Just when I thought that whole mess had been shoved under the rug, you brought it up. Thanks. I wrote a letter to the Statesman before the last election in which I angrily protested Yzaguirre’s running for office after his theft of public property. Yet people stood up for him. At 8:00 am the morning my letter was published I received a phone call from Judy Peavy-Derr. She objected to my criticism of her statement that Yzaguirre’s financial problems were a “private matter.” She told me she was quoted out of context. What a bunch of bull. I am thrilled that legal action is still being pursued.
Like I told Comm.Peavy-Derr – if in my employment as an escrow officer I had “borrowed” from my customers funds I would not only lose my job, I would have been sent to jail, whether or not I paid it back. Does anybody in public office understand the term “fiduciary responsibility?”

I take great offense to your statement about former Commissioner Sharon Ullman taking “pot shots” at the self-admitted felon, Rick Yzaguirre. You make it sound as though she has some sort of personal vendetta. Since they are not in the same district and, to my knowledge, have never worked/served together, I would say that Ms. Ullman is doing the taxpayers a tremendous favor in attempting to get local law enforcement to hold Yzaguirre accountable for his blatant violations of the law (not to mention his abuse of office and violation of public trust). Yzaguirre, and any other elected official/public employee who commits crimes, should be prosecuted with the same zeal as that afforded to Boise’s former Mayor, Brent Coles. (Who, by the way, was convicted after “diverting” less than $1,000.00 of taxpayer dollars wherein Yzaguirre ADMITTED to “diverting” over $60,000.00!)

Your article stating that “[h]e was mayor of Eagle at the time of the alleged offenses” seems to be the norm as far as journalism goes here in Idaho when it comes to Yzaguirre (i.e., handling him with kid gloves). He admitted (in writing in the Idaho Statesman and in several public statements) to converting state sales tax money, lottery funds, and fish & game monies for his personal use. In addition, your statement that those taxes and fees were “owed to” state agencies helps to minimize Yzaguirre’s crimes. According to Idaho State law, those monies are collected for, not owed to, state agencies: “[a]ll [sales tax] moneys collected by retailers…shall, immediately upon collection, be state money and every such retailer shall hold such money for the state of Idaho and for payment to the state tax commission” and “[e]very officer charged with the receipt, safe keeping or disbursement of public moneys who neglects or fails to keep and pay over the same in the manner prescribed by law, is guilty of felony.” The law goes on to state that any “officer of this state” (which Yzaguirre was – as Mayor) who “appropriates” public moneys “to his own use,” or “having the possession or control of any public money, makes a profit out of” the misappropriation of public moneys, or “willfully refuses or omits to pay over, any public moneys,” is punishable by imprisonment in the state prison for not less than one (1) year nor more than ten (10) years, and is disqualified from holding any office in this state.”

In other words, doing ANYTHING with those monies other than turning them over to the agencies they belong to is a FELONY and Yzaguirre should be held accountable.