The State Bar of Arizona’s disciplinary judge Margaret Downie, along with a hearing panel of two others, suspended the law license of longtime Maricopa County prosecutor April Sponsel on December 19 mainly for prosecuting multiple people at an Antifa riot that took place in downtown Phoenix on October 17, 2020 after the death of George Floyd. The 71-page Decision and Order Imposing Sanctions also faulted her decision to charge a thief accused of assaulting police officers. The Arizona bar has come under increasing criticism in recent years for targeting conservative attorneys.
The trial was held in October, with over 8,100 pieces of evidence, including documents and videos, and 30 witnesses testifying. In February 2021, then-Maricopa County Attorney Allister Adel made a decision to dismiss all the charges. ABC-15 credited their reporting with the reason for the dismissal. “On February 12, 2021, MCAO dismissed the gang charges against protesters following a week of intense scrutiny because of ABC15’s reporting,” the news site said. The station interviewed the rioters and portrayed them as peaceful protesters.
Sponsel was placed on administrative leave on March 2, 2021, and fired on June 28, 2022, accused of “a disturbing pattern of overcharging and a failure to review available evidence.”
Count One was related to her prosecution of two cases unrelated to the Antifa riot. The hearing panel found no ethical violations by Sponsel. Count Two related to her prosecution of several defendants arrested at Antifa riots and an unrelated defendant accused of stealing and assaulting a police officer.
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