San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus defends misconduct accusations
San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus to defend her misconduct accusations
San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus will appear in court on Tuesday morning to defend herself against a civil grand jury accusation of misconduct, conflict of interest and retaliation.
REDWOOD CITY, Calif. - San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus appeared in court on Tuesday morning, officially defending herself against a civil grand jury accusation of misconduct, conflict of interest and retaliation.
Her case was continued until Monday, and another date set for next month, where her attorneys are asking to remove the DA's Office from the case.
Corpus does not face any criminal charges and the maximum punishment is removal of office.
The civil accusation comes after the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors in November asked the district attorney to investigate Corpus, to see if she is doing her job correctly.
Months, and more than 30 witnesses later, the DA brought the case to a civil grand jury, who then returned an accusation of four different counts.
"I don't expect it to go to trial in September or November, but I hope that in the early part of 2026, we can set it for trial and proceed and let a jury decide exactly whether or not she committed misconduct warranting her removal from office," DA Steve Wagstaffe said outside th hearing.
Her civil accusation is separate from a voter-backed measure that allows the supervisors to remove the sheriff, a process that is already underway and under appeal.
Meanwhile, Sgt. Joe Fava, a veteran San Mateo County Sheriff's Office sergeant who was a witness in proceedings against Corpus, has been placed on administrative leave without explanation, his lawyer said Monday.
Corpus has long defended her conduct, saying she hasn't done anything improper and that she is targeted because she is a Latina and a woman.
In terms of Fava, she said in a statement that the sergeant's temporary administrative leave "is entirely unrelated to any comments or cooperation he may have provided in the Keker report. Any suggestion to the contrary is both irresponsible and reckless, and it undermines the integrity of the Internal Affairs processes that govern all public safety personnel."
The law firm Keker, Van Nest & Peters, alleges grounds for removing Corpus from office exist based on multiple factors, including testimony from Fava.