News
Government
Feb. 27, 2002
Deputy DA Will Not Face Criminal Charge
SANTA ANA - The state attorney general's office has declined to file criminal charges against an Orange County deputy district attorney for using office equipment in his campaign for a seat on the Orange City Council.
Justice Department investigators had been reviewing allegations that Deputy District Attorney Scott Steiner had used his office computer to create a list of contributors, debate notes and political fliers for his campaign in 2001. In a letter dated Feb. 20, state investigators wrote that they declined to file charges after reviewing materials forwarded by the Orange County district attorney's office.
District Attorney Tony Rackauckas, Steiner's boss and a supporter of the deputy's failed campaign, could not be reached for comment. Steiner said he had expected to be exonerated.
"I felt from the beginning that this was politically motivated," he said. "And you know, I was always of the certain belief that this would be the result. It seems interesting that here, yet again, we find ourselves in a situation where these wild accusations have been yet again disproven."
Last April, Steiner told the Daily Journal that he used his office computer in connection with his political campaign, but he denied violating the law or workplace policies. Steiner said he worked on campaign-related documents only on lunch breaks and after hours, although some of the documents were time-stamped during working hours, according to copies obtained by the Daily Journal.
- Jenna Bordelon
#337633
Jenna Bordelon
Daily Journal Staff Writer
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