the PUSD Assistant Superintendent and has been the PUSD Superintendent since 2015. Mr. Howard is a registered Independent and does not belong to any political organizations. Stringer_461 GRANIERI PRIVATE INVESTIGATIONS & CONSULTING Interactions with David Stringer Mr. Howard first met Mr. Stringer in 2013 or early 2014 at a public gathering when he was a candidate for the Prescott Unified School District (PUSD) Governing Board. Mr. Stringer showed Mr. Howard a campaign pamphlet he created in which his photograph was superimposed onto a photo of a mural and said, “Fucking amazing, isn’t it?” Mr. Howard’s next interaction with Mr. Stringer was in 2015 at a BASIS Charter School convention held at the Prescott Resort. Mr. Stringer attended the event and approached Mr. Howard and said, “You’re the public-school guy.” In 2015, Mr. Howard had lunch with Mr. Stringer to discuss the upcoming school Bond and Override initiative. Mr. Stringer was affiliated with the Prescott Citizens Tax Committee (CTC) and was accompanied by an associate of the organization. During the luncheon, Mr. Stringer implied that he had no tolerance for poor people and opined they were a drain on society. Mr. Stringer proclaimed that the poor had a lot of babies and were often overweight and unhealthy. The topic of ethnic diversity was discussed during which Mr. Stringer said he moved to Prescott to get away from diversity, like many others. Mr. Stringer further espoused that Prescott should remain a predominantly non-diverse retirement community. Mr. Howard expressed his positive views on diversity, and in response, Mr. Stringer said he was an attorney in Washington DC and represented many “White” clients who were victims of wrongdoing by “Black” defendants. Mr. Howard recalls that the meeting with Mr. Stringer was initially amicable and became contentious as it progressed. Mr. Howard heard about the December 2018 Prescott City Council Special Meeting regarding Mr. Stringer’s unprofessional conduct. During a superintendent announcement later that day, Mr. Howard made the following statement: "I applaud the vote of our Prescott City Council today for calling for the resignation of David Stringer. His consistent comments and views represent the opposite of what we believe in PUSD when we say from our heart, Every Child, Every Day." Mr. Howard’s statement was quoted in the Prescott Daily Courier. 2 Stringer_462 GRANIERI PRIVATE INVESTIGATIONS & CONSULTING 2303 N. 44th Street, Suite 14-1162 Phoenix, AZ 85008-2442 602-799-3734 License #1587578 Email: swain@granieriprivateinvestigations.com INVESTIGATIVE REPORT Date: 03/14/2019 To: Joseph Kanefield Roy Herrera Ballard Spahr LLP From: J. Swain Granieri In Re: Representative David Stringer Investigation PREDICATION Interview with Pam Jones. SUMMARY OF INTERVIEW On 03/05/2019, this investigator and Investigator Mike Torres interviewed Pam Jones, in Prescott, AZ. Prior to the interview, Ms. Jones reviewed Attachment 1 and affirmed she understood the content of the disclosure and agreed to the interview. The following is a summary of this interview. Background Ms. Jones and her husband, Dr. David Hess, have resided in Prescott for 17 years. Ms. Jones and Dr. Hess previously lived in Washington DC, where Ms. Jones worked as a volunteer in the White House for the President George W. Bush administration in 2001. Ms. Jones and Dr. Hess are registered Republicans and have been very active in Arizona State and local politics since 2010. Ms. Jones has been a member of the Republican Women of Prescott (RWOP) since 2003 and was the President of RWOP for two years commencing in 2012. Ms. Jones and Dr. Hess have done a considerable amount of local campaign promoting Stringer_463 GRANIERI PRIVATE INVESTIGATIONS & CONSULTING and fundraising, such as the campaigns of Prescott Mayor Greg Mengarelli, Prescott Mayor ProTem Billy Orr, and Yavapai County Assessor Judd Simmons. Interactions with David Stringer Ms. Jones had very minimal one-on-one interactions with Mr. Stringer prior to the November 2016 Arizona House of Representatives election. Ms. Jones supported John Lamerson who ran against Mr. Stringer for the Prescott Unified School District Board of Governors in 2014. On February 17, 2017, Ms. Jones attended a political forum at the Las Fuentes Retirement Village hosted by the RWOP to address Proposition 443. Prescott Mayor Pro-Tem Billie Orr was one of the keynote speakers at the event. Representative David Stringer, who was not an invited speaker, showed up late while the meeting was in progress and began distributing pamphlets regarding a Prop 443 press release. Mr. Stringer was accompanied by Representative Noel Campbell. Ms. Orr was speaking over a microphone at that time and posed a question to the audience. Without being solicited to do so, Mr. Stringer approached, took the microphone from Ms. Orr’s hand and began addressing the audience. After the meeting adjourned, Ms. Jones and several of her colleagues discussed Mr. Stringer’s disrespectful behavior towards Ms. Orr and decided as a group that it was important to bring the matter to his attention. Ms. Jones was elected to speak with Mr. Stringer in this regard and was accompanied by Sherrie Hanna. Ms. Jones approached Mr. Stringer and addressed him in a polite, calm manner. Ms. Jones told Mr. Stringer that his conduct towards Ms. Orr was perceived as rude and disrespectful. Mr. Stringer became immediately agitated and moved within 12-18 inches from Ms. Jones and began shaking both of his fingers in her face while scolding her with a raised voice and angry tone. Mr. Stringer is considerably larger in stature than Ms. Jones and she felt threatened by his actions and said, “Get your fucking fingers out of my face.” Mr. Stringer continued berating Ms. Jones and told her she was “Trash.” Phyllis Robinson, who was nearby and overheard Mr. Stringer reprimanding Ms. Jones, intervened and said, “You can’t say that to her.” Ms. Jones told Mr. Stringer that he was a State Representative and shouldn’t conduct himself in that manner. In response, Mr. Stringer said, “You better not ever forget that.” Lynn LaMaster, owner of Prescott E-News, attended the forum and was standing next to Ms. Jones and Mr. Stringer during the altercation. The following day, Ms. LaMaster sent an email to