Highlights
- Armed Maricopa County sheriff's deputies appeared at the homes of several Recorder's Office employees to notify them of a criminal investigation.
- Recorder Justin Heap, who has been in a running legal dispute with the Board of Supervisors over election duties, is blaming the board for the probe.
- Heap filed an emergency motion in connection with the investigation, according to the 12News report published June 8.
- The confrontation escalates a months-long power struggle over who controls early voting operations in Maricopa County.
Armed Maricopa County sheriff's deputies showed up at the homes of multiple employees of the Recorder's Office and told them they are under criminal investigation, Recorder Justin Heap said Monday, and Heap is pointing at the county's Board of Supervisors as the force behind the probe.
Heap said the deputies were armed when they appeared at the residences, according to 12News, which reported the story June 8. Heap filed an emergency motion in connection with the investigation.
The confrontation is the sharpest escalation yet in a prolonged dispute between Heap and the five-member board over control of election operations. Heap testified before the board in February amid accusations that he had operated in secret about budget and election plans. He also filed a lawsuit against the board last year, claiming his office was illegally stripped of election duties, and has insisted that only the recorder is permitted under state law to open early voting locations during the 28-day early-voting window before Election Day.
Heap, a former Republican state lawmaker, has served as Maricopa County Recorder since 2025. The office is responsible for property recording and voter registration in addition to early voting administration, functions that touch every property owner and business operator in the county.
The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, which dispatched the deputies, has not been identified in the source material as having commented on the investigation. The nature of the alleged criminal conduct has not been disclosed in available public records.
Heap's emergency motion is pending; no hearing date appears in the source material.
Sources
Every factual claim in this article traces to one of the sources below. See how we work for the editorial process.
- 12News retrieved 08/06/2026 23:06
- AZ Family (3TV/CBS5) retrieved 08/06/2026 23:06
Authored by The Scottsdale Signal. Drafted by AI from primary-source material under our beat-specific editorial guides; reviewed by humans before publish under our five-gate process. Sources retrieved at 08/06/2026 23:06. Every claim traces to a source.
