Richard M. "Rick" Romley (born April 28, 1949) is an American lawyer and politician. As a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

, he served as the

County Attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a lo ...

for

Maricopa County, Arizona Maricopa County is in the south-central part of the U.S. state of Arizona. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 4,420,568, making it the state's most populous county, and List of the most populous counties in the ...

from 1989 to 2004 and again in 2010.

Early life

A veteran of the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...

, serving in the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

, he received numerous commendations for his service in that war, including the

Purple Heart The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, ...

medal. He was severely wounded by a

land mine A land mine is an explosive device concealed under or on the ground and designed to destroy or disable enemy targets, ranging from combatants to vehicles and tanks, as they pass over or near it. Such a device is typically detonated automati ...

, losing both legs above the knee and suffering other injuries. Following the war, Romley went to Arizona State University in Tempe as a business management student, and graduated in 1974. He later attended ASU's law school and attained his Juris Doctor degree in 1981.

Career highlights

Romley was elected Maricopa County attorney in 1989. One of his highest publicized cases was his prosecution of the '' AzScam'' scandal of the early 1990s. In 2002, he initiated an investigation of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix The Diocese of Phoenix ( la, Dioecesis Phoenicensis; es, Diócesis de Phoenix) is a Roman Catholic ecclesiastical territory or diocese in the state of Arizona in the United States. It was established on December 2, 1969, when it was split off ...

and its part in the

Catholic sex abuse cases There have been many cases of sexual abuse of children by Catholic priests, nuns, Popes and other members of religious life. In the 20th and 21st centuries, the cases have involved many allegations, investigations, trials, convictions, a ...

, that led to an admission of wrongdoing by the then-Bishop Thomas O'Brien. Romley also prosecuted Ray Krone for the murder of Kim Ancona. Krone, who had no prior criminal record, was convicted and sentenced to death. After spending ten years in prison, four on Death Row, Krone was freed after DNA conclusively proved that he was innocent. Romley defended his prosecution of Ray Krone by saying there was "strong circumstantial evidence" of his guilt. In response to the conclusive proof that an innocent Ray Krone spent years in prison, four of which was spent on Arizona's death row, Prosecutor Romley said, "we will try to do better." He neglected to mention that the prosecution's concealment of the odontologist's report that cast doubt on Ray's guilt prior to his first trial indicates they may have knowingly prosecuted an innocent man. (See: "Twice Wrongly Convicted of Murder - Ray Krone Is Set Free After 10 Years" by Hans Sherrer, ''Justice Denied Magazine'', Vol. 2, Issue 9.) In 2001, he received the

Disabled American Veterans The Disabled American Veterans (DAV) is an organization created in 1920 by World War I veterans for disabled military veterans of the United States Armed Forces that helps them and their families through various means. It was issued a federal ch ...

' (DAV) Outstanding Disabled Veteran of the Year Award. After leaving the county attorney's post, Romley served as a special advisor to the

Arizona Attorney General The Arizona Attorney General is the chief legal officer of the State of Arizona, in the United States. This state officer is the head of the Arizona Department of Law, more commonly known as the Arizona Attorney General's Office. The state attorne ...

for six months. In August 2007, he became a personal advisor to James Nicholson,

Secretary of Veterans Affairs The United States secretary of veterans affairs is the head of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, the department concerned with veterans' benefits, health care, and national veterans' memorials and cemeteries. The secretary is a me ...

, in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

In April 2010 the Board of Supervisors appointed him as Interim Maricopa County Attorney when Andrew Thomas resigned amid ethics investigations from that position to run for the office of Attorney General of Arizona, making Romley only the third interim ever since 1912, following Donald Harris in 1976 and Phil MacDonnell (Andrew Thomas' Chief Deputy) in 2010. Romley's success as the interim county attorney came to an end on August 24, 2010, when Bill Montgomery beat Romley in the Republican primary. Rick Romley ended his appointed term on November 3, 2010.

References

External links

Maricopa County Attorney's OfficeRick Romley campaign website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Romley, Rick 1949 births Living people American amputees W. P. Carey School of Business alumni United States Marine Corps personnel of the Vietnam War United States Marines District attorneys in Arizona Arizona Republicans American politicians with disabilities People from Maricopa County, Arizona Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law alumni

Early life

Career highlights

See also

References

External links