Ms. Jones and Mr. Stringer in which she disclosed that she made an audio recording of their altercation and was enclosing a copy of the recording and a transcript of the audio to each of them in the email. In the email, Ms. LaMaster said she made the decision not to publish the recording but reserved the right to do so in the future. Ms. LaMaster addressed Mr. Stringer in the email as follows. “I would suggest, Representative Stringer, that the fallout of publishing this incident would be much costlier to you than it would Pam. If something like this were to occur again, and any other media representatives were present, it is highly doubtful that they would display the same discretion that I am showing. If it occurs again in my presence, I will be unable to ignore it, because at that point, it becomes less of an unfortunate disagreement, and begins to resemble evidence of a pattern of unprofessional behavior” 2 Stringer_464 GRANIERI PRIVATE INVESTIGATIONS & CONSULTING In the email, Ms. LaMaster further disclosed that she video recorded the Las Fuentes forum presentation on her cell phone and provided a YouTube link to the video (See 02-17-2018 LaMaster Audio-Video Recording). Ms. LaMaster informed Ms. Jones and Mr. Stringer in the email that she would retain the original audio recording of their altercation and asked that they not “republish” the recording or transcript to the media or anyone else without her “written consent”. On 02/18/2017, Ms. Jones sent an email reply to Ms. LaMaster in which she apologized and intimated she was embarrassed for using an expletive during her encounter with Mr. Stringer. In the email, Ms. Jones said she was “…very shocked and stressed at his fingers jabbing at me” and that she was “… totally blindsided and astonished by his reaction.” In response, Ms. LaMaster sent an email to Ms. Jones on that date in which she said, “No apologies needed. I don’t like being treated that way, either, which is something I am struggling with in another situation (Not with Lewis, of course. He’s the nicest guy in the world.)” In the same email, Ms. LaMaster also said; “My concern in this situation is that I not appear biased one way or another. That’s why I decided to send it to both of you at the same time. That seemed very fair to me. My biggest concern is that it will just give the “enemy” ammunition. And that’s unnecessary. So, I decided it should not be published.” Ms. Jones provided this investigator with copies of the aforementioned emails (Attachment 7). Ms. Jones is an associate of Mark Sensmeier, former Chairman of the Yavapai County Republican Committee (YCRC), and Department Chair and Associate Professor of Aerospace Engineering at Embry-Riddle University. Mr. Sensmeier and other YCRC representatives made a written statement calling for Mr. Stringer’s resignation following the comments he made during the June 2018 speech to the Yavapai County Republican Men’s forum. Mr. Sensmeier recently consulted with Ms. Jones about the House Ethic Committee’s investigation into Mr. Stringer. During this conversation, Mr. Sensmeier intimated that Mr. Stringer gave a 2018 speech at Embry-Riddle to the Yavapai County Young Republicans and the Embry-Riddle College Republicans, during which he made offensive comments similar to the ones that are the subject of the investigation. Mr. Sensmeier reported that his son, Steven Sensmeier, attended the speech but is afraid to come forward. Steven Sensmeier has since graduated from Embry Riddle University and was affiliated with the Martha McSally for Senate campaign. 3 Stringer_465 GRANIERI PRIVATE INVESTIGATIONS & CONSULTING 2303 N. 44th Street, Suite 14-1162 Phoenix, AZ 85008-2442 602-799-3734 License #1587578 Email: swain@granieriprivateinvestigations.com INVESTIGATIVE REPORT Date: 02/19/2019 To: Joseph Kanefield Roy Herrera Ballard Spahr LLP From: J. Swain Granieri In Re: Representative David Stringer Investigation PREDICATION Telephonic interview with Ruth Lambert. SUMMARY OF INTERVIEW Ms. Lambert is the Sergeant at Arms of the Maricopa County Democrats Legislative District 1, a local political organization. Ms. Lambert has never interacted with Representative David Stringer and has no firsthand knowledge of Mr. Stringer’s conduct as alleged in complaints submitted to the Arizona House of Representatives Ethics Committee. Ms. Lambert became a point of contact for several LD1 constituents who provided her with written statements about their disconcerting encounters with Mr. Stringer, which she forwarded to the House Ethics Committee. Ms. Lambert provided this investigator with these written statements in a follow-up email on 02/19/2019 (Attachment 8). Stringer_466 GRANIERI PRIVATE INVESTIGATIONS & CONSULTING 2303 N. 44th Street, Suite 14-1162 Phoenix, AZ 85008-2442 602-799-3734 License #1587578 Email: swain@granieriprivateinvestigations.com INVESTIGATIVE REPORT Date: 03/07/2019 To: Joseph Kanefield Roy Herrera Ballard Spahr LLP From: J. Swain Granieri In Re: Representative David Stringer Investigation PREDICATION Interview with Prescott Mayor Greg Mengarelli. SUMMARY OF INTERVIEW On 03/06/2019, this investigator and Investigator Mike Torres interviewed Prescott Mayor Greg Mengarelli, in Prescott, AZ. Prior to the interview, Mr. Mengarelli reviewed Attachment 1 and affirmed he understood the content of the disclosure and agreed to the interview. The following is a summary of this interview. Background Mr. Mengarelli has resided in Prescott for 24 years. Mr. Mengarelli has been the CEO of the United Christian Youth Camp since February 1995. Mr. Mengarelli is a registered Republican and has been the Mayor of Prescott since being elected in November 2017. Stringer_467 GRANIERI PRIVATE INVESTIGATIONS & CONSULTING Interactions with David Stringer Mr. Mengarelli has interacted with Mr. Stringer at various local public gatherings and political forums over the years. Mr. Mengarelli first met Mr. Stringer in 2013 at the school Bond and Override meetings. Mr. Mengarelli and Mr. Stringer ran against each other in 2014 for the Prescott Unified School District (PUSD) Governing Board. Mr. Mengarelli won the election and served a four-year term. Mr. Mengarelli doesn’t recall any specific offensive comments made by Mr. Stringer during the above-mentioned occasions. In 2017, Mr. Mengarelli