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The man accused of having an affair with San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus while serving as her chief of staff filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the county, its top executive and other officials Thursday.
Victor Aenlle submitted the 114-page complaint, with County Executive Mike Callagy, the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors and others as defendants, asserting that the county is responsible for a campaign of retaliation, wrongful termination, defamation and unconstitutional abuse of power.
“This case is about standing up for the fundamental rights of every American — free speech, due process, and equal protection under the law,” said Aenlle in a press release by his attorneys at Fellner Law Group. “If they can do this to me, they can do it to anyone.”
The complaint alleges that senior officials “targeted” and “wrongful[ly]” terminated Aenlle, claiming they “weaponized” the enforcement of code, conducted “illegal” searches, and disseminated reports intended to “malign,” “intimidate” and “harass” Aenlle.
The county denies Aenlle’s claims.
“The falsehoods alleged in this lawsuit are an additional distraction that will cost taxpayer money,” the county’s Interim Director of Strategic Communications, Effie Milionis Verducci, told the Pulse.
Verducci says the complaint contains “numerous falsehoods, omissions and revisionist histories,” which she says are “another attempt to distract the public from the real issue.” She defines that issue as the allegations of misconduct against the leadership of the Sheriff’s Office.
The lawsuit comes as Corpus awaits an advisory opinion from Judge James Emerson, following a two-week-long trial in August. In a 408-page report, later referred to as “the Cordell report,” the county accused Corpus of having an inappropriate romantic relationship with Aenlle and that they together fostered a culture of intimidation and retaliation at the Sheriff’s Department.
Those findings were based on a separate investigation by the county and conducted by the law firm Keker, Van Nest & Peters. The Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to begin removal proceedings against Corpus under the new authority granted by Measure A, a charter amendment approved by voters in March.
Aenlle’s testimony in August criticized his former colleagues and denied the numerous characterizations of him as an intimidating leader. His attorneys with Fellner Law Group said he has served the community for nearly two decades as a reserve deputy sheriff and public servant, in which he “championed transparency, diversity, and reform.”
After Corpus won the election against incumbent Carlos Bolanos, Aenlle was hired onto her transition team, having worked on her campaign for sheriff. Eventually, Corpus created the civilian role of chief of staff for him.
Aenlle is a level 1 reserve officer, which means he can exercise full powers and duties of a peace officer only while on duty, according to the state Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training.
During a Board of Supervisors meeting on Nov. 13, the Board discussed the results of the Cordell report. The findings, which accused Aenlle of exercising undue power over the Sheriff’s Office and retaliating against people he perceived to be disloyal, led the Board to fire Aenlle by eliminating the role of chief of staff.
At the same meeting, Corpus tried to block his firing by attempting to promote him to assistant sheriff. But Callagy immediately barred him from entering the county facilities not open to the public, including Corpus’ executive office.
In his lawsuit and testimony, Aenlle argued that he was a political scapegoating and denied wrongdoing.
“I am one of the victims of the whole Cordell report and charade,” Aenlle, who is Cuban-American, told the judge during the August hearing. “I’m an immigrant. I was raised in a communist country. Your Honor, my rights have been crumpled more here in this free country than anywhere else.”
Corpus, as San Mateo County’s first female and Latina sheriff, refuted the county attorneys’ portrayal of her, saying in her August testimony that “I’ve fought tooth and nail to where I’ve gotten today with integrity.”
The judge has until Oct. 13 to determine whether there is cause to relieve Corpus of her command. Supervisors then have 30 days to make their final decision on whether to fire her.
Editor’s Note: This article has been updated to include comment from San Mateo County’s Interim Director of Strategic Communications, Effie Milionis Verducci.
