 Click the play button on the video window to the see the storyPHOENIX - Joe Diaz has been knocked out. His career has been ended by a powerful blow, but not by a fighter in the ring. Instead, Arizona's most prominent boxing manager said corruption at the highest levels of state government brought him to the brink of bankruptcy and resulted in his manager's license being revoked. "What I'm saying I can prove," Diaz said. Diaz said his license from the Arizona State Boxing Commission to train and manage fighters was revoked after he filed a criminal complaint against Peter McKinn. McKinn is a boxing promoter with strong ties to Maricopa County Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox, who is also an appointed member of the Arizona State Boxing Commission.
In April 2005, McKinn faced criminal charges after he bounced a $5,000 check to Diaz and one of his fighters. What happened next is now at the center of an ongoing criminal investigation by the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office. Multiple sources tell the ABC15 Investigators that the FBI has launched an investigation as well. Several promoters, a former referee and a doctor said they've been interviewed by federal agents over the last 12 months. However, the FBI declined to comment. In an audio-taped interview with Sheriff's detectives last week, retired Justice of the Peace Carlos Mendoza said the FBI was questioning him about "something to the effect of political corruption or influence peddling or trying to influence a judge." After signing an arrest warrant for McKinn, Mendoza said McKinn and the husband to Mary Rose Wilcox, Earl, showed up in his chambers unannounced. "He introduces himself and tells me he is a special aide to the governor and says you must know my wife, Mary Rose Wilcox. She handles your budget," Mendoza said. Mendoza recalled to detectives, "He (Earl Wilcox) did say something to the effect of these are bogus charges and it should be dropped or dismissed, something to that effect." Mendoza said he told Wilcox and McKinn to leave. Later, Mendoza said he nullified the warrant but then called the presiding judge to immediately recuse himself from the case. When asked about the visit with Earl Wilcox to the judge's chambers, McKinn told the ABC15 Investigators, "I don't recall right now."
At the same time, a confidential internal memo from the Maricopa County Attorney's Office reveals Mary Rose Wilcox was repeatedly calling prosecutors, sending them faxes on county letterhead, and urging them to dismiss the case against McKinn. Read the confidential internal memo
See the faxes on county letterhead"Supervisor Wilcox wanted (prosecutor) Andrea to dismiss the case," the memo states. According to that memo, the prosecutor felt pressured and uncomfortable, so much so that the prosecutor decided not to return the calls until her supervisor was present. The memo states that prosecutors spoke with Mary Rose Wilcox's assistant on August 15, 2005, "who demanded to know if the case was dismissed." When asked why she would interfere with a criminal investigation involving Peter McKinn, Mary Rose Wilcox said, "I did nothing wrong. You're barking up the wrong tree." Her husband, Earl Wilcox, described McKinn as a good friend, someone he's known for years. He claimed Mendoza is lying and told ABC15, "I welcome the investigation and look forward to clearing my name."
According to that confidential memo, Mary Rose Wilcox faxed a receipt to the prosecutors office showing Diaz had been paid $5,000 cash. The bad check case against McKinn was dismissed, but it was replaced by a felony forgery investigation after handwriting experts determined the receipt was a fake and Diaz's signature was forged. "If that's not his signature, why didn't they come after me then?" McKinn said. Documents obtained by ABC15 reveal the Phoenix Police Department and the Maricopa County Attorney's Office did go after McKinn. McKinn and the Wilcoxes had no idea that detectives obtained samples of their handwriting and compared them to the signature on the receipt. While detectives could prove the receipt was a fake, they could not prove who forged Diaz's signature. "This case has cost me, with the monies that I borrowed to stay alive, close to $300,000," Diaz said. Diaz filed complaints with the Arizona State Boxing Commission, but nothing happened. Six months later, his license was revoked. Records show Mary Rose Wilcox presided over that decision. "They'll destroy you," Diaz said. Diaz said widespread corruption involving the boxing commission has destroyed the sport and kept millions of dollars from pouring into the state's economy. "I can see the evidence of it," said Arizona State Senator Jonathan Paton. "I get consistent complaints across the board that are all the same."
Paton said he's received more than 20 complaints against the Arizona State Boxing Commission in the last 12 months. "I get complaints that promoters can't get licenses to promote, fighters can't get licenses to fight," Paton said. Freeman Taft is one of those fighters. "I mean, this is my home and I can't even fight here," Taft said. Taft was a major contender with an undefeated record, an Olympic hopeful who said his professional career was defeated by a technical knockout by "the boxing commission and Peter McKinn." Taft said corruption has destroyed the sport, leaving fighters with no alternative but to hang up their gloves or go fight in other states. Taft said that's costing the state millions of dollars in lost revenue. "Arizona was once a huge fight state," said Taft. "Boxing as a whole is pretty much dead in Arizona." Taft went on to state, "The boxing commission has killed boxing" in Arizona. The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office said the documents and audio recordings obtained by ABC15 speak for themselves. Let us know what you think by posting a comment below.
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