accompanied attorney Alex Vakula to a Yavapai County Bar Association (YCBA) monthly meeting-luncheon when Mr. Mengarelli was a candidate for Prescott Mayor. Mr. Vakula is a member of the YCBA and invited Mr. Mengarelli as a guest. Mr. Stringer attended the luncheon and approached Mr. Vakula and verbally berated him for bringing Mr. Mengarelli to the meeting. Mr. Stringer asserted that the YCBA luncheon was not the appropriate venue to invite a political candidate. Mr. Stringer appeared angry and got very close to Mr. Vakula and spoke to him with a raised, agitated voice. Mr. Stringer continually pointed his finger at Mr. Vakula and may have poked him with his finger during the incident. Mr. Stringer was supporting Prescott Mayor candidate Mary Beth Hrin at the time and espoused he was going to bring Ms. Hrin to a YCBA meeting in the future. Mr. Vakula remained calm while dealing with Mr. Stringer during the incident. In June 2018, Mr. Mengarelli attended the Yavapai Republican Men’s Forum (YRMF) monthly meeting at the St. Michael’s Hotel. Mr. Mengarelli has been affiliated with the YRMF for two to three years. Mr. Stringer was a keynote speaker at the event which was attended by approximately 50-60 people. During the speech, Mr. Stringer discussed the topic of immigration into the United States and asserted this would change the demographics of the country and presented an existential threat. While discussing the subject, Mr. Stringer said there were “Not enough white kids” in school classrooms and suggested that there needed to be more Caucasian students. Mr. Mengarelli was not surprised by these comments, as he was aware that Mr. Stringer had made similar statements to others in the past. In November 2018, Mr. Mengarelli became aware of the audio recorded comments Mr. Stringer made to ASU students that were published by the Phoenix New Times and other news media outlets. Mr. Mengarelli concluded that the totality of these and past statements made by Mr. Stringer were offensive and reprehensible, and he felt a “strong sense of duty” to take action. On 12/1/2018, Mr. Mengarelli made a Facebook posting in which he denounced Mr. Stringer’s conduct. Mr. Mengarelli then consulted with Mayor Pro-Tem Billy Orr and sent out notices calling for a special Council meeting on 12/5/2018 to address the matter. Ms. Orr and Mr. Mengarelli prepared written statements for the meeting in which they called for Mr. Stringer’s resignation. 2 Stringer_468 GRANIERI PRIVATE INVESTIGATIONS & CONSULTING The Prescott City Council held the special meeting on 12/05/2018 during which councilmembers and many public attendees called for Mr. Stringer’s resignation. The Council voted 6/1 in favor of Mr. Stringer’s resignation and the meeting concluded with a standing ovation by the majority of the participants, a photo of which was posted on Facebook. 3 Stringer_469 GRANIERI PRIVATE INVESTIGATIONS & CONSULTING 2303 N. 44th Street, Suite 14-1162 Phoenix, AZ 85008-2442 602-799-3734 License #1587578 Email: swain@granieriprivateinvestigations.com INVESTIGATIVE REPORT Date: 03/07/2019 To: Joseph Kanefield Roy Herrera Ballard Spahr LLP From: J. Swain Granieri In Re: Representative David Stringer Investigation PREDICATION Interview with Prescott Mayor Pro-Tem, Dr. Billie Orr. SUMMARY OF INTERVIEW On 03/06/2019, this investigator and Investigator Mike Torres interviewed Prescott Mayor ProTem, Dr. Billie Orr, in Prescott, AZ. Prior to the interview, Dr. Orr reviewed Attachment 1 and affirmed she understood the content of the disclosure and agreed to the interview. The following is a summary of this interview. Background Dr. Orr has spent the majority of her career as an educator and advocate for public education. Dr. Orr began her teaching career in Arizona in 1970. Among other things, Dr. Orr was the Deputy Superintendent of Public Education in Arizona, and Principal of Kiva School in Scottsdale, AZ. Dr. Orr has lived in Prescott for seven years where she has been involved in politics and education advocacy. Dr. Orr is a registered Republican and former Vice President and President of the Republican Women of Prescott (RWOP). Stringer_470 GRANIERI PRIVATE INVESTIGATIONS & CONSULTING Dr. Orr was elected as the member of the Prescott City Council in 2015 and became Prescott Mayor Pro-Tem in 2017. Interactions with David Stringer Dr. Orr first met Mr. Stringer about four years ago at an annual ROWP meeting held at Embry Riddle University. Mr. Stringer and Dr. Orr discussed the issue of legalizing marijuana at the meeting. Mr. Stringer was pro-legalization and Dr. Orr and the ROWP were against it. Mr. Stringer was rude and dismissive to Dr. Orr during their conversation and she opted to never meet with him alone again from that point forward. In February 2017, Dr. Orr attended a political forum at the Las Fuentes Retirement Village hosted by the RWOP to address Proposition 443. Dr. Orr was one of the keynote speakers at the event. Mr. Stringer attended the forum but was not an invited speaker. While Dr. Orr was speaking over a microphone addressing the audience, Mr. Stringer took the microphone from her hand and began addressing the crowd. When the event was over, RWOP members Pam Jones and Phyllis Robinson confronted Mr. Stringer regarding his unprofessional conduct and Dr. Orr witnessed the conversation. Ms. Jones addressed Mr. Stringer in a calm voice, and Mr. Stringer instantly became angry, got within 12 inches from Ms. Jones, and began berating her with a raised voice while shaking his fingers in her face. Prescott E-News owner Lynn LaMaster was present and recorded the incident. In November 2018, Dr. Orr and Mayor Mengarelli learned about the audio recorded comments Mr. Stringer made to ASU students that were published by the Phoenix New Times and other news media outlets. Dr. Orr and Mayor Mangarelli made Facebook postings in which they denounced Mr. Stringer’s conduct. Mr. Mengarelli called for a special council meeting on 12/5/2018 to address the matter, and Dr. Orr and Mr. Mengarelli prepared written statements for the meeting in which they called for Mr. Stringer’s resignation. The Prescott City special council meeting was held on 12/05/2018 and the councilmembers voted 6/1 in favor of Mr. Stringer’s resignation. Dr. Orr provided this investigator with a copy of the 12/05/2018 special council meeting minutes in a follow-up email (Attachment 9). 