An Arizona Senate Majority Leader was involved in two domestic violence cases that left his wife bleeding, police reports have revealed. Despite pleading guilty to disorderly conduct in one of the cases, the politician later claimed, under penalty of perjury, that “there was no evidence that domestic violence occurred during this marriage.”

Arizona Senate Republican Leader Sonny Borelli made a headline In February, he was subpoenaed in a Justice Department investigation into Donald Trump’s attempt to overturn the 2020 election results. In 2001, he was charged with assault over an incident involving his wife. Borelli pleaded guilty to a minor charge of disorderly conduct and claimed he never hit his wife, but she assaulted him and pleaded guilty to protect her family and avoid a legal battle. Borrelli’s son-in-law has since endorsed his version of events.

But three years later, in a previously unreported incident, police found Borelli’s then-wife in the hospital with even more severe injuries. Borelli called the police in 2004 and pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct in the 2001 case, but later claimed in his divorce papers that there was no domestic violence in his marriage. bottom.

Campaign for Accountability, the nonprofit ethics watchdog group that uncovered the 2004 incident, says Borelli may have perjured on divorce records.CfA, which shared the 2004 report with The Daily Beast , wrote a letter this week to Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes asking for an investigation.

“Arizonans have the right to be elected officials who abide by the highest standards of conduct, but Sonny Borelli’s actions are deplorable,” CfA Executive Director Michelle Kuppersmith told the Daily Beast. “Borelli not only has a history of assault, but we know that he consistently lied about his actions. To the public, police officers and the courts, he held himself accountable.” must be questioned.”

Borelli did not return emails or voicemails sent to his office.

The 2001 incident has been extensively documented.Borrelli said it will come out with each election cycle of phoenix new timesThe story first reached a large audience in 2016 when Borrelli, then a state legislator, ran for state senator.

First police report The incident describes a harrowing scene. Early Sunday morning, Lake Havasu police received a call that “sounded like an attack was underway.”

Police arrived and found that Borelli’s then-wife, Julie, had “dried blood around her mouth. Her eyes were watery and swollen. She had a coin-sized bump on the left side of her head. did,” the incident report said.

Julie told officers that she and Borelli had returned home after visiting a friend. She said she had been drinking, and Borelli unexpectedly got angry.

“During an argument, [Borrelli] I punched her in the face multiple times (I don’t remember how many times),” the report said. She also said that Borelli “pushed her to the ground three times her third time. When she was pushed to the ground on her last, her head hit her poker machine.”

Julie’s son, Borelli’s son-in-law, was a witness to this event. However, he has since retracted his testimony.

In a 2001 incident report, police said a 14-year-old boy called 911 from his bedroom, at which point Borelli pulled the phone cord from the wall. Police later said they saw Borelli punch Julie in the face three times, and Julie waved her crutches at Borelli twice, she said. The boy also described multiple instances in which Borelli allegedly interrupted his 911 calls that night. Early in the fight, the boy said that Borelli only took the phone away from her and Julie dialed 911.

later Arizona State Capitol Times When I wrote about the incident in 2016, the son — then an adult and a Marine — wrote a letter claiming his mother was unwell and had coached him in dealing with police.

“At the time, I told the police officer exactly what my mother had told me to say.” Capitol Times“[A 14-year-old]disobeyed her orders was completely unthinkable. But Sonny never hit her. He protected himself from the violent side effects of her anger, I tried to keep her from hurting herself or others.

He declined to answer further questions to the press at the time of the letter.When The Daily Beast asked for comment on the 2004 incident, the phone number associated with him was not answered.

When the story gained widespread attention in 2016, Julie recently executed 1 year in prison for attempted theft. According to her divorce records, her recent employment history is unknown and she never had a divorce attorney. She called multiple numbers associated with her and voicemails were never returned.

Borelli also denies hitting Julie in the 2001 incident. characterized Julie as having a “meltdown” caused by

He also blamed the custody case on his decision to plead guilty to a reduced charge of disorderly conduct. tell Capitol Times Had he gone to court on assault charges, his ex-wife would have won custody of their six-year-old child.

“My ex found out about it, my first ex saw another bite on an apple,” Borelli said. Or should I fight $5,000 in court to keep my custody? rice field.”

he said to phoenix new times In 2016, he intervened in his wife’s 911 call.

