The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors violated open meeting law when it sued the state Auditor General over the embezzlement by Elizabeth Gutfahr without having discussed it in public, the AG alleged in a Maricopa Superior Court filing Oct. 31.

Gutfahr stole more than $38 million, mainly from the county’s school and fire districts, over the course of a decade as county treasurer. She resigned in April 2024, and was sentenced in June to 10 years in prison. In November 2024, the county filed a lawsuit against the State of Arizona and Arizona Auditor General Lindsey A. Perry, claiming negligence for failing to detect Gutfahr’s theft for many years. ×

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