2 Stringer_471 GRANIERI PRIVATE INVESTIGATIONS & CONSULTING 2303 N. 44th Street, Suite 14-1162 Phoenix, AZ 85008-2442 602-799-3734 License #1587578 Email: swain@granieriprivateinvestigations.com INVESTIGATIVE REPORT Date: 03/12/2019 To: Joseph Kanefield Roy Herrera Ballard Spahr LLP From: J. Swain Granieri In Re: Representative David Stringer Investigation PREDICATION Interview with Prescott Unified School District Assistant Superintendent Mardi Read. SUMMARY OF INTERVIEW On 03/05/2019, this investigator and Investigator Mike Torres interviewed Prescott Unified School District (PUSD) Assistant Superintendent Mardi Read, in Prescott, AZ. Prior to the interview, Ms. Read reviewed Attachment 1 and affirmed she understood the content of the disclosure and agreed to the interview. The following is a summary of this interview. Background Ms. Read has resided in Prescott for 21 years. Ms. Read has been employed as an educator her entire career. Commencing in 2001, Ms. Read taught fourth and eighth grade elementary school for approximately six years. In 2008, Ms. Read became the Assistant Principal at Granite Mountain Middle School and served in that position for two years. Ms. Read was the Principal at Chino Valley Heritage Middle School for two years and has been the Assistant PUSD Superintendent since August 2015. Stringer_472 GRANIERI PRIVATE INVESTIGATIONS & CONSULTING Ms. Read is a registered Democrat, and a member of the Democratic Women of the Prescott Area (DWPA). Ms. Read served as Campaign Manager for her daughter, Alexa Scholl, when she ran for Prescott City Council. Ms. Read is also affiliated with the Prescott Education Advocacy Council, a nonpartisan group supporting education and education funding. Interactions with David Stringer Between August 2015 and November 2015, Ms. Read spoke with Mr. Stringer on approximately three occasions at Prescott political forums. These forums were opportunities for the community to hear about the bond override initiatives. These were attended by governing board candidates and it gave attendees an opportunity to hear their views on education. Mr. Stringer was running for one of the elected positions and was one of the candidates who attended these functions. Ms. Read had one-on-one discussions with Mr. Stringer regarding education and education funding at these events. Ms. Read recalls that Mr. Stringer referred to indigent students and English language learners as “those kids” and asserted they were costly to educate and a burden on the public-school system. Mr. Stringer was rude when speaking with Ms. Read and dismissive of her point-of-view during these discussions. In late 2016 or early 2017, Ms. Read attended a Family Resource Center Parent Outreach night at Taylor Hicks School, which was also attended by Mr. Stringer who had recently been elected as an LD1 House Representative. The event was an opportunity to connect families and students in need with government resources, and Ms. Read engaged Mr. Stringer in a conversation regarding the same. During the conversation, Mr. Stringer opined that “Government schools” were best suited for the poor and special ed students, and that charter schools were the best option for others who could afford them. Ms. Read expressed her concerns about charter schools and opined that they are a “Veiled form of segregation” because poor families cannot afford transportation, meals and the fees involved. In response, Mr. Stringer said families who can afford to send their children to charter schools are entitled to do so because they pay more taxes. Ms. Read and Mr. Stringer also discussed the assimilation of immigrants and minorities into the United States. Mr. Stringer opined that minorities could assimilate if there were enough persons in the “Dominant culture.” Ms. Read wasn’t certain what Mr. Stringer was referring to at the time until she heard about the comments he made concerning immigration and assimilation during a June 2018 speech in Prescott when he said, “There aren’t not enough white kids…” In approximately January 2017, Ms. Read accompanied Rosemary Agneessens and a few others to meet with Mr. Stringer, Noel Campbell and Karen Fann at the state capital. During their meeting with Mr. Stringer, Ms. Read opined that funding and supporting education would help “Break the cycle of poverty.” In response, Mr. Stringer said, “Why would you want to do that?” Ms. Read felt disgusted and disappointed about this comment. 2 Stringer_473 GRANIERI PRIVATE INVESTIGATIONS & CONSULTING 2303 N. 44th Street, Suite 14-1162 Phoenix, AZ 85008-2442 602-799-3734 License #1587578 Email: swain@granieriprivateinvestigations.com INVESTIGATIVE REPORT Date: 03/15/2019 To: Joseph Kanefield Roy Herrera Ballard Spahr LLP From: J. Swain Granieri In Re: Representative David Stringer Investigation PREDICATION Interview with Daniel Rubio. SUMMARY OF INTERVIEW On 03/13/2019, this investigator and Investigator Mike Torres interviewed Daniel Rubio at Arizona State University (ASU). Prior to the interview, Mr. Rubio reviewed Attachment 1 and affirmed he understood the content of the disclosure and agreed to the interview. The following is a summary of this interview. Background Mr. Rubio is an ASU student majoring in Political Science. Mr. Rubio is a registered Democrat and is affiliated with the ASU Young Democrats organization. Interactions with David Stringer On November 19, 2018, Mr. Rubio and fellow ASU students Stephen Chmura and Sam Thiele attended a Political History and Leadership lecture given by Professor Donald Critchlow. The Stringer_474 GRANIERI PRIVATE INVESTIGATIONS & CONSULTING lecture was held on the third floor of ASU Coor Hall and was attended by approximately 20-30 students. Mr. Stringer arrived shortly after the lecture commenced and was introduced by Professor Critchlow as an Arizona House Representative. Mr. Rubio and his colleagues were unfamiliar with Mr. Stringer and did Google research and learned that he made controversial statements at a June 2018 Prescott speech concerning immigration, and that Governor Ducey called for his resignation. Professor Critchlow’s lecture focused on the recent midterm election results during which he opined that the