A similar explanation was given for Capitol Times“Here’s the problem with these DV laws,” said Borrelli. “The first to call 911 wins. And they know they have power.”

But in 2004, it was Borelli who called the police. On his August 22nd that year, police were called to Borrelli’s home, in what officers described as a “delayed domestic violence assault.” Borelli greeted the officer and said he had a fight with his wife. His wife is bipolar and she said she was drinking.

According to the police report, he told the officer, “During the altercation, his wife picked up a knife and approached him with the knife she was holding in her right hand raised above her head.” He tried to release it, but in doing so, a collision occurred on the master bedroom floor, and he believes he hit his wife in the face while trying to remove the knife.”

The officer said, “Borelli had a small puncture wound in the palm of his right hand. There were several longitudinal wounds on his chest that appeared to have barely broken the skin. The wounds were about six inches long.” Borelli appears to have no injuries.Borelli has refused medical attention.When Borelli showed aggressive aggression by his wife, his minor injuries did not seem to match his statements.”

The officer continued, “In the master bedroom of the residence, there was a knife on the floor on the north side of the room. The knife was about eight inches long. It had a white painted handle, just like a display knife.” There were some what appeared to be drops of blood next to the knife, and a few drops in the master bathroom on the countertop as well.”

The knife was confiscated as evidence. A police evidence report on the knife, including a brief summary of the incident, also underscores the skepticism of Borelli’s report. “I met Borrelli who said he was assaulted by his wife,” the four-sentence synopsis reads, “The evidence disagrees. [Borrelli’s] Story. “

While one officer interviewed Borrelli, another went to the local hospital to look for Julie. They found her in her emergency room where she was being treated.

“Julie Borelli had a large amount of dried blood completely covering the lower part of her face,” the report said. She said “Julie Borelli had dried and smeared blood on her hands and arms as well. Julie Borelli had a noticeable bruise/swelling on the right side of her neck (near her lower jaw). there was.

The officer said a cut on the inside of his lip might require stitches, one of his teeth was “obviously misaligned,” and a bloody fragment of the tooth was found sitting on the doctor’s bedside tray. Julie claimed her teeth were “perfect until tonight.”

When questioned about the incident, Julie told officers that Borelli had “done it again.”

The couple had a fight after entertaining a friend, Julie said. She claimed she was angry with Borelli.[ting] She finished her sentence.” Then, “Sonny got angry with her and started hitting her several times. Unknown).Sonny took it to the backyard and fired it once.She then drove herself to the hospital.”

Julie denied any knowledge of the knife attack. “She told me: She knows nothing about the knife being involved in the debate,” reads the police report. [sic] Swiss army knives and their typical kitchen knives. The swiss army knife is under the bar, [during the fight] They were never near the kitchen to get those knives. She believes Sonny is capable of self-harm. “

of Arizona Republic in 2016, Julie “succeeded in seeking a protective order issued against Borelli in Lake Havasu District Court in 2004. The order was reversed six weeks later.”

In the 2004 domestic violence case, we didn’t get to see the inside of the courtroom. Court records show that the case ran out of time while awaiting prosecutors.

Borrelli and Julie legally separated in 2013, but according to 2018 court documents, Julie did not comply with the legal papers and divorce proceedings dragged on for years.

In the document, Borelli petitioned for the final dissolution of the marriage, stating that “there was no evidence that domestic violence occurred during this marriage.”

He signed the document and declared, “Under penalty of perjury, the contents of this document are true and correct to the best of my knowledge and belief.” It made a similar declaration, stating that “no domestic violence has been reported during this marriage.”

Domestic violence denials appear to contradict Julie’s 2001 guilty plea and 2004 charges.

In a letter to the Arizona Attorney General and the Mojave County District Attorney, the CfA argued that divorce documents could constitute criminal perjury.

“It appears incontrovertible that Mr. Borrelli was arrested for assault of domestic violence and subsequently pleaded guilty to charges arising from that incident,” the letter reads.

“The 2004 incident and the order of protection against Mr. Borelli suggest that the 2001 attack on Borelli’s wife was not an isolated incident. The signed dissolution of the marriage required him to prove there was no domestic violence during his marriage, and police and court records reveal this to be untrue.Borelli and Julie Marriage of Borelli.