Republican Party needed to appeal to Hispanic voters. Mr. Stringer interjected and said Republicans would never appeal to Hispanic voters because they wanted unfettered immigration and opposed immigration control. Mr. Rubio commenced recording the lecture with his cell phone at or about this time. When the lecture concluded, Mr. Stringer asked Mr. Rubio and his friends for directions out of the building, and Mr. Rubio, Mr. Thiele, and Mr. Chmura got into the elevator alone with Mr. Stringer to assist him. While in the elevator, Mr. Stringer intimated that the midterm election results were favorable for Mr. Rubio and his colleagues, after which Mr. Rubio sarcastically said “George Soros” bought minority votes to win the election. This appeared to agitate Mr. Stringer and he replied, “You will be sorry when they get in power, I hope they treat you well.” Mr. Rubio believes that Mr. Thiele started recording Mr. Stringer on his cell phone after they exited the elevator, after which Mr. Stringer made several disturbing comments about immigration and assimilation. At the conclusion of the conversation, Mr. Rubio and his friends shook hands with Mr. Stringer, and they parted company. Mr. Rubio, Mr. Thiele, and Mr. Chmura went to Mr. Chmura’s ASU dorm room that day to consult about the situation, and they unanimously agreed to go public with the audio recordings of Mr. Stringer. Mr. Chmura had media connections so it was decided that he would lead the effort, and Mr. Rubio and Mr. Thiele sent the original recordings to Mr. Chmura via their cell phones. Mr. Chmura was interviewed by a Phoenix New Times reporter and he provided the reporter with the two complete audio recordings of Mr. Stringer. The reporter did not interview Mr. Rubio or Mr. Thiele. The Phoenix New Times article was published on 11/30/2018, after which Channel 12 News contacted Mr. Chmura and arranged a televised interview with Mr. Chmura, Mr. Rubio, and Mr. Thiele that evening. A televised interview with Channel 5 was also set up to follow. The televised interviews were done at the ASU Memorial Union Building on 11/30/2018. Mr. Rubio believes the Phoenix New Times published the complete recordings of Mr. Stringer, and that the other news outlets used audio clips of the recordings. 2 Stringer_475 GRANIERI PRIVATE INVESTIGATIONS & CONSULTING Mr. Rubio received backlash on Twitter following the news media reports, as did Professor Critchlow. Mr. Rubio and Mr. Chmura discussed this with Professor Critchlow, and he intimated that Mr. Stringer was “Anti-American.” 3 Stringer_476 GRANIERI PRIVATE INVESTIGATIONS & CONSULTING 2303 N. 44th Street, Suite 14-1162 Phoenix, AZ 85008-2442 602-799-3734 License #1587578 Email: swain@granieriprivateinvestigations.com INVESTIGATIVE REPORT Date: 03/11/2019 To: Joseph Kanefield Roy Herrera Ballard Spahr LLP From: J. Swain Granieri In Re: Representative David Stringer Investigation PREDICATION Interview with Humboldt Unified School District Superintendent Daniel Streeter. SUMMARY OF INTERVIEW On 02/27/2019, this investigator and Investigator Mike Torres interviewed Humboldt Unified School District (HUSD) Superintendent Daniel Streeter, in Prescott Valley, AZ. Prior to the interview, Mr. Streeter reviewed Attachment 1 and affirmed he understood the content of the disclosure and agreed to the interview. The following is a summary of this interview. Interactions with David Stringer Mr. Streeter has interacted with Mr. Stringer on three or four occasions. The most recent instance occurred in the spring of 2018 during a tour of the Lake Valley Elementary School for Mr. Stringer, Representative Noel Campbell, and Senator Karen Fann, which was hosted by Principal Aimee Fleming. Mr. Streeter does not recall any offensive or disconcerting comments made by Mr. Stringer during the tour. Mr. Streeter remembers being questioned by someone in the group about the school lunch program for indigent students, and having to defend the program, but doesn’t remember who asked the question. Stringer_477 GRANIERI PRIVATE INVESTIGATIONS & CONSULTING Mr. Streeter has never received any complaints from students, teachers, faculty members, board members or others about Mr. Stringer’s conduct. Mr. Streeter became aware of offensive comments made by Mr. Stringer from news media reports which led to the House Ethics Committee’s investigation. The Governing Board members and school principals sought guidance from Mr. Streeter on how to deal with the situation moving forward regarding Mr. Stringer. Mr. Streeter then authored and disseminated an internal memorandum, cosigned by Governing Board President Mr. Richard Adler, condemning Mr. Stringer’s comments. The memo also stated that Mr. Stringer would no longer be welcome on any school campuses or permitted to participate in any school functions. Mr. Streeter reviewed Attachment 10 and confirmed that this was the internal memo he authored on 12/5/2018, which was also signed by Mr. Adler. The 12/05/2018 internal memo was subsequently leaked to the press by person/s unknown and published in a Washington Post article in December 2018 (Attachment 11). Additionally, the New York Times called Mr. Streeter’s office inquiring about the memo. Since the internal memo was made public, Mr. Streeter has received positive and negative feedback from parents of students and others. Some praised Mr. Streeter’s actions and others condemned him for making a “Political statement.” A HUSD Governing Board Meeting was held on 12/11/2018 (Tuesday). During the public participation portion of the meeting, a Prescott Valley citizen identified as Karen Hunt submitted a written statement inquiring about HUSD policies and criteria for banning students, parents, members of the public, and public officials from school campuses. Ms. Hunt did not specifically name Mr. Stringer or reference the 12/05/2018 internal memo. Mr. Streeter wrote a response letter to Ms. Hunt, dated 12/21/2018, which summarized HUSD expectations regarding conduct by students and others, and the criteria and authority for removal of students and others from school campuses (Attachment 14). At the conclusion of the interview, Mr. Streeter affirmed that the basis for the 12/05/2018 internal memo was information reported by the news media concerning Mr. Stringer’s conduct and not from complaints he received about Mr. Stringer, or personal interactions he had with Mr. Stringer. 2 Stringer_478 GRANIERI PRIVATE INVESTIGATIONS & CONSULTING 2303 N. 44th Street, Suite 14-1162 Phoenix, AZ 85008-2442 602-799-3734 License #1587578 Email: swain@granieriprivateinvestigations.com INVESTIGATIVE REPORT Date: 03/07/2019 To: Joseph Kanefield Roy Herrera Ballard Spahr LLP From: J. Swain Granieri In Re: Representative David Stringer Investigation PREDICATION Interview with Clark Tenney. SUMMARY OF INTERVIEW On 02/26/2019, this investigator and Investigator Mike Torres interviewed Prescott High School Assistant Principal, Clark Tenney, in Prescott, AZ. Prior to the interview, Mr. Tenney reviewed Attachment 1 and affirmed he understood the content of the disclosure and agreed to the interview. The following is a summary of this interview. Background Mr. Tenney and his family have lived in Prescott since 1983. Mr. Tenney graduated from Brigham Young University and has been an educator since that time. Mr. Tenney first taught school in Utah and Japan after graduating from college, then moved back to Prescott in 2007 where he was a middle school teacher from 2007-2013. Mr. Tenney was the Principal at Abia Judd Elementary School from 2014-2018 and is currently the Assistant Principal at Prescott High School. Stringer_479 GRANIERI PRIVATE INVESTIGATIONS & CONSULTING Mr. Tenney is a registered Republican but has never been a candidate for a political office and doesn’t intend to do so. Mr. Tenney is affiliated with the Prescott Education Advocacy Council (PEAC), a non-partisan local education advocacy group. Interactions with David Stringer Mr. Stringer was a candidate for the Prescott Unified School District (PUSD) Governing Board in 2014-2015 but lost the election. Mr. Tenney disagreed with Mr. Stringer’s political views on education and education funding and did not support him. Mr. Tenney had about eight to ten brief discussions with Mr. Stringer in 2014-2015 at Prescott political forums focusing on education in which Mr. Stringer was an attendee along with several other candidates running for the PUSD Governing Board at that time. Mr. Tenney does not recall the names of the other candidates or attendees. Mr. Tenney’s discussions with Mr. Stringer occurred in small group settings following these forums, but Mr. Tenney does not recall the names of the other persons who were present. Mr. Stringer made disconcerting, offensive comments during these conversations, paraphrased as follows. • Minorities and immigrants negatively impact public schools. • Minorities and immigrants are a drain on society. • Hispanics and other minorities achieve lower test scores than white students. • Asian students tend to be an exception and receive higher test scores. • Minority students are more difficult and challenging to deal with. During one of the abovementioned conversations, Mr. Tenney and Mr. Stringer discussed the Abia Judd Elementary School, which predominantly consists of affluent white students, and has very few minority students. Mr. Tenney recalls Mr. Stringer opining that this lack of diversity was a good thing because Abia Judd experienced fewer problems, difficulties and challenges. In the spring of 2016, Mr. Tenney and his wife, Sonya, attended a Prescott political forum focusing on education which was held at the Las Fuentes Retirement Village. The forum was arranged by PEAC leader, Rosemary Agneessens, and set up by Tom Benson. There were approximately 50 attendees at the event which included a panel of candidates for the fall elections. Mr. Stringer and Noel Campbell were among the candidates who participated in the forum. Mr. Tenney also believes PUSD Assistant Superintendent, Mardi Read, and PEAC affiliate, JoAnne Chaffeur attended the event. The format was similar to a debate, whereby the candidates were asked questions by a moderator and given a specific time to answer. Mr. and Mrs. Tenney had a conversation with a small group of attendees following the forum and Mr. Stringer approached and joined the group. Mr. Stringer engaged Mr. Tenney in a discussion about education in which the topic of ethnic diversity came up. During the conversation, Mr. Stringer asserted that ethnic diversity in schools created difficulties and 2 Stringer_480 GRANIERI PRIVATE INVESTIGATIONS & CONSULTING negatively impacted student achievement. Mr. Tenney disagreed with Mr. Stringer and shared his positive experience with ethnic diversity as an educator and principal in Prescott, such as increased statewide test scores and no increase in disciplinary issues. The following evening, Mr. and Mrs. Tenney attended an awards banquet for the Prescott Area Leadership (PAL) organization, which was attended by Mr. Stringer. Mr. and Mrs. Tenney’s son, Nathan, was a Prescott High School (PHS) student at the time and a finalist for a Youth Leader Scholarship Award. Nathan was the PHS Student Body President and very involved in the community and local politics. Mr. Stringer previously asked Nathan to work on his 2016 campaign for the Arizona House of Representatives, and Nathan declined. Nathan’s friend and fellow PHS senior, Brandon Nguyen, and his parents attended the awards banquet, as Brandon was also a finalist for the Youth Leadership scholarship award. Brandon and his parents are of Vietnamese descent. Brandon was a very accomplished PHS student, Captain of the PHS tennis team, a leader of the PHS National Honors Society, and very involved in the local community. Mr. and Mrs. Tenney and Nathan sat at the same table with the Nguyen’s and had dinner together. The awards ceremony took place after the dinner and Brandon Nguyen received the top Youth Leadership scholarship award and Nathan Tenney received a secondary scholarship. After the awards banquet concluded and the guests were leaving the facility, Mr. Stringer approached Mr. Tenney and said, “There’s diversity for you,” and immediately walked away. Mr. Tenney recalls that Mr. Stringer had a very sarcastic tone when he made this statement. Mr. Tenney was shocked and disappointed and immediately reported Mr. Stringer’s comment to his wife, Sonya. Mr. Tenney is aware of the controversial statements made by Mr. Stringer which led to the House Ethics Committee investigation reported by the news media, and believes they are racist, unprofessional, and offensive. Consequently, Mr. Tenney wrote an email to Representative Karen Fann and JoAnne Chaffeur on 02/11/2019 in which he summarized his encounters with Mr. Stringer and his offensive comments. Mr. Tenney reviewed Attachment 15 and verified this was the email he sent to Ms. Fann and Ms. Chaffeur on that date. 3 Stringer_481 GRANIERI PRIVATE INVESTIGATIONS & CONSULTING 2303 N. 44th Street, Suite 14-1162 Phoenix, AZ 85008-2442 602-799-3734 License #1587578 Email: swain@granieriprivateinvestigations.com INVESTIGATIVE REPORT Date: 03/08/2019 To: Joseph Kanefield Roy Herrera Ballard Spahr LLP From: J. Swain Granieri In Re: Representative David Stringer Investigation PREDICATION Interview with Sonya Tenney. SUMMARY OF INTERVIEW On 02/26/2019, this investigator and Investigator Mike Torres interviewed Prescott High School teacher, Sonya Tenney, in Prescott, AZ. Prior to the interview, Mrs. Tenney reviewed Attachment 1 and affirmed she understood the content of the disclosure and agreed to the interview. The following is a summary of this interview. Background Mrs. Tenney is a teacher at Prescott High School, and has lived in Prescott with her husband, Clark Tenney, for several years. Interactions with David Stringer Mr. and Mrs. Tenney attended a Prescott political forum focusing on education which was held at the Las Fuentes Retirement Village in the Spring of 2016. Mr. Stringer was one of several candidates who participated in the forum preceding the fall elections who answered questions Stringer_482 GRANIERI PRIVATE INVESTIGATIONS & CONSULTING posed by a moderator. Ms. Tenney does not remember Mr. Stringer’s exact words when answering the questions but recalls he implied that Prescott should remain a predominantly white retirement community. Peter Pierson was a guest at the forum and spoke with Mrs. Tenney following the event. Mrs. Tenney and Mr. Pierson discussed Mr. Stringer’s disconcerting comments during the forum and Mr. Pierson said he was going to run against Mr. Tenney in the 2016 Arizona House of Representatives race. At the conclusion of the forum, Mr. and Mrs. Tenney engaged in conversation with a small group of attendees and Mr. Stringer joined the group. Mrs. Tenney does not recall the names of the others who were present. Mr. Stringer joined the discussion which turned to the topic of education and ethnic diversity. Mrs. Tenney does not recall Mr. Stringer’s exact words but remembers he implied that education funding should primarily focus on affluent white students and not Hispanics and other minorities. Mr. Stringer referred to Hispanics and other minorities as “Those kids” and said he didn’t know what could be done for them. The following evening, Mr. and Mrs. Tenney attended an awards banquet for the Prescott Area Leadership (PAL) organization, as their son, Nathan, was a Prescott High School (PHS) student and a finalist for a Youth Leader Scholarship Award at that time. Nathan’s friend, Brandon Nguyen, a Vietnamese student at PHS, was also a finalist for the Youth Leadership Scholarship Award and attended the banquet with his parents. Mr. and Mrs. Tenney and Nathan had dinner with the Nguyen’s at the banquet, after which Brandon Nguyen received the top scholarship award at the awards ceremony and Nathan received the secondary scholarship. After the awards banquet was over, Mr. Tenney told Mrs. Tenney that Mr. Stringer approached him as they were leaving the building and sarcastically said, “There’s diversity for you.” Mr. and Ms. Tenney were upset and saddened by this comment. Mrs. Tenney was present at other Prescott political forums that Mr. Stringer attended but does not recall any specific comments he made during these events. 2 Stringer_483 GRANIERI PRIVATE INVESTIGATIONS & CONSULTING 2303 N. 44th Street, Suite 14-1162 Phoenix, AZ 85008-2442 602-799-3734 License #1587578 Email: swain@granieriprivateinvestigations.com INVESTIGATIVE REPORT Date: 03/15/2019 To: Joseph Kanefield Roy Herrera Ballard Spahr LLP From: J. Swain Granieri In Re: Representative David Stringer Investigation PREDICATION Interview with Sam Thiele. SUMMARY OF INTERVIEW On 03/13/2019, this investigator and Investigator Mike Torres interviewed Sam Thiele at Arizona State University (ASU). Prior to the interview, Mr. Thiele reviewed Attachment 1 and affirmed he understood the content of the disclosure and agreed to the interview. The following is a summary of this interview. Background Mr. Thiele is an ASU student majoring in Political Science. Mr. Thiele is a registered Democrat. Interactions with David Stringer On November 19, 2018, Mr. Thiele and fellow ASU students Stephen Chmura and Daniel Rubio attended a Political History and Leadership lecture given by Professor Donald Critchlow on the fourth floor of ASU Coor Hall. The lecture was attended by approximately 20 students. Stringer_484 GRANIERI PRIVATE INVESTIGATIONS & CONSULTING Mr. Stringer arrived shortly after the lecture started and was introduced by Professor Critchlow as an Arizona House Representative. Mr. Thiele and his colleagues had never heard of Mr. Stringer so they Google researched his name and discovered he made controversial statements at a June 2018 Prescott speech about immigration, and that Governor Ducey asked for his resignation. Professor Critchlow’s lecture primarily focused on the recent midterm election results, during which he suggested that the Republican Party should appeal to Hispanic voters. Mr. Stringer interjected and said Hispanics would always vote for Democrats because they are proimmigration and want to bring their families to the United States. Mr. Rubio started recording the lecture with his cell phone at or about this time. When the lecture was over, Mr. Stringer asked Mr. Thiele and his colleagues for directions out of the building, and Mr. Thiele, Mr. Rubio and Mr. Chmura got into the elevator alone with Mr. Stringer to assist him. While in the elevator, Mr. Stringer engaged the students and asked how the midterm elections turned out for them. Mr. Rubio sarcastically replied that “George Soros” bought minority votes and they won the election. This seemed to agitate Mr. Stringer and he said, “Just wait to see how they treat you when they are in power.” The conversation continued as they exited the elevator and Mr. Stringer said, “Name any successful multicultural nation,” to which they responded, “America and Canada.” Mr. Stringer then proceeded to opine why America was failing because of ethnic diversity at which time Mr. Thiele started recording the conversation with his cell phone. Mr. Stringer then made several disconcerting recorded comments about immigration and assimilation. After the conversation was over, Mr. Thiele and his friends shook hands with Mr. Stringer, and they parted company. Mr. Thiele, Mr. Rubio, and Mr. Chmura went to Mr. Chmura’s ASU dorm room that day where they discussed the matter and unanimously agreed to go public with the audio recordings of Mr. Stringer. Mr. Chmura knew someone with media connections, so he was tasked with spearheading the effort, and Mr. Thiele and Mr. Rubio sent the original recordings to Mr. Chmura via their cell phones. Mr. Chmura was later interviewed by a Phoenix New Times reporter and provided the reporter the two complete audio recordings of Mr. Stringer. Mr. Thiele and Mr. Rubio were not interviewed by the reporter. The Phoenix New Times article was published on 11/30/2018, after which back-to-back televised interviews with Channel 12 and Channel 5 were arranged with Mr. Thiele, Mr. Rubio, and Mr. Chmura that evening at the ASU Memorial Union Building. 2 Stringer_485 GRANIERI PRIVATE INVESTIGATIONS & CONSULTING 2303 N. 44th Street, Suite 14-1162 Phoenix, AZ 85008-2442 602-799-3734 License #1587578 Email: swain@granieriprivateinvestigations.com INVESTIGATIVE REPORT Date: 03/12/2019 To: Joseph Kanefield Roy Herrera Ballard Spahr LLP From: J. Swain Granieri In Re: Representative David Stringer Investigation PREDICATION Interview with Alex Vakula. SUMMARY OF INTERVIEW On 03/06/2019, this investigator and Investigator Mike Torres interviewed Alex Vakula in Prescott, AZ. Prior to the interview, Mr. Vakula reviewed Attachment 1 and affirmed he understood the content of the disclosure and agreed to the interview. The following is a summary of this interview. Background Mr. Vakula has been an Arizona attorney for 31 years and has practiced law in Prescott for 21 years. Mr. Vakula is the Immediate Past President of the Arizona State Bar, and the President Elect for the Western States Bar Conference. Mr. Vakula is a member of the Yavapai County Bar Association (YCBA). Mr. Vakula is a registered Republican. Stringer_486 GRANIERI PRIVATE INVESTIGATIONS & CONSULTING Mr. Vakula has been involved in state and local politics, and assisted Governor Ducey with his campaign and fundraising. Interactions with David Stringer Mr. Vakula briefly interacted with Mr. Stringer in 2013-2014 when he was a candidate for the Prescott Union School District Governing Board but doesn’t recall any specific comments made by Mr. Stringer. Mr. Stringer is a former member of the Yavapai County Bar Association and Mr. Vakula has occasionally interacted with Mr. Stringer at YCBA meetings and functions. On June 18, 2015, Mr. Vakula attended an open house for BloomTree Real Estate in Prescott. Mr. Stringer also attended the event and engaged in a conversation with Mr. Vakula. Mr. Stringer discussed the upcoming Prescott County Attorney election in which Sheila Polk was a candidate. Mr. Stringer intimated that they needed to find a candidate other than Ms. Polk because she was a “Mormon.” In August 2016, when Mr. Stringer was a candidate for the Arizona House of Representatives, Mr. Vakula invited Mr. Stringer to lunch at the Thai House restaurant in Prescott. During this meeting, Mr. Stringer discussed his tenure as a criminal defense attorney in the state of Maryland. Mr. Stringer intimated that he represented “black” clients on felony charges and asserted he could win at least half of the time if the jury consisted of some or all “black jurors.” In or about May 2017, Mr. Vakula attended a YCBA luncheon and brought Greg Mengarelli as a guest, who was a candidate for Prescott Mayor at that time. Mr. Stringer arrived at the luncheon, walked up to Mr. Vakula and started berating him for bringing Mr. Mengarelli to the function. Mr. Stringer asserted that the YCBA luncheon was not the venue to bring a political candidate. Mr. Stringer was visibly upset and agitated, got very close to Mr. Vakula, and physically poked Mr. Vakula in the chest several times with his finger while scolding him. On July 8, 2017, Mr. Vakula attended the YCBA picnic at Watson Lake. Mr. Stringer came to the event with Mary Beth Hrin, who was a candidate for Prescott Mayor at the time. Mr. Vakula later learned that Mr. Stringer had an altercation with Jonathan and Allison Conant at the event, after which he read a Facebook posting Mrs. Conant made about what occurred. Mr. Vakula became aware of news media reports about the November 2018 comments Mr. Stringer made to ASU students concerning the assimilation of minority immigrants. Mr. Vakula was also aware of past, similar comments made by Mr. Stringer at a June 2018 speech to the Yavapai County Republicans Men’s Forum. Consequently, Mr. Vakula sent an email to the YCBA Board and suggested that they look into the matter. Mr. Vakula also circulated a petition amongst lawyers and constituents of Legislative District 1 requesting that Mr. Stringer either resign or be expelled from office and obtained 45 signatures (Attachment 12). 2 Stringer_487 GRANIERI PRIVATE INVESTIGATIONS & CONSULTING Mr. Vakula wrote a letter to Arizona House of Representatives Speaker Elect Russell “Rusty” Bowers, dated 12/10/2018, along with the petition requesting that Mr. Stringer resign or be expelled. Mr. Vakula did not receive a response from Speaker Bowers (Attachment 13). 3 Stringer_488 ATTACHMENT 1 Stringer_489 We have been retained to assist the Arizona House of Representatives Ethics Committee in its investigation regarding complaints against Rep. David Stringer. We are gathering facts and evidence that will be part of a public process. Because of its public nature, we cannot guaranty confidentiality or anonymity. Because of the importance of sharing accurate information with the Committee as it determines how to proceed, we would appreciate your cooperation and assistance in this investigation. Stringer_490 ATTACHMENT 2 Stringer_491 Stringer_492 Stringer_493 ATTACHMENT 3 Stringer_494